CHAPTER ELEVEN : TANGLED THREADS
1589 Words
Snow stood by her vanity, lips pressed into a thin line as she dabbed concealer over the purpling bruise on her cheek. The glow of her ring light made her hair shimmer like liquid gold. Her hand paused mid-air, trembling slightly with a storm she couldn’t name.
“She’s nothing,” she muttered to herself. “A village mutt dressed in borrowed diamonds.”
Ash, curled up on the pink velvet couch beside the floor-to-ceiling windows, yawned without much interest. “You’ve said that ten times now.”
“I mean it this time.”
“You said that ten times too.”
Snow’s eyes flicked to the mirror, catching Ash’s smirk. “She’s winning attention, Ash. Hermit literally told me to leave the table for her.”
Leah, sprawled on the faux fur rug flipping through a fashion magazine, glanced up. “Okay, but you did call him out in front of everyone.”
“I was exposing her.”
“No, babe, you were jealous. It was giving insecure.” Leah’s voice wasn’t cruel—just blunt. “Even Athena looked annoyed.”
Snow's lips twitched. “Then let’s change the narrative.”
Ash’s eyes lit up. “Ooh. Drama incoming?”
Snow turned slowly, her glossy nails tapping against her crystal perfume bottle. “We start small. Paint her as unstable. You’ve seen how she talks to people. Cold one moment, fiery the next. All I have to do is push the right button.”
“She doesn’t have buttons,” Leah muttered. “She has explosives.”
“Even better,” Snow whispered, her smile sharp. “We’ll make her light the match herself.”
---
Black-Vale Elite – Monday
The courtyard buzzed. Someone had brought in macarons. Someone else had passed a test they were supposed to fail. Someone’s hair was blue now. And then there was sss.
She sat cross-legged on the grass by the art block fountain, flipping through a copy of Wuthering Heights like she was trying to punch holes through it. Her ginger hair spilled down her shoulders like liquid wildfire, and every now and then, when she brushed it back, the light caught on the small emerald stud in her ear.
“You always read the depressing ones,” a voice said, casual, like rain tapping glass.
Amazon didn’t look up. “You always show up when I want silence.”
King dropped down next to her anyway. “You say that, but you don’t move.”
“I’m lazy.”
“You’re brilliant.”
“Still lazy.”
They sat in silence for a while. The fountain gurgled beside them. Students passed, a few glancing their way, curious. Some whispering. King tilted his head, watching her side-profile.
“You don’t wear perfume,” he said.
“No.”
“Your voice smells like firewood and sarcasm.”
She snorted. “That’s not how voices work.”
“It is in my head.”
“You’re weird.”
King grinned. “You haven’t seen weird yet.”
---
Inside the cafeteria, Snow passed the glass walls, her eyes locking onto the pair outside. Her jaw clenched.
“Who is he?” she asked, too sharp.
Ash leaned over to look. “King. Mafia kid. New transfer. Real quiet, real dangerous.”
“Dangerous is my type,” Snow muttered. “But not hers.”
---
Hermit’s Office
Hermit stood by the large bay window, arms folded. His friends were lounging as usual—Scorpio with a toothpick in his mouth, Pisces curled under a throw blanket he found somewhere, and Cancer typing furiously on his laptop.
“I don’t like that guy,” Hermit said flatly.
“Which?” Leone asked, bored. “You hate most people.”
Hermit didn’t blink. “The one talking to her. King.”
Cancer raised a brow. “You mean the mafia prince with a diamond bulletproof limo and a death stare hotter than yours?”
“Exactly him.”
Pisces poked his head up. “Maybe she likes him.”
Hermit didn’t respond. Scorpio did. “Maybe you’re jealous.”
Hermit’s silence was answer enough.
---
Later That Week – Black-Vale Auditorium
“I just think you should know your sister’s been saying some things,” a girl whispered to sss as they filed out of calculus class.
Amazon blinked. “Sister?”
“Yeah. The pretty one. Cries a lot.”
“Oh,” sss deadpanned. “The drama major.”
The girl stifled a giggle.
In the hallway, Audrey stood with Norris, her lashes damp and her voice trembling just enough to be believable.
“I didn’t think she’d pretend not to know me,” she whispered.
“She’s… intense,” Norris said gently. “Maybe she’s hurting in ways we don’t see.”
Audrey sniffled, eyes wide with practiced innocence. “She left us, but I still worry about her.”
