— onze ; eleven —

THE SECOND HAZING DIDN'T come for so long Henri hoped, rather than believed, they'd grown bored of messing around with him. Then the upperclassmen sprung it on him and it was the last thing Henri had been expecting.

Those first few days after Henri had kissed Matthias in the kitchen, the latter didn't try anything. Henri had woken a little earlier than everyone else and changed out to avoid having to face with him, but other than a knowing smile Henri didn't know how to interpret, he didn't try to approach him or talk to him about what happened. Henri didn't know why but he didn't care beyond feeling relieved. Maybe Matthias knew what happened between them had freaked Henri out more than it should have and was smart enough to give him space to avoid having a hand cut off.

Then one day after practice, a few days later, Henri was the last one out of the showers. Matthias was waiting in the empty locker room and smiled when Henri appeared, barefoot and wet-haired.

"Round two?" he offered.

Henri had considered it. Kissing Matthias wasn't bad, quite the opposite actually, and it didn't matter that Henri was pretty certain he still hated everything to do with Matthias Reacher on principle. As long as his body was physically attracted and willing, this was little more than a distraction and an experiment to see how far he was willing to go. But it hadn't been as long as he wanted to sort things out in his head and he wasn't ready to jump in the deep end again.

"No," Henri answered, after a pause, and brushed past Matthias out of the locker room.

"Playing hard to get," Matthias called after him. "It won't last for long."

"We'll see," Henri had called back.

The days blurred into a familiar routine centred around and ingrained into Exy. Wake up, play Exy, sleep — repeat the cycle, with food and showers thrown into the mix. Henri has never been a fan of naps but coming to Castle Evermore, he found sneaking one or two in a day was the only way he could survive the intense regimen. He was getting better, though, slowly if not steadily. After one weeks, he could hold his own on court. After two, he'd run through all eight Raven drills enough to be familiar with all of them and by the end of the third week, he had mastered nearly three of them.

He still had a painfully long way to go, as Soren was quick to remind him when he grew too comfortable, but it was progress. Henri might still be one of the weaker players on the team but he was no longer the weakest, and that he could even hold his own on the Ravens court at all was enough. For now, anyway.

As he stood under the shower after practice, he thought about the freshmen Ravens coming to Castle Evermore to train for the new season. Henri couldn't have been more relieved. Their arrival meant three fresh faces for the upperclassmen to bully and tear to pieces instead of him. He wasn't stupid enough to think they'd leave him alone but at least the abuse would be evenly split, rather than entirely concentrated on him. Who knows, maybe one of the new recruits would have a mouthy attitude too, and they'd all take to hating them more than Henri. That would be a nice change of pace.

Any sense of relief he was feeling at that prospect immediately dissipated when he stepped into the locker room. Xander and Benjamin sat on the benches, legs dangling carelessly over the edge, while KJ was leaning against the lockers by the bathroom. Matthias and Jude stood by the door to stop any possibility of escape.

"This is original," Henri said, stepping past KJ to pull open his locker. "What are you going to do, beat me up? Strip me to my underwear and stuff me into a locker?"

"Hey, that's not a bad idea," Matthias commented. "Maybe we should reconsider."

"We don't need the excuse of a hazing to do those things," Benjamin pointed out. "We could just do that for fun or when he pisses us off."

"I can't wait." Henri shoved his things into his locker and slammed it shut. "What do you want, then? Something tells me you're not here for the pleasure of my company."

"Maybe I am," Matthias said mildly.

Henri shot him a flat look and looked at Jude, suspecting he was most likely to get an answer from him. The leader of their stupid gang was undoubtedly Alixis, who had the sense of presence to command an entire room, but when she wasn't around that responsibility seemed to fall to Jude or Aria. Henri though of them as her wingmen, also in their senior year and helping her to dole out the rules. Neither Aria nor Alixis were here, seeing as it was the male locker room, so Jude was the default leader.

"We're going out," Jude said. "Go change into something more presentable."

"Out," Henri repeated, and pretended to consider the offer. "Pass."

KJ grabbed his shoulder. "What makes you think you have a choice?"

"Usually, that's how these things work. And seeing as I hate all of you, I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than waste my free time around you."

"Don't think any of us hold you in particularly high regard," Benjamin sneered, swinging his legs around and standing up. Henri half expected him to hit him but Benjamin didn't come forward. "This is your second trial, dumbass. You have as little choice in this one as you did in the other."

