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After history, instead of heading to the lunch hall, Clementine followed Elliot towards the infirmary. He didn't want to go, but he needed to ensure his relationship with Carmichael, Bernard and Stanley remained intact.

          He sighed quietly, thinking about the salad he could be having right now; crunchy lettuce, sweet tomatoes—that delicious cucumber. It was the sort of food he could only ever dream of back in Itamore. But right now, he was missing out on it because he had to head somewhere he didn't want to go—at all.

          "You're going to have to see if you can talk them out of this stupid scheme," Elliot muttered as they turned into the corridor leading towards the infirmary. "They won't listen to me."

          "If they're not listening to you, what makes you think they'll listen to me?"

          "They like you," Elliot said with a shrug.

          Clementine rolled his eyes, but as he set his sights on the infirmary door, he felt dread building within him. The sound of that creature echoed through his head—a cold shiver shot down his spine, and as he remembered the state he'd seen Molly in...he felt his body shiver.

          "I still think we should just tell the teachers," Elliot continued.

          Ignoring him, Clementine stared ahead. As they stepped into the infirmary, he glanced around, but there wasn't a single sign of the crystal-like webs he'd seen Molly ensnared in—there weren't even cobwebs caught up in the rib-vaulted ceiling. Someone had swept this place down thoroughly. Yet, someone had still managed to catch a glimpse and tell Elliot's friends about it.

          "There they are," Elliot said, leading the way over to the third bed in, where Stanley was sitting with his arm in a sling, talking to Carmichael and Bernard. "Hey guys," he called, waving.

          The three of them looked over at him and Clementine as they made their way over.

          "How are you feeling?" Elliot asked Stanley.

          Stanley shrugged. "I've been better."

          "Either of you two see Frederick and his girls?" Carmichael asked.

          Elliot sighed and crossed his arms. "Guys, I really think—"

          "Stop trying to talk us out of it," Bernard interjected. "We've made up our minds, Elliot."

          With a heady huff, Elliot shook his head and shrugged. "I didn't see them."

          "You?" Carmichael asked, looking at Clementine.

          "Nope," he answered.

          "Good. If you haven't seen them about, then they've got to be laying low. I found out from Thomas that they hang out in the ground south lounge. We've got about thirty minutes before next period, and all the professors are busy—"

          "Saw them all head upstairs together," Bernard confirmed.

          "So, we have time and the space," Carmichael continued. "We were going to wait until tonight, but we don't know where their dorms are, or if they even share the same room. It's easier to get them when they're all together. Elliot, you and Clementine are on guard duty—unless, of course, you want nothing to do with this," he said, eying them both.

          Clementine did want nothing to do with it...but he didn't want to lose their trust, and being on guard duty wasn't as bad as being involved in the actual murder, was it? He shook his head. "I'm in," he said.

          Elliot's eyes widened in shock—

          "Elliot?"

          He looked at his friends. "I..." he uttered, glancing over at Clementine.

          "It's just guard duty," Stanley mumbled. "Just watch the door. You don't have to kill anyone."

          "I just...."

          "We'll be fine," Clementine said.

          Elliot looked up at him...pondered, and then sighed. "Fine."

          Carmichael smirked. "Good.

          Bernard cracked his knuckles. "Let's not waste any time."

          Stanley shuffled off the bed and grunted as he tried to straighten his crooked posture. "Yeah, let's go."

          "Are you sure you're all right?" Carmichael asked him. "We can do this without—"

          "I'm not missing this," Stanley refused. "I'm fine."

          Carmichael nodded. "All right. Let's go—this way," he mumbled, moving past Elliot and Clementine to lead the way.

          As they all followed him, Clementine glared ahead. He didn't like this either, but he couldn't help but consider that the sooner this was over, the sooner he could focus on working out whether or not these people could and would help him with his own quest—of course, that was if he even needed help. He wasn't ready to give up his solo crusade just yet. He had a few more things to try.

          It probably wasn't the best idea to be doing this during the day, but Carmichael was right. They didn't know where Frederick and his two friends slept or if they shared a dorm. It was best to get them when they were all together, and both he and Elliot would be watching the doors, so no one would see.

          But then...he frowned. "Are you still trying to get these guys to confess, or...."

          Carmichael glanced back at him. "We're past that. We know it was them."

          "How?" he questioned. "We didn't find anything out in the forest—"

          "Exactly," Bernard mumbled. "There wasn't anything out there indicating that it was someone else, and Charlotte said she heard Frederick boasting about killing seelies—"

          "Don't forget that kid that saw web where Molly died," Stanley added.

          Clementine sighed—he wasn't about to waste his breath anymore. They were obviously set on this. "All right," he mumbled. "How many doors do we have to watch?"

          "Just two," Carmichael answered as they headed down one of the narrow, deserted corridors. "The one we're about to walk through, and the one to the grounds. Who wants which?"

          "I'll take the grounds," Clementine immediately answered.

          "All right, Elliot, you got this one?"

          Elliot sighed reluctantly. "I suppose."

          Carmichael then stopped and turned to face them all. "Okay, let's go over it one more time. Stanley, you're going to stun the girls while I grab Frederick. Bernard, you're going to grab one of the girls, and you'll grab the other—the smaller one," he said to Stanley. "She's weaker. You can handle that, right?"

          Stanley nodded.

          "We'll kill the girls first so Frederick knows how it feels," he said with something of a maniacal grin on his face. "Then, we'll kill him."

          Bernard and Stanley nodded.

          "Elliot, you can wait outside," Carmichael said, looking at him.

