That evening, Mrs. Fairchild and Lilith were at the in–house dance studio, preparing for the upcoming Arts Festival. The sound of music and Lilith’s fake laughter drifted through the mansion.
Whether it was the influence of the original Rowan’s lingering emotions, I felt a strange pang of loneliness.
Priya took control. “Let’s go for a walk. We need to clear our heads and strategize.”
We power–walked nearly ten miles in two hours, the thirty of us debating our next move in the quiet command center of our mind. Before we knew it, we were near the school.
As we were about to turn back, a dull thud echoed from an alleyway up ahead.
A familiar figure was thrown violently against a row of overflowing trash cans.
It was Casplan.
A tall, heavily–muscled man with tattooed arms stepped out of the shadows. “I told you to stay away from her, pretty boy. Julian doesn’t like his girlfriend’s pet projects getting complicated.”
Before we could react, the man moved like lightning. A heavy blow landed in Casplan’s stomach.
On pure instinct, I, Blaze, took control. I rushed forward and pulled Caspian away.
The tattooed man sneered. “Well, well. So the Ingram bastard has a little girlfriend coming to his rescue,”
He closed the distance in a single step. His thick arm wrapped around my neck in a chokehold, while his other hand balled into a fist and slammed into my stomach with brutal force.
He released me, and I staggered back, the air knocked out of my lungs, a sharp, burning pain radiating from my abdomen.
He grinned. “Does that hurt, little girl?”
I took a deep, ragged breath. “Is that all you’ve got?‘ I said, my voice steady despite the pain. “Your punch has no power. It’s all for show.”
His cronies laughed. I walked toward him, my fingers suddenly clenching into a fist, I unleashed a one–inch punch, a technique of explosive, focused power.
The man flew back six feet, slamming into the brick wall and slumping to the ground, blood spewing from his mouth.
“I only used the one–inch punch because I thought you were strong,” I said, a little perplexed, rubbing my “What a waste of my time…”
At that critical moment the piercing u
sore knuckles.
At that critical moment,
the
piercing
rcing wall of a siren echoed from the distance.
“I called the police earlier, Caspian said calmly, holding up his phone.
The thugs cursed, grabbed their unconscious leader, and fled into the night.
507
After the police took our statements, I supported a limping Caspian as we walked home under the dim streetlights. The silence between us was thick with unspoken questions.
“Who were those men? Why did they attack you?” I finally asked, my voice soft.
Caspian looked down, his shoulders hunched. “I’m illegitimate. My half–brother, Julian… he doesn’t like me. He sends people to… remind me of my place.”
“What? Doesn’t your family do anything?”
Caspian let out a short, bitter laugh. “To them, I’m just an inconvenient truth. An embarrassment.”
When I returned to the Fairchild mansion, a heated argument was raging,
“The school already called!” Mr. Fairchild roared, his face red. “They said she put three people in the hospital! I will not tolerate such violent behavior in this house!
I calmly walked into the living room, interrupting his tirade. “Father, I did have an encounter with some thugs from off- campus. They attacked my classmate, Caspian, first. I was acting in self–defense. The police have our statements, which, will verify that I was the victim.”
Lilith’s face went pale. That night, her plan to paint me as a violent delinquent failed spectacularly. But I knew she was far from finished.
The next day, I found Caspian by the lockers. He looked more haunted than ever, dark circles under his eyes.
“We need to talk,” he said, his voice urgent as he pulled me into an empty classroom and closed the door.
“You were right about me,” he began, his voice low and strained. “Lilith ordered me to get close to you from the beginning. She’s not just dating my half–brother. They’re partners in crime. He…. he took my mother’s journals. She was a writer… it’s all I have left of her. He’s using them to control me, to make me do whatever Lilith wants.”
My mind raced, connecting the dots. The fake concern, the “help” in class, that was actually sabotage alley… it was all part of a larger, more sinister game. He wasn’t just a pawn; he was a hostage.
He looked at me, his eyes filled with a desperate, pleading hope.
the attack in the
“She’s not just trying to ruin you at school,” he whispered, his voice trembling. “The Arts Festival next week… it’s a trap. A huge one. And I’m supposed to be the bait to destroy you completely.”
