"Make yourself at home…" Priya offers meekly, allowing Hafsa passage through her dorm room with a motion of her large paw. It's a simple dorm room, nearly identical to the serval's save the single bed instead of the expected bunk. No surprise given they shared the same dorm building and feline appearance.
"Thanks!" Hafsa chirps, nonchalantly entering and taking a seat on the bed. She struggles to keep her curious head from inspecting every corner of the room. If she wants to do this right, she needs to play it cool.
"I've never had a friend over at my room before…" The albino tigress admits while taking a seat in her desk chair, tilting it so that she meets her guest's eye.
"Never? Then I'm pretty lucky to be your first!"
"Right…" Priya reaches to fidget with the fluffy fur on her cheek, but her fingers stop just before they could entangle in the locks. "Well, we have the room all to ourselves. I don't have a roommate, so we don't need to worry about interruptions."
"Lucky you. I'd have to drag my roommate out by her tail if we wanted to get any work done!" Hafsa laughs while reaching for her bag. Priya notices and quickly imitates her, unzipping her bag to pull out a well-worn novel and a pencil case.
"It can get lonely…" She shakes her head. "So it's nice that you're here. B-but are you sure you don't want to study in the library?"
"We won't be able to talk a lot in the library." Hafsa says. "Mrs. Silva will kill us if we go above a decibel of whispering. And my room is a no-go because of my aforementioned roommate."
God bless Molly. Who knew having such a lazy roommate would one day be the perfect excuse for a little recon?
The tigress gently waves the book. "So… you needed help with this novel?"
"Uh, yeah!" Hafsa puts on a sheepish expression. "Some upperclassman I am, huh? You won't even have to read this book until next year."
"Don't worry, I already read it on my own a few years back."
"I knew I asked the right person! When you told me English was your best subject, I felt the presence of a guardian angel!"
The larger feline giggles. "I'm really not that good at it. I just read a lot in my spare time."
"Then you're already better than I am!" Hafsa giggles back. "I just need some help understanding some chapters, a couple of themes, and I'll be out of your fur, I promise."
This is a complete lie of course. A dedicated student like Hafsa naturally can dissect this tired book in her sleep. There's not a single motif she can't write an essay about. English is her best subject, too. But she had to swallow her pride and feign confusion, all for the purpose of finding a way into Priya's room. Besides the garden shed, which was scrubbed clean by the school during the hiatus leaving only the harsh reek of chemicals, the tiger's room is the best place to snoop around for potentially incriminating evidence. Hafsa was disappointed in Priya's lack of hesitance in bringing her there, but then again, she could be just that good of a liar.
"Before we start, do you mind if I use your bathroom real quick?" Hafsa asks.
"Oh, sure. I'll start reviewing my notes."
In a few strides, Hafsa reaches the bathroom and locks the door shut. Time to begin. She peels off her nasal strip and inhales deeply.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
No signs of blood. That means she probably isn't hiding any snacks in here. She peeks behind the shower curtain, scanning the bottles of shampoo, conditioners, lotions, and soaps. Nothing unusual. Nothing in the trashcan. Nothing in the toilet. Nothing in the toothbrush holder. Nothing on the sink. Nothing under the sink. All that's left is the medicine cabinet, with not a lot of time do so before Priya starts getting suspicious. She inches it open, careful to not trigger the creaking sound she knows it will make based on her own cabinet.
The inside is depressing. All four shelves are stuffed full, ranging from pills to sprays to balms to syrups. The serval feels a twinge of pity. Priya's health is obviously frail, but she never really thought about how much upkeep that body needs on a daily basis. Even if she was a large carnivore, taking down prey should be no easy feat. Could Hafsa have had the wrong idea the whole time?
"Everything okay in there?" The tiger's silvery voice calls out on the other side of the door, tinged with concern.
"Um, y-yeah!" Hafsa answers a bit too quickly, shutting the cabinet. She hastily flushes the toilet and gives her hands a quick wash before finally unlocking the door to greet the other female. "Sorry, I drank a lot of water today."