"If I refuse?" Henri said.

Benjamin exchanged a dark look with KJ. "We'll drag you out ourselves. We still have blindfolds and gags."

Henri weighed his options. On one hand, he could refuse to play along with their game. And then what? He could take one of them, possibly two or three, but all five of them was out of the question. Even if he somehow managed to break free, there was nowhere he could go to escape them and none of the Ravens would help him. He'd simply end up dragged bound and gagged to whenever they wanted to take him. On the other hand, he could go along with it for as long as he had to and break free if it goes too far. At least he'd maintain some shred of dignity that way. He knew the second hazing was coming up. There was no point trying to avoid it when they'd just keep making his life miserable.

"Fine," Henri said, wrenching out of KJ's hold. "Where are we going?"

Jude snorted. "You think we're going to tell you? It's not that easy, rookie."

"Then how the hell am I supposed to know what to wear?" Henri asked, irritated. "If you're just throwing me into a ditch I'm not changing into nice clothes."

"I'm pick out something suitable," Matthias said, but he wasn't looking at Henri. He waited for Jude's nod of confirmation before grinning at Henri. "Let's go."

Henri didn't exactly have a choice, so he led Matthias down from the locker room into his room at the end of the Black Hall. Soren walked out of the bathroom as Henri stepped inside, a towel wrapped loosely around his hips. Henri wasn't the only one whose gaze lingered on Soren's toned and lightly tanned torso, well defined from a strict gym regimen and hours of Exy a day, but Matthias was far more obvious about checking him out.

"Damn," Matthias said, with a low whistle of appreciation. "I can't decide which one of you I'm more jealous of for rooming with the other, but hey, why don't I just move in and solve all those problems?"

"What are you doing in here?" Soren's gaze slid to include Henri in that silent accusation. "I told you not to bring him back here if you're going to fool around."

"That's not what's happening here," Henri retorted, as if he hadn't done just that in the kitchen two weeks ago. All Henri had done with Matthias was kiss him — he hadn't let it go any further, so he wasn't sure it even counted as fooling around. Not that it mattered either way.

"If only," Matthias said, grinning at Henri. Henri glared at him in response. "Turn that frown upside down, cutie. I'm going to pick out an incredibly hot outfit for you."

Henri scowled. "Don't call me that."

"What, cutie?" Matthias shrugged when Henri's scowl deepened. "How about hotstuff?"

"How about you just don't call me anything? Even better," Henri said, "just don't talk to me."

"Tough crowd," Matthias grinned, but he turned his attention to the wardrobe stocked with the clothes Soren had bought for him, pulling open the doors as he began rummaging in it.

Soren had changed by the time Henri turned to look at him and his gaze was expectant when it met Henri's. "I'm going out," Henri said with a sigh, dropping onto the edge of his bed. It felt like he was declaring his own death warrant. "With — "

"With us," Matthias finished, with a smile over his shoulder. "Fun, huh?"

Soren flicked Henri a disbelieving look. "Tell me he's joking."

"I wish he was," Henri said.

"You have a death wish," Soren told him. "Do you really think they'll let you come back to this place in one piece?"

"Do you think I have a choice?"

"He's right," Matthias said, throwing clothing on the bed next to Henri. "He doesn't really have a choice. Alixis wants to test him, Benji and KJ want him to suffer, and if he doesn't play along? It won't be pretty. Go on, try that on. I have high hopes."

Henri picked up the outfit and stared at the dark cloth. He's been there when Soren had bought all his new clothes, but he was certain he'd never seen either of these pieces of clothing before. Henri was certain he hadn't even wore half the things in this wardrobe yet. Still, Matthias was waiting for him, so he had no choice but to slip on the dark washed jeans and black button up. It was probably the fanciest thing he'd worn during his time here and a suspiciously nice outfit considering Henri's last trial had ended up with him taking an non-consensual midnight swim.

"Wow," Matthias said, raking Henri with an appreciative once-over. "You clean up good, Moreau. Anyone ever told you black is your colour? Lucky for you, considering our team colours."

Henri rolled his eyes. "Drop the flattery. I'm not sleeping with you."

"Worth a shot," Matthias shrugged. "Although, your lips were certainly saying otherwise the other night, if you know what I'm saying."

Henri felt his face turning warm when Matthias winked at him and he glanced at Soren. His eyebrows went up slightly at the revelation but he had nothing more to say on the matter. "Just get out," Henri said, pulling open the door. Matthias left and he was about to follow him out when Soren said his name.

