CHAPTER 25: SIN BENEATH GRAVEMONT

Theodora stumbled back quickly once she caught herself. She opened her mouth to speak, but she didn’t know what to say.

Apologise? She should. That’s the right thing to do. But he beat her to speaking first.

"That was a mistake," He murmured, just as something dark passed his eyes, and his jaw tightened.

"Yes sir," She murmured back, her voice shaking, "Goodbye, sir,"

She tried to walk normally, but her legs refused to cooperate and soon found herself sprinting out of his office. He remained frozen till she walked out, shutting the door behind her.

She kept running till she was close to the dormitory, and found a wall to lean on. Her heart was in a frenzy, and the memory of his lips against her forehead had her feeling a bit dizzy.

She touched her forehead, caressing the site. She didn’t know how to feel about it, but it was definitely something not to be happy about. It was Professor Sylas, for crying out loud!

Just then, two students walked past her mumbling between themselves.

"The Strange figure? Isn’t he always spotted once or twice for the past few years now?"

Theodora looked up at them. They were second-year students.

"He was spotted last night again. What do you think the school is gonna do about this?" The second guy murmured tightly

"They couldn’t find him last year. I don’t think they’re gonna have any luck this year, either. And people say he might be involved in...the student’s death by the Raven spire path,"

"Hush!" The other spat, "We are not supposed to talk about that? What if he chooses to target us next?"

Theodora blinked, watching them go. She’s never heard about this strange figure before. He seemed to be the topic in everyone’s mind since a student reported sighting him last night wandering about the school.

She got back to her room, and Zeke wasn’t around. She changed into a regular t-shirt and fell on her bed, closing her eyes. The memories came again, and she cringed at them.

If only she hadn’t grabbed the collar of his Jacket. Why was he standing so close to her anyway?

"Thad! Thad!" A voice called from outside the door.

It was Liam.

She stood up and opened the door, "Hey, what’s up?"

"How did your meeting with the Professor go?" He inquired.

"I couldn’t avoid the punishment," She replied.

"Yeah, you look pale," He said to her.

"Everyone in this school looks pale," She stated.

"Yeah," A gleam touched his eyes, "That is until you visit the Crimson Den and get a little taste of life,"

"Crimson den?" Her brows creased, "What’s that?"

"Put on a Jacket and come with me,"

She did as she was told and left the room. They walked side by side and moved through paths in the school she hadn’t discovered yet. A few students lingered around those roads, which told her it was well-known.

"What goes on in this...Den?"

Liam smirked, "You’ll find out,"

He led her down an old descent of stairs, with alcohol and blood staining the air. The deeper they went, the more the scent of alcohol got thicker, laced with another sweet smell she couldn’t quite put in place.

They got to a metallic door painted a deep shade of red and stopped. Theo’s ears caught a faint sound of music seeping behind the door, and began guessing what awaited them there.

Liam knocked twice and a small slot slid open. A pair of golden eyes peered from the darkness and a woman’s voice asked, "Code?" It sounded a bit... sultry.

"Crimson runs deep," Liam answered immediately.

The slot slid shut, and a lot of heavy clicks followed. Then, the door opened just enough for both of them to squeeze through.

Liam walked in first, and she followed behind.

Inside, she paused and took a good look around. The Crimson Den, wasn’t anything she expected at all.

It was seductive in a quiet way. The walls were painted in red velvet, and the floor was made of marble, reflecting the amber light that swung above their heads. Low couches filled the corner where many faces she recognised sat with half-empty bottles, and...some of the students weren’t alone.

Most of them, actually.

Figures danced all around them, almost naked, and Theodora’s throat went dry from the sight and she quickly looked away.

It was a strip club.

She couldn’t believe there was a strip club at Gravemont. Do the authorities know about this?

"By the way...," Liam turned around and almost caught her flustered expression but she quickly hardened her face again. He gave her a weird look as if that would answer his question before he asked, "Are you into girls or...you’re into guys?"

That was a very good question, which she didn’t know the answer to. It’s been a long time since she last saw Thaddeus, so she didn’t know his sexuality. And right now, she couldn’t say she was gay because, well, it was weird for her, and she wouldn’t say she was straight because, well, it’s disgusting just thinking of a woman lap dancing on her.

"Thad?" Liam called again, and she snapped out of her thoughts, "Guys or girls?"

The words came out before she could bite her tongue, "Both,"

"B...both?" He gave her another weird once over, and she cursed herself again, "That’s...cool,"

She didn’t know if he meant that.

Liam moved forward and they darted across the room. Some tables were filled with gambling games and cards and some were empty, with dark corners by the side where...lewd noises were coming from.

The air was thick with alcohol, smoke, perfume and something heedy, almost intoxicating.

She tried to avoid body contact with anyone, but with the choked crowd, there wasn’t much she could avoid. Her hand brushed against a female stripper who turned to her, and the stripper gave her a flirty, seductive smile that had her going stiff.

Thankfully, they got to a booth by the side and sat down. Liam looked up and snapped his fingers for a drink, then he glanced at her.

"You can relax here, you know," He said with a grin, "Trust me, there are no professors here. Just sex and sin, that’s all,"

The word, ’sin’ had her stiffening, instantly reminding her of a face she wanted to forget. A face she had woke up this morning, cuddled against like he was her lifeline.

"Does everyone come here frequently?" She asked.

"Everyone?" Liam shrugged, "Yeah. Those who know the code. Gravemont wants us to bleed, and we come here to rest after a long, stressful day. Plus, there are no girls out there, but here,"

"I mean, what particular kind of people come here often?"

"What do you mean by particular?" He returned inquisitively.

Her eyes traced around them slowly, "I mean...," and then, they found what they were looking for.

A Dark pair of eyes at the other end of the room, arms spread wide over the couch with a black Jacket on him.

Those eyes were staring at the stripper’s performance at first, with an unreadable look that seemed almost...bored.

But as soon as she found his eyes, they shifted steadily from the performance, like a connection had been made, and also found hers.

She held her breath. He was really here.

She wanted to leave. Staying in the same room and sleeping on the same bed was already enough hassle. She couldn’t bear the way he was staring, a way she couldn’t wrap her head around.

"Liam," She stood up, tearing her eyes off Zeke, "Thanks for bringing me here but I think I have to...,"

"Teddy?" Eric’s voice cut through the soft music and noises.