A group of students lingered nearby, catching just enough of the conversation.
And the story began to turn.
---
Cliffhanger Ending
Back at the mansion, Hermit’s phone buzzed.
Unknown Number:
> Phase one complete. Stocks dipping. Revenue quarterly reports coming in red.
Lydia should be sweating.
Hermit’s fingers hovered over the screen, unreadable.
In the darkness of his study, he murmured, “Let’s see how long they last.”
Unseen, sss passed the hallway just outside. Her eyes flicked toward the partially open door.
And she paused.
Not long.
Just long enough to hear.
Snow leaned back in her seat at the edge of the Black-Vale fountain courtyard, her manicured nails tapping against her glittering phone case. Her lips twitched as she watched a group of students pass by, a few of them pausing to sneak glances at the ginger-haired girl crossing the garden—sss. The laughter that had been echoing around Snow faded for a moment.
"Can you believe the nerve of that countryside brat?" Snow muttered, voice light but laced with venom. "Like she just owns the place."
Leah popped a grape in her mouth and glanced sideways. "Honestly? The way Hermit looked at her yesterday...it was weird. Cold, but not indifferent. And you know how he usually is—like an iceberg with a grudge."
Snow's smile tightened.
Ash twirled her ponytail lazily. "I think it’s time we reminded Miss Emerald Eyes where she came from."
Snow nodded slowly. "Exactly. Let her shine for a moment. Then we’ll clip her wings."
---
Amazon, meanwhile, had slung her bag over one shoulder and was walking through the east hallway when she heard a whisper behind her. She didn’t turn. The voice was familiar. Sweet. Sickeningly so.
"Sister."
Amazon stopped. Her shoulders tensed.
Audrey stood there, in the middle of the hallway, eyes shimmering with fake innocence. She had perfected the soft, broken smile. Dressed in a modest pastel pink skirt and cardigan ensemble, she looked like every teacher’s dream.
"I didn’t think we’d meet so soon," Audrey said softly, eyes glistening as a few students around them began to slow, listening. "I was so worried. You left home so suddenly. Papa… he couldn’t sleep for days."
Amazon turned, arms folded. Her voice was flat. "Stop pretending we’re related."
Audrey's eyes welled up instantly. Her voice trembled. "I know you’re angry. You were always the stronger one, always so protective... but I’m still your sister. Family isn’t something you throw away."
Amazon smiled—a slow, mocking curve of her lips. "I already did. Along with the rags you and your mother gave me."
Gasps sounded from the nearby students.
Hermit appeared like a shadow—silent, unreadable. His presence shifted the air.
Audrey’s eyes caught him and, instantly, tears brimmed over. "Hermit... she doesn’t mean it. She’s just... hurt."
Hermit’s expression didn’t change. "You’re not part of this house, Audrey. Don’t act like you speak for it."
Her lips trembled. The look on her face was a blend of embarrassment and disbelief.
He turned his gaze to sss. "Walk with me."
She didn’t hesitate. She walked forward, brushing past Audrey who stood frozen in place.
---
In the cafeteria garden, King was reclined under a sycamore tree, lazily sketching something on a notepad. A flicker of ginger caught his eye.
He smirked. "The girl who outsmarted Snow."
Amazon blinked, noticing him. "Do I know you?"
"Not yet," he said, shutting the notepad. "But I know trouble when I see it."
She raised an eyebrow. "You must look in the mirror a lot."
He laughed. A sharp, easy sound.
"sss, right? You don’t act like someone who grew up being told to keep her head down."
She shrugged. "And you don’t act like a student. What are you, forty?"
King leaned forward, smile sly. "Careful. I might start thinking you’re flirting."
"Careful. I might start gagging."
He grinned wider. "I like you. You don’t pretend."
"You don’t know me."
"No," King said. "But I know Snow. And if she tries anything, I’ll bury her so deep, the worms will need a ladder."
Amazon blinked, surprised.
He stood, winked, and walked off without another word.
---
That night, Snow sat in her room, lit by a dozen candles and expensive perfume wafting through the air. On her screen, images of sss from their village days flickered.
"Let’s see how long you last," she whispered, pressing ‘send.’
But her plan wouldn’t go unnoticed for long.
Outside her window, hidden in the shadows, someone had been watching.
Someone with an old grudge.
And the game was just beginning.
- Writer