Henri paused in the doorway. "Yeah?"

"They won't hold back," Soren said. "Don't let them kill you. I know I can't stop them, but I'm your partner and the Master will expect an answer from me if something happens to you. That's a conversation I'm not in the mood to deal with." He paused, as if considering his next words. "Be careful."

Henri opened his mouth but any words he might have said got stuck in his throat. He settled with a nod and ducking out of the room before anything in his expression could give him away. The upperclassmen were waiting for him in the living area and they'd all changed out into fancier clothes, including tight dresses for the girls. Henri reconsidered where this trial might be taking place if they were all dressed up like this.

"Look at you, all dolled up," Aria smirked. "Ready for tonight, rookie?"

"No."

"Great," KJ said, giving him a shove towards the stairs. "Let's go."

The sun was beginning to set as they all stepped out into the parking lot and they had to split between two cars for everyone to split. KJ kept a threatening hand at the back of his neck, as if to stop him from running, and pushed him towards a car along with Alixis and Matthias. The other four headed towards another one parked across the lot. KJ took the passenger seat and Alixis was driving, so Henri ended up in the back with Matthias. Despite the space to spread out in the back, Matthias moved up so he was sitting with his leg flush against Henri's.

Henri gave him a blank look. "Is there a reason you're sitting this close to me?"

"What do you think?" Matthias grinned.

"I think that you should find someone else to bug."

"That won't happen," Alixis said, flicking him a look in the rearview mirror as she pulled out onto the highway. "He's like a raccoon; once he finds something shiny and new to play with, he'll never leave it alone."

KJ made a sound of disgust. "And I'm seriously questioning his taste."

Henri wasn't keen on continuing this conversation, ever, and turned to stare out of the window for the rest of the journey. The others kept up conversation over inane things that he couldn't be bothered to listen to and the radio played in the background, shitty pop music. Henri liked music, but he had a strangely specific type — classical or nothing at all. He had his mother to blame for that. She'd play classical music nonstop when he was a child, the lilting melodies of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky that he hadn't even been able to name at the time. Henri didn't think he could listen to any of their pieces now without that sick feeling of grief eating away at his chest.

He must have dozed off, because the next thing he remembered Matthias was touching his knee to shake him awake and the car was coming to a stop. Outside the window was bright lights and busy crowds — it was a Friday night, and wherever they were, the streets were packed with girls in short dresses and guys with beers in hand, all in their late teens and early twenties. Matthias nudged him out of the car and that's when Henri saw what the buildings lining either side of the streets were. Neon lights, loud music and drunken people.

"Clubs?" Henri heard the incredulous note in his voice. "Have you brought me clubbing?"

"We sure have," Matthias said, clapping a hand to his shoulder.

Henri stared at him. "I'm sixteen."

"So?"

"There's no way in hell any of these places will let me in."

"Xander knows a guy," Matthias said with a wink.

He ushered him forward, keeping KJ and Alixis in front of them, and they met up with the others outside a particularly bright club. It was one of the busiest on the street, with people spilling out through the doors every few seconds and bouncers regulating those getting in. Henri ended up in the middle of their group as they approached the bouncers, who cracked grins and pleased greetings when they saw Xander. Then they all began moving in, flashing their IDs.

"Hold up," one of them said, eyeing Henri up when he came to the door with no ID in hand. "How old are you?"

Xander waved a hand. "It's okay, Chris, he's with me."

Chris studied and Henri hoped he'd refuse, meaning he'd have no choice but to go back and escape the trial. No such luck. Chris waved him through and they were stepping inside the pounding darkness of the club, the music so loud it tattooed a rhythm into his skin. He suspected he'd have a headache and ringing ears from the size of the speakers by the end of the night. Matthias kept a hand at the small of his back so he wouldn't get lost in the crowd, even if he wanted to, and Jude managed to find them an empty table.

Henri squeezed into one of the free seats and looked up to find all the Ravens watching him. "Welcome to the second trial," Alixis said, folding her arms across the table and leaning forward. "Don't think this is about a night of fun for you. Listen to everything we say. Understand? Benjamin, Aria, grab the drinks."

Henri watched as they slipped away from the table. "What are you going to make me do?"

"You're going to drink," Jude said. "And you're not going to stop, not until we say so."

