Claimed by The Midninght Heir

The rain fell onto the cold pavement in uneven patterns. Water dripped from the rooftops and gathered on the nearby overflowing drenches.The alley behind the Blackridge Academy smelt of rain water ,cigars and algae from nearby drenches. Avery Laine stood in the middle of it perfectly still Her feet were grounded on the wet pavements.Her black academy blazer clung slightly to her figure from the rain,yet no wrinkle dared to touch her uniform.Her face was calm.Composed .Almost detached. The boy infront of her looked nothing like her. Brandon Hayes trembled violently against the wall. His white shirt was stained with mud and rainwater. One side of his face was bruised purple and swollen. A clear shoe print rested against his chest like a mark of humiliation. His breathing came out unevenly as he stared at the girl before him in disbelief. “I ,I already told you that it was just a joke” he spoke slowly in short painfful breaths,”did you have to go this crazy for just a joke Avery” Her expression did not change. “was it a joke?”she asked quitely. She stepped closer. The sound of her soft steps on the wet pavement echoed in the small alley. “You mentioned my mother sleeps around for money “ Brandon institively pressed himself tighter against the wall. Avery raised her gloved hand and gentled patted his cheek. Her movements and touch were soft . Almost delicate and deceiving. The veins bulging on her neck and arms said it all. They made the contrast even more worse threatening. “A joke” she repeteadly mockingly. The academy rumors had spread quickly these past few weeks. Fatherless bastard. Scholarship freeloader. Mountain trash the Laines picked up out of pity. She had ignored all of it. Until Brandon decided to post her home address online for the entire school to see. “You even had the audacity to leak my address.” Her voice remained terrifyingly calm. “What exactly were you expecting?” Before Brandon could answer, Avery grabbed his shirt and slammed him hard against the wall. The impact knocked the air out of him. Several buttons scattered across the wet ground. “How about we play a game.’ she whispered, Her free hand reached into her coat pocket before throwing several printed photos directly onto his chest. Brandon’s face immediately drained of color. The images showed screenshots. Private messages. Bank transfers. Fake assignments submitted under his name. “How...” His voice cracked violently. “How did you even find those?” He quickly crouched to pick the photos up but Avery’s shoe stepped on his wrist before he could touch them. Pain shot through his arm. “Did you hack my accounts?” he demanded shakily. “What did you do?!” Avery crouched slowly in front of him. “That was easy,” she murmured. “Who told you to use the same password for everything?” Her lips curved faintly. “I know all about your arrangements with those senior students who write your assignments for money.” Brandon stared at her as if seeing her properly for the first time. The girl standing before him looked nothing like the quiet scholarship student who lowered her eyes in the hallways. There was no fear in her now. No hesitation. She stood perfectly still, yet the air around her felt sharp enough to cut skin. And for the first time Brandon realized she was not prey. She was the danger. “I didn’t know you’d take it this personally,” he muttered desperately. He grabbed onto the edge of her blazer almost pathetically. Avery slowly looked down at his hand touching her clothes. Then back at him. “Oh, I am no saint, dear.” Her voice came out soft enough to send chills down his spine. “I can’t wait to see what the student council does with this.” She tapped one of the printed screenshots lightly. “Plagiarism. Academic fraud.” A pause. “Expulsion sounds about right.” Brandon’s face turned ghostly pale. His lips trembled uncontrollably. Avery calmly bent down and gathered the scattered papers one by one from the rainwater. “Oh. I almost forgot your gambling debts.” She smiled lightly. “You really are an interesting person.” Her finger pressed against his chest. “Should we add illegal gambling too? I wonder how prison food tastes.” “Stop...” Brandon whispered. But Avery continued. “And don’t worry. I made sure this wouldn’t affect your father.” His head snapped upward. Avery’s smile deepened. “He should already be at the police station by now. Human trafficking. Tax evasion.” She let out a quiet chuckle. “I suppose the apple truly doesn’t fall far from the tree.” For a moment Brandon simply stared at her. Then suddenly- He laughed. A broken, bitter sound. “How did you find all of these.’” he asked hoarsely . “Why come for my family too” . Rainwaier dripped over is face. “I know I was in the wrong” he continued. “But why cant you spare them?” Avery’s gaze remained unmoved Brandon forced himself to stand up. His body shook violently. Then his hand slipped into his pocket. “ I have nothing left to lose” The blade flashed under the rainlight. “Die, b***h!” he lunged forward Avery moved instantly. She stumbled backward onto the wet pavement, tears springing into her eyes so quickly it almost looked real. “Help!” she cried shakily. “Someone help me!” Footsteps echoed from the alley entrance. Brandon froze. The alley was suddenly engulfed by a heavy silence. Then a voice cut through the rain. “Stop.” The single word landed heavily. His hand trembled. The knife clattered onto the pavement. Avery looked up slowly. Four boys stood at the alley entrance in dark academy blazers. Tall Silent Imposing. But her attention fixed only on the one standing at the center. Caelan Blackridge. The heir to the Blackridge empire. The untouchable king of Blackridge Academy. Rain dripped slowly from his dark hair as he stared down at the scene before him. His gaze settled on her quietly. Cold. Sharp. Interested. And for the first time since entering the alley Avery felt something dangerously close to unease.