seven                              an unkindness of ravens

𐦍༘⋆

This wasn't the usual preamble before the beginning of a semester.

As soon as Ali and the Foxes settled into the lounge room, Wymack and Abby began passing out schedules, leaving little time for introductions or complaints. Ali glanced at Kevin, the way he rubbed his palms against his thighs betraying a rising tide of nerves. Whatever shadow loomed over him, it thrummed in time with Wymack's furrowed brow, thickening the air with unspoken dread. There was a sharpness to the way he moved, the way his voice cut through the space like he was bracing for the blowback before it even landed. Whatever he was about to say wasn't going to be good, and it wasn't going to be something any of them could brush off.

The room felt suffocating, the weight of too many bodies packed onto the worn couch pressing in on Ali as she sat beside Andrew. His presence, normally heavy and unyielding, was made frantic by the haze of medication giving him a kind of manic energy that buzzed under her skin. Kevin sat beside him, the white-knuckled picture of barely-contained panic.

Wymack's voice cut through the noise like a knife. "We don't have time for petty bullshit this year. We've got a new school in our district." His eyes were on Kevin, but the words seemed to echo in the space between all of them. Then Wymack said the words that snapped everything into place: "Edgar Allan's come south."

The words landed heavily, but it wasn't the shock in Dan's protests or the disbelief and anger rising in the others that rooted Ali to her spot. It was the look on Kevin's face. His pale skin, the set of his jaw—it was like watching him unravel in real-time, every muscle in his body locked up, holding back a fear too raw for him to hide.

Andrew was watching Kevin with a kind of feral curiosity, as if he were dissecting him with his stare. Kevin, in contrast, looked like he was about to shatter. The silence between them was thick, palpable, like the space between two storm fronts about to collide.

"Hey, Kevin," Andrew said, his voice a razor edge. "Hear that? Someone really misses you."

Kevin flinched. Barely. But Ali saw it, and so did Andrew. The words hung in the air, venomous and sharp. Kevin's response was quiet, barely a whisper, but it cut through Ali's haze: "The ERC shouldn't have approved it."

"You said he would come for you," Andrew replied.

"I didn't know it would be like this," Kevin said, his voice cracking slightly.

"Liar," Andrew hissed. "You did know about this," Andrew said, leaning in, his gaze drilling into Kevin. "How long? One day, two days, three four five?"

Kevin didn't respond right away, his jaw clenched so tightly Ali could see the strain in his neck. When he finally spoke, it was as if he'd run out of options, "Coach told me when it was approved in May."

Andrew's laugh was cold, cutting through the tense air like glass. "May. Mayday. A little curious, Kevin Day. When were you going to tell me?"

"I told him not to," Wymack interjected.

"You picked Coach over me?" Andrew's voice was all venom, the words slithering out of his mouth like a serpent coiling for a strike. "Ohhhh, my. Favoritism, deception, betrayal. How familiar. After all I've done for you."

Ali felt the temperature in the room drop, the tension so thick she could almost taste it. Kevin's hands were clenched in his lap.

"Help me," Kevin whispered, his voice barely audible.

Andrew leaned back, his grin wide and gleaming. "Help you?" he echoed, voice mocking. "Help a man who lies to my face for a month? How?"

"I want to stay," Kevin said, his voice thin and desperate, his eyes trained on Andrew. "I'll ask you again: don't let him take me away."

Andrew's response was cruel and cutting. "You're the one who would tell him yes," he said, with a smirk that curled his lips. "Maybe you forgot."

"Please."

Andrew's smile faltered, just for a second, before it came back twice as hard. "You know how much I hate that word."

The silence that followed stretched, unbearable, and Ali could feel the weight of it pressing down on her chest, suffocating in its intensity. Kevin's fingers curled tighter around his knees, eyes still on the scar, and Ali's stomach churned violently, but it wasn't because of the news Wymack had just delivered, not entirely. It was that look in Kevin's eyes, the one that was so disturbingly familiar. The raw vulnerability, the desperation, the silent plea for help. Ali knew that look, had worn it herself once.

