Chapter 5 Villain

The door to Room 303 swung open. Twila stumbled inside, smelling strongly of wine.

Behind her, Brielle, Amorette, Lunee, and the twins rushed in, locking the door as if they were being chased.

For a moment, there was complete silence. They just stared at Twila, who was dripping red wine onto the carpet.

Then, chaos broke out.

"DID YOU SEE ISLAND'S FACE?!" Brielle shouted, jumping on her bed. "She looked like she swallowed a lemon whole!"

"You are crazy," Amorette gasped, fanning herself. "You are completely, beautifully out of your mind. I love it."

"She nearly blinded the Queen Bee," Viella remarked, looking at Twila with newfound respect. "Island has ruled this school since freshman year, nobody touches her."

"I didn't touch her," Twila replied, kicking off her sticky heels. "I missed. On purpose."

"Barely," Lunee giggled from the corner, blending into the shadows. "You grazed her cheek. That’s a declaration of war, Twila. You know that, right? Island is going to try to eat you alive."

Twila walked to the mirror, she looked like a wreck. The wine stained her skin, making her appear as if she had just bathed in blood. Her hair was matted, and her dress was ruined.

But in her eyes, there was no regret.

"Let her try," Twila whispered. "I've dealt with worse monsters than a rich girl in a diamond dress."

"Okay, but can we talk about Raiden?" Cherine sighed, touching the dying flower in the vase, bringing it back to life with a pulse of green magic. "He licked the wine off his thumb. I thought I was going to faint. That was the most sensual thing I’ve ever seen."

"He didn't kick you out," Sylqa narrowed her eyes. "That's the frightening part. Raiden gets rid of anyone who causes chaos in his territory but he let you walk away, why?”

Twila felt a chill run down her spine. She remembered the look in his eyes.

"He thinks I’m a plaything," Twila muttered, grabbing her towel. "He wants to see how long I last before I break."

"Well, don't break," Amorette said, reapplying her lipstick even though it was midnight. "For the first time in history, the freshies have a leader. You’re our Psycho Queen now."

The girls cheered.

Twila forced a smile, but inside, her stomach twisted.

I’m not a Queen, she thought. I’m an executioner.

THE SHOWER 11:30 PM

The water was scalding hot.

Twila stood under the spray, watching the red wine swirl down the drain. It looked just like blood.

Suddenly, her energy faded.

Twila slid down the tiled wall, pulling her knees to her chest. The tough, wild mask she wore for the world slipped away.

She wasn't a psychopath. Not really.

She was just a girl who missed her family.

She closed her eyes, and the memory hit her like a punch. The fire. The screaming. The Vane family crest painted on the wall of her burning home. Her little brother hiding under the bed...

"I miss you," she choked out, her tears mixing with the shower water. "I'm so tired of fighting."

She sobbed, a raw, ugly sound that the running water muffled from her roommate.

She wanted to go home. But she had no home. The Vanes had taken it.

"Raiden laughed," she whispered to the tiles, her sadness turning back into cold, hard rage. "He licked the wine and he laughed."

She stood up and turned the water off.

She wiped her eyes.

Enough crying. Crying didn't burn castles down. Fire did.

THE CAFETERIA 8:00 AM

The next morning, Twila walked into the cafeteria as if she owned it.

She wore an oversized white sweater and knee-high boots. She looked soft, cozy, and harmless.

But the moment she stepped inside, the noise level dropped to zero.

Every eye turned to her.

"That's her," a guy whispered. "The Bottle Smasher."

"She's dead meat," a girl replied. "Island is going to finish her."

Twila grabbed a tray and walked to the food line. Her hands were steady, but her heart raced.

She reached for a green apple.

"I wouldn't eat that if I were you."

Twila paused.

Ellie, the girl with the spiral eyes and Confession magic, was standing next to the fruit basket. She wasn’t smiling.

"Island poisoned it?" Twila asked, loud enough for people to hear.

"Worse," Ellie whispered. "She put a Truth hex on the entire fruit basket. One bite, and you'll be blabbing all your insecurities in front of the whole school."

Twila pulled her hand back.

"Why are you telling me?" Twila asked, suspicious.

Ellie looked around nervously. "Because Island is terrible. And... because you resisted my Confession last night, nobody has ever done that, I respect strength."

Ellie hurried away before Island could see her.

Twila looked at the apple and smirked.

She picked it up.

She walked straight to the table where the Kings sat.

Raiden was there, drinking black coffee. Cassian was icing his hand—Island had probably bitten him. Levi was eating pancakes.

Twila stopped at their table.

"Good morning, boys," she said cheerfully.

Raiden looked up over the rim of his mug. His eyes were bloodshot, like he hadn’t slept.

