The minute Violet heard Sylvia would be moving into the barracks was the same minute she realized she needed to hide all of her daggers. Even someone as cunning as her knew Sylvia was up to no good no matter where she was placed.

She counted the four she had before pushing them to the wall where her bunk was. Granted, it was an obvious place, but they were where Violet slept. Violet was a light sleeper on most nights after all, making it much easier for her to catch a certain someone attempt to steal her belongings.

Sylvia was a well-known name amongst the Red Cloaks, and everyone had placed bets on her winning the Placement until the girl Emily had come in to prove them wrong. Violet had been glued to her seat while watching, taken aback by Emily's tenacity to continue even when she had a dagger sticking out of her shoulder.

But Sylvia losing meant she would be in the barracks with the rest of them, most likely forming plans to make their lives hell. It was what she was best at. It was a talent of hers. Wells and Sylvia were quite similar to each other.

Violet knew Sylvia had been working in the Mountain of Rain for quite some time before ultimately deciding to come to the Fortress when she heard about the Placement regarding Celosia.

Personally, Violet didn't see the appeal in a position such as that. Being that close to Celosia meant you were constantly checking over your own shoulder, essentially walking with a target on your own back. Emily was probably aware of that after the Placement though. Not only that, but she had the instructor Samson as someone to keep a lookout for her.

Even though Samson had been there around a year longer than her, most people didn't seem to know much about him. He typically ate by himself, not appearing to be bothered by it. Or at least, Violet didn't think he was bothered by it. She too was not incredibly fond of large crowds of people.

Violet was just about to settle down for the evening when the barrack doors slammed open, causing a disturbance amongst the rest of the Red Cloaks settling down for the night as well. Violet knew who had come in.

Sylvia.

Two other Red Cloaks were on either side of her, keeping a close eye on her while she made her way to her assigned bed, and unfortunately for Violet, it was right across from hers. While Sylvia placed her belongings down, Violet made it a point not to make eye contact or look in that general direction at all. Some of the Red Cloaks shrunk back at the sight of her when she slammed her bag against the floor.

Violet did not.

Instead, she busied herself with getting ready for bed, still avoiding Sylvia line of sight. Anyone who thought Violet feared Sylvia had it all wrong. In fact, she was quite unbothered by Sylvia, but she was also one to avoid confrontation, and if there was anyone who would be one to start a fight, it would be Sylvia.

The barracks were buzzing with the news of Emily, the new right-hand man. People were in their own small huddles, excitedly discussing what they had witnessed.

Violet knew this would only anger Sylvia more, and Finley seemed to be thinking the same thing as well.

Nevertheless, it was time for all of them to head downstairs for lunch, and Violet hoped Sylvia wouldn't begin to snoop. Sylvia, much to Violet's relief, joined the rest of them in going downstairs. Violet though, would have to leave soon with the rest of her group to search for Felix.

Frankly, she thought of it as a complete waste of time. Felix didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. He may have helped Autumn escape, but it was Autumn who Celosia wanted, not him. Violet wouldn't be the one to say it out loud, but she personally thought Celosia was wrong about this one. After lunch, she would make sure to pack her daggers as well for the small trip they were taking.

But for now, it was lunchtime, and Violet planned to sit as far away from Sylvia as possible. Her plan ended in disaster the minute Sylvia sat down right next to her.

Violet made sure to straighten her posture as she focused on eating her lunch. Even Sage was oddly quiet when Sylvia took a seat at the table. Though, Violet wasn't complaining.

Wells was grinding his teeth so much that Violet could hear it from across the table. Sylvia slammed her fork into a slice of overcooked turkey, eyes narrowed.

"This Placement was rigged, completely rigged," she hissed, not bothering to close her mouth while she chewed her food.

Violet cringed.

"You said I was going to win," she continued. "You told me I was the only one capable of becoming Celosia's right-hand man. And now, now that girl has been chosen instead."

