CHAPTER 142: 142-REQUESTING HER HEAD

Clementine:

"We hear your concerns, and it is unfortunate that instead of being crusaders, being each other’s support, you all decided to act just like monsters," Mr. Rick said, mostly speaking to his own squadmates. I guess they were surprised, because they didn’t think they’d actually be held accountable.

"Clementine’s recollection of events is wrong," Jack stepped forward, saying my name.

"She’s not the only one who saw it. So keep her name out of your fucking mouth," Yorick hissed at him, making the other ringleaders and squad members look at us.

"Actually, Alpha Yorick is right. Clementine isn’t the only one who saw it. I saw it too. The White Squad was messy. And Jack was the one who handed Xenia the rock, so I don’t know why he’s still here and not being punished," Oriana said confidently. I had to give it to her. Even though she never knew when to shut up, sometimes it worked in our favor.

"We can attest to it," Melanie’s squadmates added, raising their hands. Green Squad had three boys left, all soft-spoken. I was afraid I was sensing some Omega scent on them, which would be disastrous for them.

"What makes you say that?" Lenora asked, folding her arms.

But Mr. Brian, their ringleader, finally spoke up for them.

"That is not true. We take bullying very seriously. This isn’t supposed to be a high school experience. It’s an academy where we train crusaders to go into the North, fight monsters, and save the rest of the world from destruction." Mr. Brian’s statement was supportive and sweet, but it was all a lie.

"Actually, that’s not true," a girl from Blue Squad spoke up.

"Excuse me," her ringleader, Anna, stepped forward, trying to stop her from arguing.

"No. We remember when Clementine was getting bullied. You guys outed her in front of everyone. So how can you say bullying is actually being dealt with? And look at the White Squad. Everyone keeps telling you they’ve been messy, but they’re still standing here. All you do is say you’re sorry." The girl sounded exhausted and pissed. I guess it was because her best friend, from what I’d heard, had turned into a statue too. So she was grieving, and for once she didn’t care about the ringleaders. She was saying all the things she’d never dared to say before.

"Who said we are not going to do anything about the bullying?" Mr. Rick finally broke the silence after being questioned by everyone. The white squad was giving everyone harsh glares until Mr. Rick clapped his hands to get their attention.

"Everyone will head back to their packs like we promised, to enjoy a peaceful time, except for my squad." As soon as he said that, the celebratory smiles on the white squad’s faces vanished.

"Sir, we lost our squad mate," Yash tried to speak but went quiet after noticing the harsh look from their ringleader. It was crazy how they heard their ringleader say they were getting punished, yet he wanted leniency because a squad member died. What about the others, the ones who passed away because of them? It might be just one life for them, but it was a whole world to the others.

"And while the others are enjoying their time, the white squad will be helping with all the chores. Cleaning, taking care of the grass and trees, mowing the lawn, washing the clothes of the crusaders, everything left behind. And they might have a mini mission to the north as well." Thankfully, the punishment got harsher step by step, and everyone looked satisfied. After this, I hoped the white squad would think twice before being reckless. Their faces already said it. They had too many questions, but Mr. Rick was done with them.

Miss Rue turned to us with her hands tied under her abdomen.

"I’m so sorry, Haiden, for what happened to your sister. And I’m so sorry it came to the point where we had to call her a monster. However, as an apology for what some alpha did to her that turned her into a Medusa, we offer you her head and body so you can lay her to rest with respect."

I guess this was the first time the ringleaders were going to treat someone with respect. Usually, the monsters were treated badly. But this time it was obvious she wasn’t a monster by choice. That reminded me of what Ian had said: we came across two big monsters apart from the fleshmingos. At this point, they were like little ants, ants that were deadly. But the two monsters seemed like they were normal people before.

I had so many questions, especially how the ringleaders knew it was the white squad causing trouble in the train. I didn’t see any cameras, not any visible ones.

"Anyway, please pack your bags and let us know if you will be heading back to your pack alone or if all your squadmates will visit one of their packs," Ms. Lenora announced. Of course, this deal was for each color squad only. This time, everybody was going home on their own. I guess sticking together reminded us of what happened in the North, and we just wanted to detach from reality for a while.

"Haiden," I called for him. The others were now in a line, moving forward to sign the documents and papers, letting them know if they would be going separately or together. Even our squad had decided to go separate ways. He stopped, turning toward me. I noticed Troy’s body tense, but since I could only see his back, I guessed he was listening too.

"Can I have a request?" I asked. Haiden instantly started nodding. Yorick turned slightly so I could see his half profile, and I knew he was listening. Ian was in front of them, standing ahead of Troy and Yorick.

"You can ask me anything," Haiden replied, hands in his pockets.

"Can I take your sister’s head with me to my pack?" I knew I was crossing the line asking that. His face went neutral, no emotion for a moment.

"I just want to do one last thing, but I want you to trust me," I added quickly. He began nodding again.

"I know, I know. She will be much safer with you than anybody else." Him not questioning me once just showed the trust he had in me now. And it was odd. I was never trusted, so it felt like a huge responsibility.

"Haiden, if it works, your sister will be back to you without any tears, and she will finally be able to rest," I said, mentioning the fact that the red tears were still running down her face. That was the strangest thing. They never spilled onto the ground. They just got absorbed into her cheeks.

Haiden looked impressed, and I could tell he wanted to know more, but he decided to trust me like I asked him to. And then we just signed our papers.