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Jacin

When Kai had suggested they have another meeting, Jacin was the one who insisted that they ditch the library. They already had proof that the Dark Section wasn't enough to hide them anymore, and with the school on high alert after Wolf's attack on the students, they just couldn't risk it. He had also insisted on the new location, one that would actually keep them hidden. Unfortunately, the others were in bad moods and didn't appreciate Jacin's help. Ungrateful teenagers.

"Even I know it's a bad idea to have a meeting in the Black Woods." Thorne said, "Have you forgotten that this is the home of the horse-people who want to kill us?"

Jacin glared at him. "Those "horse people" are the reason this is the best place to meet. With a bunch of hostile magical creatures running around, neither the teachers nor the students are likely to come here."

"Smart people." Cinder muttered.

"I didn't see you offering up any suggestions." Jacin said.

"I would've if I'd known we were switching meeting places."

"Fine then. Where do you think is the best meeting place. Go on, we're all ears."

"Why not one of our dorms? We can trick the barriers by wearing different cloaks."

"And what if some passer-by hears us through the door? Or if they're in the next room? The walls aren't soundproof Cinder."

"But at least the rooms don't have magical creatures that want to kill us!"

Kai put his hand on Cinder's shoulder and tried for a smile. "Hey, we're here now, right? We'll just keep this meeting quick, and next time, we'll try Cinder's idea. Sound good?"

Cinder scowled, obviously not happy, but nodded. Reluctantly, Jacin followed suit.

Kai's smile grew a little more natural. "Great. Then let's get this meeting under-way."

"We can't start yet!" Scarlet protested, "Wolf's not here."

"He's always got a teacher tailing him these days." Jacin reminded her, "I'm willing to bet that he's not going to risk exposing us by coming."

Scarlet frowned and muttered under her breath, but offered no argument.

"So, how did everyone go on their little assignments?" Kai asked with forced cheer.

"I think I've prevented the Star Tree from absorbing moonlight." Cress said, "We won't actually know for sure until the next full moon though."

"I'm sure you did it Cress." Thorne grinned down at her.

Cress's cheeks flushed. With pride? Or admiration? Merlin's beard, please don't let it be admiration. If Thorne found out that Cress liked him… well, the last thing the world needed was for Thorne's head to inflate even more.

"What about you, Scarlet?" Kai asked her, "Did you and Wolf find the school's stash?"

Scarlet snorted bitterly. "Yeah, we found it no trouble."

"And did you destroy it?" Jacin asked impatiently.

"If you call Wolf absorbing all the moonlight in the stash causing him to transform and murder a bunch of students destroying it then, yes, we did."

"Wait, that's what caused Wolf to transform in the middle of the day?" Cinder cried, "I just thought the school had gotten a little too cocky with its werewolf magic!"

Scarlet shook her head. "Wolf and I couldn't figure out a way to get to the actual stash. He thought the only way was to absorb the moonlight into himself."

Thorne snorted. "Well that's dumb."

"Oh, and you could have come up with something better?" Scarlet snapped, her brown eyes blazing.

"I would've come up with something that wouldn't have gotten a bunch of people killed! Merlin's beard, I was nearly sent to the grave early because of Wolf!"

"And six students actually were sent to the grave early." Iko said, folding her arms. Her eyes were glowing dark orange. "And nine others are now stuck with monthly transformations into monsters."

"But that's not Wolf's fault!" Scarlet cried, "You know he can't control his actions while in werewolf form!"
"A form he never would've transformed into if he hadn't absorbed Merlin knows how much moonlight." Jacin reminded her irritably. "He could've at least taken a Wolfsbane potion beforehand, that way he'd be in control."

"You don't know that." Scarlet insisted furiously, "Their might have been too much moonlight in that room for the Wolfsbane to handle and – and how would he explain going down to the potions department to get a Wolfsbane potion when the full moon is still weeks away?"

"He likes getting things done quickly?" Kai suggested, "And I'm pretty sure the Wolfsbane would've worked regardless of how much moonlight there was in there."

"Not necessarily." Cress mused thoughtfully, "The limits of Wolfsbane potion haven't really been tested. Assuming each of those globes on the Star Tree is the equivalent of a night with the full moon, then there could very well have been enough inside the stash to cancel out the effects of Wolfsbane potion. Theoretically I mean, assuming that the potion can be overridden." She added bashfully, upon noticing the other's staring at her.

Iko sighed. "Anyway, it doesn't matter now. What's done is done. At least the school's stash of moonlight is gone, right?"

Jacin scowled at the ground. He doubted that small victory was worth the lives of six students. Seventeen if you counted the two teachers that died and all the students that got infected. No way was that sacrifice worth an empty room of moonlight…. an inexplicably empty room of moonlight that had been full before the infamous daytime werewolf attack.

Jacin cursed and everyone turned to look at him, their gazes confused and surprised.

"How in the name of Merlin are we going to explain all this?" Jacin asked furiously, "The Star Tree suddenly not working, the suddenly empty stash of moonlight? Sooner or later, the teachers are going to figure out what we've done, and then they're going to be hunting for us!"

Winter placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's okay Jacin. The school can't know it was us. The walls hate the teachers too much, they would never tell them."

"But they already have a clue as to who did it!" Jacin said frustratedly, "It doesn't take a genius to realise a daytime werewolf attack and a sudden lack of moonlight are connected. And obviously they're also going to suspect that Wolf knew something about the Star Tree sabotage. Thorne, you've been punished the most by the faculty. You know they won't go easy on Wolf when they interrogate him."

Thorne chuckled darkly. "Oh man, I'm actually starting to feel sorry for that guy now."

"Wolf would never give us away!" Scarlet said, "And if the school tries torturing him, we can call the Ministry! We can report them!"

Winter shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry Scarlet-friend, but that won't work. My stepmother has connections and bribes all over the Ministry. We'll probably be the ones getting arrested for wasting their time."

"And even if Wolf doesn't give us away," Jacin said, "Aimery will. That smug slime-ball will definitely tell Levana about his suspicions towards us now. She'll recognise the symptoms of a memory wipe, restore his memory, and then we're as good as dead."

"Well then, what can we do?" Cress asked worriedly, "I don't think I can erase his vague suspicions of us with a memory charm."

"We do what we should have done as soon as we found out about this." Jacin said gravely, "We get rid of Aimery, permanently."

A/N: Raise your hand if want me to kill off Aimery! Okay… now raise your hand if you want me to kill him off in the most painful way possible and let that scumbag get the punishment he deserves for being so evil and manipulative!

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