She ate another piece of turkey, but not before slamming a fist on the table. Violet noticed Sage flinch ever-so-slightly. She hoped for Emily's sake that she sat with Samson rather than them.

She watched Emily trail behind Samson as they walked into the dining hall, also appearing to be ignoring the gaze, glare rather, of Sylvia when they walked by. The two of them were talking, and Violet craned her neck to see the two of them finding a spot to sit down.

They appeared to be getting along just fine.

Emily was curious.

Curious to know why Samson was a Red Cloak in the first place. She knew Finley's motive, and she obviously knew her own motive, but what was Samson's?

Spending enough time around him allowed her to understand more about him in general. For instance, at this point she knew what his daily routine was, such as what he ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on most days. It may have sounded odd to most people, but she spent many hours with him. She also knew how old he was when he was brought to the fortress. He had been merely seven years old, which she personally believed to be an awfully young age to decide to join the Red Cloaks. People had mentioned to her about how lucky she was to be able to work with Samson, because of the status of his very own parents.

That statement itself raised suspicion, so Emily decided to find some time to talk to Finley about the matter. It was quite possible that she knew something.

When she and Samson weren't training, Emily asked Finley if they could meet in the courtyard to talk before she needed to leave with the rest of the group to search for Felix.

Emily scanned the area carefully before shifting her attention back to Finley.

"I have some questions I want to ask you," she began, gathering her thoughts.

Finley stayed silent, patiently waiting as the wheels turned in Emily's head.

"It's about Samson," she said. "I'm aware that he has been at the fortress for quite some time. I have also been told multiple times that I should be grateful I'm working with him considering the status of his parents. Is there anything you know about his parents?"

"You mean Millicent and Henry?" Finley clarified.

"Ah, so those are their names then?"

  Finley nodded. "Yes, those are their names. I, however, have never met them, or even laid an eye on them. They, from what I know, have never been to the Fortress."

"Well, that doesn't make much sense to me. Samson's their son after all. Seems like they would visit once in a while."

Finely sighed. "Unfortunately, I do not know much about them. All I can tell you is that they live and work at the Mountain of Rain." She noticed Emily's expression. "Are you alright? You seem concerned about something."

"Ms. Finley, something about Samson confuses me, and I can't put my finger on it. I made many assumptions before arriving at this place. Samson and I made a deal when we first met, saying after I become Celosia's right-hand man officially, that we would never need to interact again," Emily explained, pausing to organize her thoughts. "But, oh well, truthfully, he's grown on me. His company isn't that bad, and we work fairly well together."

A cold breeze blew by.

"I'm so confused. I'm not supposed to be becoming friends with him, especially if his parents are committed to this," she said, roughly gesturing to the fortress. "On the other hand, can I tell you something else that has been on my mind?"

"Of course."

Emily lowered her voice. "I just—have a suspicion—in here." She pointed at her heart. "I have a suspicion in here, that Samson isn't actually happy at the fortress. But I don't really have enough evidence to confirm that. All-in-all, it's just a gut feeling."

"Gut feelings can be correct," Finley said. "You had a gut feeling about me, and you were right."

Emily hummed. "Although you're correct, this-this feels different. You came here to protect your family. I don't know what Samson's goal is here, I don't know what his, well, what his motive is. Something deep down tells me it's not by his own accord."

Silence filled the courtyard.

"It's quite possible that I'm jumping to conclusions regarding his entire situation," she said, looking up at Finley. "I should let you go. I hope you're not able to find Felix, or any of them for that matter."

Finley squeezed Emily's hand. "Thank you. We should return fairly soon."

She gathered her belongings and went toward the entrance, but not before swiveling back to Emily.

"And Emily? One piece of advice?"

"Yes ma'am?"

Finley's expression hardened. "Please, do not get yourself into trouble you cannot get out of."

And with that, she left, and Emily felt a familiar chill run down her spine.

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Note: So, that was Chapter Nine. I don't have a lot to say, but I hope you are enjoying the story so far! Thanks!

-IML