Kevin's shoulders sagged, tension in every line of his body as he stared at Andrew with a hollow look, and for a moment, Ali couldn't stand to look at him. She shifted her gaze to Andrew instead, but that wasn't much better. Andrew, with his fierce, dangerous promises and his razor-sharp confidence, wasn't exactly a reassuring figure. She knew how far Andrew would go to keep his word, but she also knew how reckless he was. He didn't care about his own safety, not really, and that terrified her in a way she didn't like to admit.

Would Andrew really be able to keep himself safe? Could he protect Kevin when things inevitably spiraled out of control? Ali's stomach twisted with the question, a dull ache settling low in her gut. Kevin's faith in Andrew was unshakable, almost blinding, but Ali couldn't stop herself from wondering how long it would last. What if Andrew made a promise he couldn't keep?

But then Andrew spoke, his voice steady, almost calm. "Look at me," he said, and Kevin turned, haunted and hollow, like someone who was barely holding it together.

"It'll be fine," Andrew said. "I promised, didn't I? Don't you believe me?"

Ali watched as Kevin seemed to absorb those words, as if they were the only thing keeping him from falling apart completely. And maybe they were. The trust Kevin had in Andrew was something Ali couldn't quite understand, even though she saw it plain as day. It was fierce, unwavering, and it felt like something sacred, almost. But watching it now, in this room filled with tension and unspoken fears, it felt fragile too. Too fragile.

Wymack's voice cut through her thoughts, "Abby, they're all yours. Do with them what you will."

Ali had missed a good chunk of the conversation, lost in thought, but Kevin seemed more relaxed now, following Andrew out of the lounge room.

. . .

Ali was the last to walk out of the lounge room. The hallway outside Abby's office was a stretch of dull lighting and old tiles, and she was still shaking off the nausea, like a fog that clung too tight to the edges of her thoughts. The weight in her stomach hadn't lessened, but at least out here, she wouldn't have to look at Kevin's shell-shocked face. Some of the Foxes were gathered there—Dan leaning against the wall, Renee sitting on the bench, and Matt pacing as if his energy couldn't be contained by the narrow space.

They looked up as she approached, and before she could even say anything, Dan stepped forward, pulling her into a quick, firm hug. Renee followed with a softer one, but it was Matt who grinned and scooped her off the ground, lifting her as if she were made of air.

"Matt, what the hell," Ali laughed, legs kicking as she was suspended in his grip, her vision tilting with the sudden movement. She couldn't help but smile. "Put me down!"

Matt lowered her back to the ground and ruffled her hair. "Had to check if you're still in one piece."

Dan shot him a look, as if to remind him that Ali was injured — she was not in one piece —, but she turned back to look at her with a genuine smile. "We didn't have much time to talk earlier because of... Well..." Her hand did a vague little wave, trying to encapsulate all the chaos of earlier without saying the words. "How was your summer?"

Ali tried to muster a smile, but it felt thin, stretched across the edges of her nausea. "As normal as it could have been with those guys around."

Dan gave her a look like she was testing the waters, wasting no time.

"And what did you think of Neil?" Dan's question was casual, but there was something pointed behind it, as if she was fishing for something deeper, something unsaid.

Ali shrugged, the movement stiff, too rehearsed. "He's alright. Didn't seem like he'd be picking fights until today, but Kevin's been putting pressure on him."

Matt stopped his pacing, turning to look at her. "You think he'll be good for the team?"

Ali considered it, the silence that followed too heavy for something so simple. Neil had an edge to him, something that would either burn him out or push him harder than any of them expected. She wasn't sure which yet, but she felt like she'd find out soon enough. "Yeah," she said eventually. "I think he will be."

The door to Abby's office creaked open, and she stood there, clipboard in hand, looking at Ali with an expression that was soft, but somehow knowing. "Ali," she called, her voice cutting through the tension in the air.

Ali nodded, giving a quick glance back at the others before stepping forward. The door closed behind her with a quiet click, sealing her into the brightness of Abby's office, where the light seemed too harsh, too revealing. And in that moment, the weight of it all—of the team, of Kevin, of her own pain—settled back over her, heavier than before.

The sterile white walls and sharp scent of antiseptic made her stomach twist, but it wasn't the room itself that bothered her. It was the ever-growing file on Abby's desk—her file—that seemed to thicken each time she sat on that cot, waiting for Abby to tell her what she already knew. That she wasn't fine, that the pain wasn't going away, and that, no matter how much she pretended otherwise, she couldn't out-stubborn her injury.

