CHAPTER 173: 173-DIVIDED WE FALL

Clementine:

Now everybody was watching my face, waiting for the announcement I was about to make. I took a deep breath, avoiding Joshua and Jack’s harsh glares. They kept trying to make eye contact, reminding me of what Joshua told me not to share about last night.

"Last night, when Joshua, Jack, and I were awake for the round, we heard something." I inhaled deeply, exhaling as everyone watched closely. "It was a monster, an unknown one." I tried to clear my throat before I got too distracted by Yash speaking up.

"And are we surprised that there are monsters in the North?" he said. But as soon as he spoke, I noticed my squadmates glaring at him.

"I’m just saying, there are monsters, so what? We all know those ostrich looking things are everywhere here," he continued, making it clear he had no idea what kind of danger we were talking about.

"Well, it wasn’t a fleshmingo," I replied sharply, just to shut him up.

"Oh," Yash grunted. Now he was paying attention too, because everyone wanted to know what kind of monsters we were up against.

"It was something completely different. We didn’t get to see it, but we noticed it climbing up the rooftop. It was powerful, but not in a way I can explain. It tried to—" I stumbled a bit. "It hit the window. It was loud. But the windows didn’t break." I pointed upward, and my squadmates exchanged glances. Ian was listening carefully.

"Then maybe its tail was weak," Suki suggested.

I shook my head. "No, no, no. All I’m saying is this mansion is special. The way it closes up after we open it, it feels like one of the headquarters. You know how in games there are safe spots, where you can save your game? Maybe like that, but not exactly." I muttered, realizing I was losing everyone’s attention.

"Now, back to the monster." As soon as I said that, they looked attentive again.

"So you didn’t see anything. Then how are we going to know what we’re up against?" Jessie asked.

Looking at her reminded me of her sister, and I knew I had to tell her.

"Actually, there was something else. Last night, when the monster was on the rooftop, somebody knocked on the door. And that somebody called your name. It was Valerie." I whispered, my voice lowering as I watched her eyes widen twice their size.

That was all I said when I noticed Joshua dropping his hands in exhaustion, and then Jack shared the same reaction. Jessie seemed intrigued but also worried.

"Wait, it was my sister?" She pointed at her chest, looking around to confirm with Joshua and Jack. They only shrugged, showing they didn’t want to be involved.

"It was," I said, and I caught the smile on her face.

"Wait, did you guys not open the door for her?" It suddenly struck her.

I shook my head quickly. "No, no, no. By the time we reached the door, we heard a scream and the monster attack." I shut up when I saw how wide her eyes grew.

"Then Jack saw your sister survive and get away from the door," I added quickly, before she thought her sister had died.

She turned to Jack, who now had to respond.

"It is true. She was fine. She ran away," he said.

I watched Jessie let out a deep breath before straightening her shoulders again. "I need to go and find her."

Just like Joshua had predicted, she expressed her desire to find her sister. And honestly, I didn’t see anything wrong with it.

"I mean, I would do the same if it was someone I cared about. It’s up to you, Jessie," I said, raising my hands to my shoulders and showing her my palms, letting her know we wouldn’t stop her if she wanted to go after her sister.

"Thank you," she said with a weak smile on her lips.

"Wait a minute, what about the task at hand?" Of course Joshua spoke up. He was against the idea already, so it was bound to happen.

"Isn’t it already obvious that Ian, Joshua, and Matthias are going to do that task?" she asked, reminding us who else was involved. But everyone looked around.

"Isn’t he Matthew?" the girl from Blue Squad spoke up, pointing at the guy with the eye patch.

"I am Matthias Matthew." Matthias gave us a very bored look.

I mean, we had all been calling him Matthew for a while. He was so quiet sometimes we forgot he was even on our team.

"Right," Jack said, nodding. "So what should we call you, Matthew or Matthias?" He pressed, making Matthias clench his jaw.

"Whatever you want," he muttered. I could tell he didn’t like to interact much.

"Anyway, the point is she’s right. If Jessie wants to go look for her sister, she can. And she can also ask her friends to join her," Troy mumbled, glancing at the Blue Team who had joined the red squad. They had been hanging around her a lot.

Mira, a former Blue Squad member but now Red Squad, was a beta. Then there was Sebastian and Renee, both gammas from different packs, who had been placed together in Blue Squad before moving to Red.

The moment Jessie turned to them, I noticed them stealing glances at her.

"I’ll come with you," Oriana said, getting up from the little stool where she’d been cooking eggs and omelettes. I could tell she wanted to help because of her guilt, since last time she was accused of being the reason Valerie got left behind.

Jessie studied her face, then nodded.

"I’ll go with her."

And then, to shock us all, Matthias suddenly raised his hand. Everyone stared at him.

"Matthias, you’re supposed to go and clean the stone," Suki said, folding her arms across her chest.

"That anyone can do as well. I don’t think I’ll be needed," he grunted, hissing at the fact that Jack and Joshua didn’t want Jessie to even try to look for her sister.

I knew Jessie and Matthias were getting along well, so it was obvious he wanted to go with her.

But suddenly Jessie turned to him and shook her head.

"No, Matthias, I want you to go and do this task. It’s important for someone from the Red Squad to also be helpful. Please, I’m asking you, do that."

The way her voice cracked made me feel bad for them, and also made me think they were more than just squadmates. And I was right, because the moment she said that, Matthias briskly reached her, cupped her face, and kissed her on the lips without hesitation.