"You're alive," he noted flatly.

"Disappointed?" Twila asked.

"Mildly."

Twila placed the green apple on the table, right in front of Cassian.

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away," she said sweetly to Cassian. "You look stressed, big guy, you should eat."

Cassian grunted. "Thanks."

He picked up the apple and took a huge bite.

Raiden watched, his eyes narrowing. He knew Twila was up to something.

Suddenly, Cassian froze. His eyes dilated.

"I SLEEP WITH A TEDDY BEAR NAMED MR. FLUFFY!" Cassian shouted at the top of his lungs.

The cafeteria went dead silent.

Cassian covered his mouth, horrified.

"I WEAR ISLAND'S UNDERWEAR SOMETIMES BECAUSE I LIKE THE SILK!" Cassian yelled again, unable to stop the truth from spilling out.

"I CRY WHEN I WATCH THE NOTEBOOK!"

The entire cafeteria erupted with laughter. People were falling off their chairs. Levi spat out his pancakes, howling. Delaney actually smiled.

Even Raiden...

Raiden put his coffee down. His shoulders shook, a low, real chuckle escaped his lips.

He looked at Twila.

Twila winked. "Oops. Must have been a bad apple."

She turned and walked away to sit with her friends, leaving Cassian shouting about his secret love for knitting.

ELEMENTAL CLASS 10:00 AM

The laughter didn't last long.

Master Chevelure’s classroom was a greenhouse filled with exotic water plants. The floor was made of glass, with a deep aquarium underneath filled with sharks.

"Today," Master Chevelure announced in her calming voice, "we will practice water manipulation. Control is key, emotion is the enemy."

Twila stood at her station. Island was three stations down.

Island wore a huge bandage on her cheek. She glared at Twila with enough hatred to boil the ocean.

"Twila," Master Chevelure said. "Step forward. Show us your skill."

Twila stepped up to the basin of water.

"I'm not very good with water," Twila lied. Her file said she had 'Unknown Weak Magic'.

"Just try," Chevelure encouraged.

Twila focused. She lifted her hand, a small stream of water rose from the basin, wobbling.

"Pathetic," Island scoffed loudly. "She can barely lift a droplet. How did she even get in here?"

"Island," Chevelure warned. "Focus on your own water."

Island smirked. "Oops. My hand slipped."

Island thrust her hand forward. A massive wave of water erupted from her basin, shaped like a whip. It slashed through the air, aiming straight for Twila’s face.

It was an illegal attack.

Twila had a split second to react. She could use her true power—the Rot—to destroy the water because that would reveal her secret.

So she stood there, bracing for impact.

CRACK!

The water whip didn't hit her.

A wall of ice appeared out of nowhere, inches from Twila’s nose. The water slammed into the ice and shattered.

Everyone turned.

Levi, the Hydro-kinetic King, was standing there, his hand raised. Steam rose from his fingertips.

"Chill out, Island," Levi said, his voice bored but dangerous. "You almost got the floor wet. I hate wet floors."

Island’s face turned purple. "You're defending her? A peasant?"

"I'm defending the floor," Levi shrugged. He looked at Twila. "You okay, New Girl?"

Twila nodded, breathless. "Thanks."

From the back of the room, Raiden watched. He was leaning against a pillar, arms crossed. He hadn’t interfered, but he had nodded at Levi just before the ice appeared.

Twila caught Raiden's eye.

He protected me, she realized. By using Levi.

Why?

THE LOCKER ROOM 12:00 PM

Twila opened her locker.

A black box fell out.

It was wrapped in matte black paper with no note.

Brielle and Amorette crowded around.

"What is it? Is it a bomb?" Brielle squeaked.

"It smells expensive," Amorette sniffed.

Twila carefully unwrapped the box, she opened the lid.

Inside lay a dress.

But not just any dress. It was a masterpiece of black silk and lace, darker than midnight, with a neckline that plunged dangerously low. It was gothic, elegant, and screamed power.

On top of the dress was a card.

Twila picked it up.

"The velvet one was trash, this suits a villain better, wear it tonight. My room. Midnight. Don't make me come get you. - R."

"OH MY GOD," Brielle screamed, fanning herself. "HE BOUGHT YOU A DRESS!"

"He wants you in his room at midnight?" Amorette grabbed Twila's shoulders. "Do you know what that means? That means you've been summoned to the Devil’s lair."

Twila ran her fingers over the silk. It was soft. It was a gift.

But it was also a collar.

He was asserting his dominance.

He thinks he owns me, Twila thought, her heart racing with a mix of fear and excitement.

She looked at the card again.

"He wants a villain?" Twila whispered, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across her face.

She slammed the locker shut.

"Then I'll give him a villain."