          With a conflicted grimace on his face, Elliot nodded.

          "Clementine, you can get to the grounds door through the lounge, just race past while we grab them."

          Clementine nodded. "Got it."

          "Let's go," Carmichael said, leading the way again.

          In silence, they all followed Carmichael towards the arched doorway to the lounge at the end of the corridor, and with each step closer, Clementine could feel something anxious expanding in his stomach. He wasn't sure if it was caution or eagerness, but he felt it didn't matter. He had to focus on what was about to happen.

          As they approached the door, he looked past Carmichael's shoulder and into the lounge. He caught a glimpse of Frederick, Nicolette, and her sister—the three of them jumped off of the couch they were eating on, but before they had the chance to attack, Stanley held out his free arm and engulfed the room in a bright burst of green light.

          Clementine did as he was asked—he rushed past the stunned arachnoids as Elliot's friends grabbed them. He hurried over to the door to the grounds, pushed it open and stepped outside. Then, he stood there, watching the stretch of grass before him. He kept the door ajar so he could warn Carmichael if he saw anyone, and so that he could eavesdrop, too.

          He watched from the corner of his eye as Elliot's friends tackled the arachnoids to the floor. Carmichael screamed at Frederick, punching him, gripping his hair—

          "Why did you kill her?!" he yelled. But he didn't give Frederick time to answer. He punched his face repeatedly until he spat two teeth onto the carpet, yelling words Clementine didn't understand.

          The sound of the shifting forest snatched his attention. He glanced over at the trees as a cold breeze whistled through them. He could feel the eyes of the creature lurking within watching him—

          "We didn't do it!" one of the girls cried.

          The sound of a slicing blade cut through the trio's cries.

          Clementine took his eyes off the forest and stared inside, watching as Nicolette was thrown to the carpet. She lay writhing in a puddle of blood, all of which had oozed from her slit throat. Her sister screamed, but Bernard slammed his hand over her mouth to silence her, helping Stanley keep her still as she tried to break free from his grip.

          "Confess, you piece of shit!" Carmichael demanded, waving a bloody blade in Frederick's horrified face. "Admit you killed her!"

          "I didn't!" he shouted back.

          "Yes you did!" Carmichael yelled furiously. Then, as Frederick tried to struggle, he swung the blade towards him—

          And then everything happened so fast.

          Nicolette's sister spat a mouthful of web into Carmichael's face, forcing him to stumble back and drop his blade. Frederick burst into action, shoving Carmichael back with such force that he flew into the wall, which cracked against his back. Bernard and Stanley tried to fight, but Nicolette's sister pulled free, Frederick grabbed Stanley's injured arm and snapped it in the blink of an eye, and as he shrieked, Bernard's face was met with the sole of Frederick's boot.

          Clementine stumbled away from the door when he saw the two arachnoids running towards it, and as it flung open, it hit the side of his body as he turned.

          Did they see his face?

          He held his hand over the side of his face where a small cut sat, watching the pair as they raced across the grass and around a corner.

          "Get them!" Carmichael yelled, bursting out the door.

          "They'll tell the professors!" Bernard panicked, following Carmichael as they raced in the direction Frederick and Nicolette's sister had gone.

          Clementine hesitated—follow them...or stay back? If he followed, there was the risk his face might be seen...if it hadn't already. If he stayed, he'd avoid what he'd been trying not to get involved in this whole time.

          As Stanley then raced outside, Clementine stepped aside.

          "Where'd they go?!"

          He pointed in the direction they'd run.

          Stanley sprinted off, leaving him alone.

          No...he'd stay. Frederick and his friend had a head start, and by the looks of it, they were going to get away. Clementine wasn't going to risk getting caught and dragged into this.

          "We need to go," Elliot suddenly uttered in panic, snatching Clementine's wrist as he stepped outside.

          He wasn't going to refuse.

          As Elliot raced in the other direction to that which his friends had taken, Clementine followed.

          "I said this was a bad idea—I said!" he stuttered, shaking his head as they followed a cobblestone path along the outside of the academy.

          "Did they see you?" Clementine asked him as they reached the courtyard.

          "I don't think so—you?"

          "I don't know—they left pretty fast and I turned away, so...I don't think so," he mumbled, panting, looking around the courtyard.

          He set his eyes on a trio of girls sitting on the fountain...and it took him a moment, but he recognized them as the girls that had been spitting acid on that kid last night. They stared at him and Elliot, sceptical glares in their lizard-like eyes. He didn't like that.

          "We should head inside," he muttered, pulling his wrist free from Elliot's sweaty hand.

          "What are we going to—"

          "Shh," Clementine interrupted, leading the way inside as the girls watched them.

          Elliot frowned, but when he looked behind them, his face seemed to turn blue.

          "Don't look at them," Clementine mumbled. "Let's just get to the lunch hall."

          "What about Carmichael and—"

          "We were just there to keep watch," he uttered, following the halls. "They can handle it."

          "But what if—"

          "But nothing, Elliot," he uttered irritably as they headed into the lunch hall. "They'll handle it. They'll find us when they're done."

          He didn't know if that were true, but he needed Elliot to shut up. Whatever was about to happen, he wanted to make sure he wouldn't be tied into it, and if Elliot didn't lose his horrified stare and shut his mouth, he might give away that they were involved. Someone was bound to find Nicolette's body soon, and he and Elliot needed an alibi. The lunch hall seemed to be the perfect place. All he could do now was grab his food, sit down...and wait.

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♠ Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! ♠

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