Benjamin and Aria returned not that long later, dropping huge trays laden down with more drinks than Henri thought possible to carry. He thought about the couple of times he'd gotten drunk in France, sneaking beers down to his cellar bedroom with friends and downing them until they all felt buzzed. He'd never had anything stronger than beer and his low tolerance was going to be smashed to hell at the array of spirits and liqueurs sitting on the table. There were worse trials he could imagine being forced through, but the thought of losing control of his body around these people made his skin crawl.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" All the Ravens had picked up a shot each and Matthias nudged him in the side. "Drink with us."

Benjamin kicked him under the table when Henri hesitated. "Pick up the fucking shot, rookie."

Henri glared at him and snatched up a shot, knocking it back before the others could join him. The bitter liquid burned a trail all the way down his throat and he didn't even have time to splutter on the awful taste before Matthias was placing another shot in his hand, urging it up to his mouth. By the third one, his head was already spinning and he could barely feel his fingers. It was at once a terrifying and exhilarating sensation, far stronger than any of the other times he'd gotten drunk off beer.

"Don't stop," Jude smirked, blurring around the edges as he pushed another drink into Henri's hand. "This is just the beginning."

Henri knew he was going to hell, but he downed the drink anyway. He lost track of the rest of the night and how much he'd drank, only knowing that the alcohol was flowing freely and the eight of them were steadily working through the drinks on offer. Henri was distantly aware most of them were being siphoned off to him, the others drinking slower as they held onto mixers, but by the fifth shot it all just tasted like water and it was too easy for Henri to keep going. By the seventh, the world floating indistinctly around him and he had to lean against Matthias to keep his balance before he toppled over.

"My god," Aria said, sounding delighted. Henri was distantly aware of another drink in his palm, someone curling his fingers around it. "He's still going! Who would have thought he'd still be conscious at this rate?"

"Certainly not KJ." Matthias grinned at a scowling KJ. "Told you the kid was made of harder stuff. You owe me twenty dollars, bro."

"Fuck you," KJ retorted.

"Hey," Xander said, sounding a little uncertain. "Maybe we should slow down a little? He's still young. His body might not be able to take this much."

"That's the point, Xander," Alixis said impatiently. "We get to see how far we can push him before he breaks."

"And if he ends up in hospital?" Xander looked anxious. "He's underage. And Soren would kill us."

"Fuck Soren," Jude snapped, snatching up a shot of his own. Henri would have been alarmed at the fact they'd worked through all the drinks available if he could feel anything other than dizzy.

Henri felt like his head was stuffed with cotton and was having a difficult time keeping up with the conversation, which was drifting in and out in fragmented pieces. Too much, too fast. He had to stop. He had to stop, but his whole body felt like it was wrapped in bubble wrap and he couldn't move properly. He shoved away from the table with enough force that he would have tripped if Matthias hadn't grabbed his arm to steady him.

"Woah, slow down," Matthias said. "Where are you going?"

"Don't touch me," Henri hissed, but the words fell apart to a drunken slur and he was nowhere strong enough to pull away from Matthias.

Jude yanked him back down into his seat. "We haven't finished here," he said in a dangerously low voice. "Now that you're sufficiently hammered, you're going to answer some questions for us. And I'd prefer to get through this before you puke or pass out, whichever comes first."

Henri spat in his face.

Jude wiped his cheek with a furious expression and someone laughed in the background. "Still got spunk even when he's drunk," Aria said.

Jude raised a hand as if to hit him but Xander caught his wrist, shaking his head. "We can't hurt him," he reminded him. "Not with the freshmen joining so soon. It'll lead to too many questions."

Jude gritted his teeth and settled for grabbing Henri's collar, shoving him back against the table. It shuddered under the impact and Benjamin clambered to his feet, muttering something about needing more drinks. "Fuck you," Henri managed to get out. "I'm not...answering any of your fucking questions."

"I think you'll find you are," Alixis said calmly. "Or you fail the trial, and we leave you here to find your own way back."

Henri was drunk and underage, alone in a strange city that was at least half an hour away from Castle Evermore. Being left here in the middle of the night would mean he was probably going to die. Henri didn't believe they'd actually do it, simply because of the shit they'd get in, but he also wasn't willing to call the bluff. He tried to push Jude away from him and collapsed back against the table when he failed, having to squeeze his eyes shut until the world stopped spinning.

He had no choice. He had to do what they wanted.