"It's fine, you didn't need to rush."
The two sit back down and begin the study session. While Hafsa asks questions she already knows the answer to and listens to Priya's elaborate answers, she almost forgets she could be alone in a room with a killer. Something about the tiger makes one feel at ease, as if she diffuses a pleasant calming energy. As intoxicating as her silky voice and shimmering fur is, the serval begins to grow frustrated at her lack of progress. A nudge in the right direction might help.
"Let's take a little break," She suggests. "I brought some snacks as a thank-you." Fishing through her bag, she procures some dried seaweed snacks and tosses one to her underclassman.
Priya seems more moved at the offer than the actual food itself. "Thank you very much, Ms. President." She gently sets the bag on her desk.
"You know," Hafsa starts with expert casualness. "Desmond told me you guys actually met up during the break! You guys walked around town for a day, right?"
This startles the tiger, who clearly did not expect the question. "U-uh, yep! We had fun."
"I don't know how you managed to get Desmond of all animals out on the town. Are you some kind of sheep whisperer?" She laughs.
Priya chuckles awkwardly. "Hardly. He was the one who invited me. I think maybe… he was lonely because you two had a fight?"
Hafsa's smile vanishes. "A fight? Did he tell you that?"
"Oh no!" Priya's eyes turn wide and apologetic. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I assumed that! For some reason I thought you guys had some kind of falling out."
The serval studies her face, her pupils shivering as she darted her gaze from every area of the tiger's expression. Finally, her eyes shut, and she lets out an amused sigh.
"You've got killer intuition. I really thought we weren't obvious about it."
"You weren't!" Priya assures her.
"Sure, sure…"
"If I may ask… are you guys friends again?"
"…Yeah. We're friends again."
The white cat smiles. "That's good to hear."
Her face turns downcast, as if she remembered something sad. Suddenly, she leans forward, holding the serval's hand in hers. "Maybe it's because I'm friends with Peter, but I think I understand what you're going through."
"I…" Hafsa tilts her head. "I'm not going through anything."
"I just meant… this shame you feel, this guilt. Someone like you shouldn't suffer because of they way you were born."
"What are you… talking about?"
Priya sighs, still holding the serval's hand. Her eyes are pitying, even patronizing, as if she were staring at a butterfly who had its winged ripped off. "You may think you were being sneaky, but I have to account for people like you. Today just confirms it."
Her grip on Hafsa's wrist tightens.
"I'm guessing you found Jasmine. Or Isaac. But probably, both, right?"
"Priya, I—"
"You need to know this was coming either way, okay? Please—" Her voice cracks. She clears her throat firmly and returns her icy gaze back to the petrified serval. "It's going to be a little earlier than planned. But you are going to end it all. End all of the predations here. Just like you wanted, okay?"
Hafsa lashes her arm away from the tigress, but her wrist can't escape her firm clutch. She begins to panic, thrashing her remaining limbs with all of the power her body can muster. Suddenly, the tiger lunges at her, pushing her down on the bed and pinning both wrists above her head with one massive paw. Her claws hook deep in her skin, scratching against her carpal bones.
"Pr-Priya, please, we can t-talk this out—" Hafsa sputters as she uselessly writhes around on the mattress.
"There's no point in that." The tigress cuts her off, her voice tired. She reveals her other hand, that had been fidgeting around the pouch strapped to her hip.
A syringe.
The sight of it makes Hafsa flail more violently, but her quaking body is all but immobilized under Priya's well-placed knees. With deft fingers, Priya uncaps the syringe and readies it against her upperclassman's hip.
"Sorry, Ms. President. This will all be over soon."
Desmond had spent all of practice trying to think of a natural way to begin a conversation he really didn't want to have. But an hour had come and gone, and now they're changed and ready to lock up for the night. At times like these, he wish he had been born as an animal with better communication skills. Trying to get the entire ram fighting squad's attention is difficult. If he had to say something to just one of them…
"Nice hustle, Pete." Desmond brusquely yanks Peter's horn down, nearly sending him buttfirst on the floor.