She sank onto the cot with a soft groan, folding her arms tightly across her chest, a poor attempt at protecting herself from the conversation she knew was coming. Abby's fingers flipped through the thick stack of papers, her expression tight with concern, a look Ali had grown too familiar with lately.

When Abby finally glanced up, her eyebrows knitted together, Ali immediately knew where this was heading. "Are you alright? You look a little pale."

Ali's stomach twisted again, but she swatted the question aside with a casual wave. "I'm okay," she lied, the words sliding out as easily as an old habit. "I forgot to eat before taking my meds. Probably just low blood pressure or something."

Abby's expression didn't shift, but the silence stretched between them, pulling tighter like a string about to snap. Eventually, Abby nodded, flipping another page in the file. "If you're having trouble keeping up with your medication schedule now that I'm not around all the time, you could ask Kevin. He's got a whole system for his meds."

At the mention of Kevin, Ali couldn't help the immediate eye roll that followed. "Yeah, well... what can't Kevin do?" she muttered, the bitterness slipping out before she could stop it.

Ali's reaction to Kevin was like a wound she refused to let heal, raw and relentless. She knew, deep down, that she'd just witnessed something fragile—Kevin unraveling in a way that most people would never see. His vulnerability had been laid bare, and yet, despite the knot of empathy twisting in her gut, all she could summon was sharpness. It wasn't rational, but it was a defense mechanism, a knee-jerk reflex designed to keep her safe from any feeling more uncomfortable than anger — she was used to anger. Being cruel to Kevin wasn't just easy—it was necessary.

Abby's eyes narrowed slightly, but her voice remained steady. "Honestly, Ali, this thing between you two is extremely childish. Can't you just talk it out?"

Ali's lips twisted into a sharp scoff. "He's impossible to talk to," she said flatly, though she felt the tightness in her chest as she said it.

Abby didn't push back, but her eyes held something else—something almost amused, like she knew more than she was letting on. "He might surprise you," she said softly, the suggestion hanging in the air between them, strange and unsettling.

Ali bristled, leaning back on the cot as if to physically distance herself from the idea. "There's nothing surprising about Kevin, Abby. I know exactly what kind of person he is."

Abby didn't push further. "Okay, alright..." she said, raising her hands in a gesture of peace. "How's your shoulder?"

"It's fine," Ali lied.

Abby moved behind her, pressing gently on her shoulder, probing the sore spots with fingers that knew exactly where the pain was hiding. Ali tried to stay still, tried to pretend like everything was fine, but her body betrayed her. She flinched.

Abby's voice softened, laced with a knowing sigh. "No, it's not fine," she said, her hands moving away from Ali's shoulder as she walked back to her desk, giving Ali a moment to collect herself. "It's only been a month since you had that cortisone shot. You shouldn't be feeling this much pain." She scribbled something down on a prescription pad, the sound of the pen on paper making Ali's pulse quicken with irritation. "You need to see your doctor again," Abby continued, her voice steady. "And Betsy too."

Ali frowned, crossing her arms tighter. "I said I'm fine."

"And I don't believe you," Abby countered, her voice calm but firm. "I'm writing a note for your doctor. He'll get in touch to schedule your next appointment. And these—" she handed Ali the paper "are your reminders. Medication, icing, stretching—the works. I'm serious, Ali. You need to stick to this routine, or you won't recover properly."

Ali stared at the note, feeling the weight of it settle in her hand like a leaden truth she didn't want to carry.

Abby's gaze softened, the corners of her mouth pulling down in that way that made Ali feel like she was made of glass, ready to break at any second. "I just want you to get better."

Ali knew that. She knew Abby meant well, but that didn't make it easier. Nothing about this was easy. She stood up from the cot, her legs feeling unsteady beneath her, the weight of everything pressing down harder than before. "Yeah, thanks," she mumbled, though the gratitude never quite reached her voice. She turned and walked out of the office, her mind buzzing with a thousand things she couldn't put into words.

note

okay now for real the next chapter is eden's twilight lol and its gonna be fun as hell... anyways I hope you guys liked the chapter <3 mwah thanks for reading