Hexagon
Chapter 70: Snap
Hey everyone! I really appreciate all of your patience for this chapter, I'm sorry I made you wait for such a long time. Thank you to all the kind souls that reviewed:
-Ivystormrandomness
-xbloodywhalex (x like 32 lol)
-Tigercry
-WildxPaws
-Runereader of the Nightwings
-HollyleafML
-xmaybemeep
-CinderBlazeWarriors
-Briarfang (x2)
Thank you all! Also I just looked back at the last chapter and realized I forgot to write out the names. Dumb Azra…::sigh::
Anyway, let's get on with the fic, shall we?
Mistystar's POV:
What a disaster.
Uneasy quiet settled around the table, the sector and department heads sitting in stony silence as Bluestar came storming into the room. The sleek, well dressed Bluestar was a distant memory. Her once dewy skin was rough and sallow, and her hair was dull and brittle, having lost its glossy sheen. She had the unpleasant, pinched look of someone who has lost a great deal of weight in a short period of time.
She looked….insane. Her eyes swiveled wildly in their sockets, coming to rest suspiciously on everyone in the room. A fearful shudder ran through my body. Bluestar was crazed and desperate, having been backed into a psychological corner. She had nothing left to lose. There was nothing she wouldn't do to protect herself anymore.
Blackstar gave my hand a firm squeeze under the table, as if trying to reassure me that I was safe. It didn't help, but I appreciated it nonetheless.
It was with a furious thump that Bluestar slammed both palms on the meeting room table.
"Students, out of classrooms!", she snarled. "Students, in the corridors! Did I not call for an emergency lockdown? A potential Dark sector leak, and you can't even be bothered to corral students in properly!"
"Ma'am, with all due respect", came the voice of Brackenfur, the newly appointed head of the mathematics department. "You've disabled phone service and wifi. They're going stir-crazy."
I scoffed. Bluestar could claim the disabling of the phone service and wifi was for "security" all she wanted, the heads knew the truth. She didn't want news of the missing students to get out, lest the public find out Hexagon wasn't as perfect as it claimed to be. On my other side, Firestar had his teeth gritted as he fought down his temper.
Bluestar went on. "I expect the security in the classrooms to tighten. We are going into extended lockdown, possibly into the night."
There was a burst of movement from my left. Firestar was up out of his seat, eyes narrowed in fury, mouth torn open in a war cry as he charged.
…
Jayfeather's POV:
Contrary to the sickly warm halls, this room had an air of cold sterility that made my skin prickle. The chilly air was heavy and thick with dust, and each breath made my lungs give an indignant wheeze. Was I alone?
I strained my ears. Somewhere to my left, someone gave a hoarse cough. I heard a bulky form shift on the grimy floor, then give another croaky cough as whoever it was inhaled a great deal of dust. The form sat up and leaned against the wall with a groan. Then it spoke, "Hollyleaf? Jayfeather? Is that you guys?"
Relief. "I'm here", I informed Lionblaze. "Hollyleaf?"
There was a pained moan from my right. "I'm alive. Woozy, but alive. The drugs….they really did a number on me. Jayfeather, how do you feel?"
I moved to wipe sweat off my forehead, but something hard and rough grated against my wrists, rubbing the skin raw and drawing blood. I wasn't sure what it was. Zip ties? I arched my finger, feeling the signature plastic and the square lock.
I cursed quietly.
"My mind feels kinda….foggy? Like that one time I accidentally got high on cough syrup." Hollyleaf gave a hollow laugh. "But I think I'm restrained. Can one of you look?"
"Sorry, but we're blindfolded", Lionblaze informed me apologetically.
"Dammit", I muttered. "That makes things a lot more difficult."
We had not been alone for fifteen minutes when there was the grating noise of a key in a lock, and the door swung open with a low groan.
"Well, look who's finally awake", a sing-song voice remarked teasingly from above us. "It took you dearies long enough." There was a menacing clack-clack as a pair of absurdly high platform stilettos came marching in my direction. Whoever it was squatted in front of me, their warm, fruity breath blowing unpleasantly over my face.
A long nailed hand gripped firmly under my chin and tilted my face up to "look" at them. My skin prickled uncomfortably. This felt all wrong. The hand, although clean and slim and manicured made me feel sick.
The same honeyed, lilting voice as before crooned, "Aw, he's cute. And his eyes are so pretty!"
"He's blind", someone from behind them snapped.
"Hm. Explains why he isn't blindfolded." The long nailed hand moved my face from side to side, then squeezed it tightly. A trickle of blood started in the region of my right cheekbone and started dripping south.
Ignoring the bleeding, the same panting, fruit smelling mouth leaned by my ear and breathed, "I bet you'd like me to take those restraints off, mhm? I could do that for you, if yo-"
"Hawkfrost, he's half your age. Restrain yourself at least a little bit", the same voice as earlier sniped.
I recoiled suddenly, finally knowing who that awful hand was attached to. Hawkfrost, a member of the Circle and one of Brokenstar's personal advisors. He was a blood-chillingly terrifying fighter who was known for his promiscuity, in particular, his taste in Hexagon's very much underaged students.