Chuckling, the bighorn regains his balance and tackles the team captain. "Same with you, Cap. You wanna get dinner or what?"
"Nah, I'm just going back to the dorms. In fact, hang out in my room for a bit."
The other rams jeeringly whoop at both sheep, puckering their lips and dramatically embracing one another.
"'Wanna come to my place, hot stuff?'" Marcel mocks, jumping on Leslie's back to make… suggestive rubbing motions on his shoulders. "'I can even give you a back massage later…'"
"I didn't know the captain played favorites now…"
"Shut the hell up!" Desmond bleats. "You fucking wish you had a chance with me."
The room explodes into laughter.
The four-horned sheep simmers in irritation. "Let's just go already." He grumbles at a hysterical Peter practically dragging him up the basement stairs.
"Use protection!" The rams' obnoxious sing-songs voices echo off the walls behind them.
Once out of the gym, the two are greeted by bitter autumn wind nipping at their faces as they begin the walk back to the male herbivore dorm.
"You're so forceful today, Cap…" Peter purrs in the most seductive voice he can muster (which is not very). "Whatever you want to do to me, just be gentle…"
"I'm going to gently castrate you if you don't shut up right now."
"Ooh, kinky."
They continue their back and forth until they are safe inside Desmond's warm room. Mercifully, his roommate is nowhere to be seen; he usually spends Friday nights playing some lame tabletop RPG with his group of geek friends.
"Ahhh," Peter lets out a loud groan of relief as he flops down on Desmond's bed. "Man, my back is killing me! I did too many tackles today."
"Not enough if you're still getting sore from tackling."
"Boo." The bighorn yawns. "Wanna go to the common room and watch TV?"
"Yeah, in a bit…" Desmond internally steels himself. "I just wanna get something out of the way."
The other sheep cranes his neck to look at him in bemusement.
"So… There's no easy way to say this…" The piebald ram starts, pacing around the tiny room in an effort to avoid eye contact. "But I think it's best if you steer clear of Priya for a couple of days."
Peter scoffs. "Why, you jealous?"
"Pete, I'm serious."
His smile vanishes. "Is this because of last time? Are you still not over it?"
"Listen to me." Desmond interrupts. "Calm down. It's only until I make sure she's not a danger to you or the other rams, so—"
"What is your problem?! She goes to all our matches, she's nothing but kind to everyone! She's had thousands of opportunities to hurt me and guess what? I'm still here! Maybe you should stop being shitty and assume all carnies are out to get you when you're really just being paranoid!"
"You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know me, you don't know what's been going on in this school and you probably don't even know her. I'm trying to be a good friend here!"
"Some friend you are! Priya's a good person. But assholes like you can only ever see her as some kind of monster. What just because she's a tiger? Just because she has a disability?"
"Just because she's a predator!" Desmond blurts out, instantly regretting his slip. He sighs, and pinches his brows in frustration. "The student council and I have reason to believe she… might be responsible for the disappearances here in Noah's Arc. I am trying to make sure you stay safe, but if you want to bitch about how horrible I am for having very compelling proof about shit you know nothing about, then be my guest."
Peter's exasperated breaths grow even more desperate as bitter wheezes of chuckling escape him. "A fucking predator? You're out of your mind, you know that? She's a teenage girl who needs a tube to breathe! What the fuck are you doing in that student council? Making up bogus conspiracies about every student in Noah's Arc?!"
"Listen, you don't have to believe me—"
"I don't believe you."
"You don't have to, but for the love of God, Pete, I'm not talking out of my ass here. If you've ever considered me your friend who cares about you, just promise me you'll be careful until I figure this out."
The bighorn shoves him out of the way, sending a jolt of pain across his body.
"You know, when I met your mom, I thought to myself 'wow, thank God Desmond didn't turn out like her. He's got some problems but at least he's not a bigot who blindly judges animals based off of how they're born'. Don't I feel like a fucking idiot now."