Hawkfrost slowly withdrew his hands from my cheek and turned around. "Watch your tone, W13."
It was then that I recognized the W13's voice. It was Breezepelt.
…
Breezepelt's POV:
Even now, I wasn't entirely sure why I had said anything. Something about the lecherous gaze Hawkfrost had been fixing on the supremely uncomfortable Jayfeather brought out some semblance of pity.
At the moment, he wore a waist length silken wig with a creamy bone-white sheen. He was dressed in a long, fur lined pink trench coat, a black miniskirt, white thigh-highs, and a formidable pair of pink platform stilettos.
He looked like an overly preppy Barbie doll, and it unnerved me to my core. But I held eye contact, locked in a glare with him until I finally relented. I dipped into a grudging bow and looked away. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the self-satisfied smile pulling up the corners of Hawkfrost's painted lips.
At that moment, Hawkfrost's older brother Tigerstar strode into the room, along with Heathertail and Dovewing. Unlike his effeminate brother, Tigerstar prized himself on his masculinity and wore almost exclusively wife beaters and cargo pants.
"Hawkfrost", Tigerstar said sharply. "Are we sure this is all of them?"
Hawkfrost brushed a pale strand of hair from his face. "I think so. No one's come to rescue them. And as far as I know, the security cameras haven't picked up anyone else."
Dovewing narrowed her eyes. "I know my sister. She's smarter than you would think, and it wouldn't surprise me if she was here."
I froze. How did Dovewing know? Had Briarlight and Ivypool somehow alerted them of their presence? And the far more terrifying thought, had it been I, Breezepelt, that had given something away?"
Beside me, Dovewing went on, "We should search the building. Make sure there's no one else here." Terror bred ice in my stomach and frosted over my veins. I had to protect them.
"I can take upstairs", I volunteered quickly. Too quickly.
Dovewing turned to me, a malevolent glitter in her frosty blue eyes. "That's the first time this whole mission", she said in a soft, faux-sweet voice. "That you've actually shown effort. How strange." The way she said it made it clear that she had her suspicions, and I mentally kicked myself for making it so blindly obvious.
Dovewing ran her tongue slowly over painted lips. "Seeing as you're so desperate to make an effort". The corners of her vermillion mouth curled up. "...you can search the southern corridors. I'll take the upstairs."
…
Ivypool's POV:
The whole upstairs floor was coated with a very thick layer of dust. It looked like the upper story hadn't ever been in use, even for the short period of time that the warehouses had actually been. I casually wondered how it had been since these floors had come into contact with a mop.
Beside me, Briarlight let out a poorly stifled sneeze. She looked up at me, rubbing a filthy hand under her dripping nose. She gave me an apologetic glance.
"Sorry", she hissed. "Dust mite allergy."
I grimaced. Just our luck. With Briarlight sneezing away beside me, I briefly considered moving. Should we risk moving from the relative safety of the upstairs and going to find a surveillance room to track down the others? I bit my lip. We had done as Breezepelt said and scanned the upper story for a second surveillance room, to no avail. All we had found was deserted storage space that, by the looks of it, had never been used anyway.
I decided against it. The Dark Forest didn't know that we knew about up here. They wouldn't waste their time coming to the upper story. I settled back on the grimy floor, next to Briarlight who's sneezing had eased up. No, we would stay. Here we were safe.
…
Dovewing's POV:
The second those words passed my lips, a stricken expression crossed over Breezepelt's face. His eyes were wide with pure, unbridled terror and I found myself drinking up every second of it.
"What are you waiting for?", I inquired coquettishly, my voice a sugary simper. "The southern corridors await. Go look." Breezepelt's fingers clenched around the handle of his axe, a furious expression crossing his handsome features. I found myself looking closer, at his high cheekbones, stern brow, sharp Scandanavian nose and full lips. And despite how much I hated her, I had to admit, Ivypool had good taste.
Breezepelt dragged the sharp edge of the axe over the concrete, looking as if he was seriously considering hacking me with it. Then he stalked off, brooding with cold fury. As he left, I ran my hands over my belt, feeling the reassuring weight of the bulky bolt stunner. And yet, I wished it was real. If only I could kill her.
I slipped through the narrow door and made my way up the steps to the upper floor, keeping my steps light. I walked up the staircase with velvet feet, the tread of a predator aiming to kill.
The upper floor was deceptively silent. But there, tracked clearly into the thick dust, were the impressions of my sister's standard combat boots. I smiled with glee. There. I could see her, the tip of her platinum blond braid peeking out from behind a large crate. She had her arm conveniently slung over the back of the box.
Vulnerable, unsuspecting. The perfect prey.
I raised the bolt stunner. Well, Ivy. I've got a bullet with your name on it. Behind the box, Ivypool tensed, as if sensing the danger she was in.
I pulled the trigger just as she turned around.
End Chapter 70
Can we just agree that Hawkfrost is absolutely disgusting? Also, I thought I'd add a little insight into what the heads have been up to! Yaaaaaay psycho rabid Bluestar.
Reviews? :3
Azra out!