"Peter, that—"
"When I started hanging out with Priya, I was waiting for the day you would pull me aside and tell me to get rid of her. But that never happened. And that made me... i don't know... respect you. But I don't respect you anymore. Turns out you just took a bit more time to get here."
With a final quivering inhale, he jolts the door open and storms out. Desmond can only watch helplessly as his figure turns the hallway corner and disappears forever. Some other animals also have their snouts poking out of their rooms, attracted by the commotion, but quickly disappear once the ram shuts his own door. His hand remains on the doorknob, too tired to make any more movements. He shouldn't have said anything. Now, not only is Peter still in danger, he also just lost a friend. Why did he think he could handle this?
After what seems like a decade, Desmond forces his feet to take him to the bathroom. He turns on the sink faucet and drearily watches the stream of water flow down, down, down, dissapearing into the drain. He manages to scoop a couple of handfuls and splashes the cold liquid on his face. The water's cold is sharp and chilling, but nothing compared to Peter's words.
Desmond drags himself to his bed. His body feels ten times heavier. Gravity seems overwhelming, like he's being buried alive. He wonders if Hafsa had better luck than him today. She planned to go to Priya's room to hunt for evidence. By now, she must be back in her room. He grabs the phone in his pocket and brings up her contact. After pressing the green 'call' button, he brings the cell to his ears.
The dial tone rings.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Many times more.
Each unattended ring makes his heart sink even deeper in his chest. The tone finally stops, giving way to silence. She didn't answer. Odd for a serval who checks her phone every thirty seconds. He calls again, but is met with the same results. Now, his anxiety swells.
Walking to the female carnivore dorm was one of the more stressful things he's done. As if entering a building full of females isn't bad enough; these ones could kill him for it. Eventually, he interrogated enough uncomfortable girls who pointed him towards the student council president's dorm on the second floor.
He managed a few hurried knocks on the door, still sticking out like a sore thumb to the glaring passerby. Once he hears the sound of the door unlocking, a wave of relief washes over him, but that is short-lived. Instead of the tall and athletic serval he wants to see, he's met with the owl-like eyes of a stubby, pajama-garbed Pallas cat. He recognizes her as Hafsa's roommate, who he had one met at her party. The cat glowers at him, clearly grumpy about having to interact with him.
"You're the Vice President."
"Yes. I have… urgent student council business to discuss with Hafsa. Is she… here?"
Molly rolls her eyes. "No. Bye."
She goes to shut the door, but Desmond slides his hand between it and the doorframe, which stops its movement but also crushes his fingers in the process.
"Shit!" He winces, vigorously trying to shake the pain away to no avail. "Do you know where she could be?"
"I haven't seen her since morning. She's probably hanging out with friends. Now go away, I'm watching a two hour video essay about a video game I've never played before."
"You shouldn't brag about that, okay bye!" His calls out already halfway down the hall, his voice dwindling with every sprint.
He has a bad feeling about this. Really bad. His ovine gut is telling him that whatever went down in Priya's room didn't end well. He bothered some more females into disclosing Priya's room's location (only a dozen of doors down from Hafsa's) and banged on the door, all pretense of politeness abandoned.
No response. Even as his pounding grows more desperate, the other side of the door remains deadly silent.
"Can you shut the hell up?!" A very irritated ocelot bursts out of her room.
"Do you know where Priya is?" The ram demands, fists still pressed against the door.
"The albino…?" The feline tilts her head at the unfamiliar name. "She's never here at this time. I think she still has club activities or something. Also, males shouldn't be here. Get out before I call security."
He is already long gone by the time she finishes her sentence.
The garden smells divine at dusk. The cool night air heightens the senses, revealing the hidden scents of flowers that normally lie dormant in daylight. However, Desmond arrives too out of breath to stop and smell the roses. He can only taste the sour tang of overexertion on his tongue. The shed looms under the shade of the pine trees behind it. It's never looked more decrepit, or more ominous. Desmond makes final tap on his smartphone screen before tucking it away. That should cover Plan B.
A harsh smell violates his nose before he can even get up. He's never smelt it so fresh before.
Bloodshed.
His body tenses up. Every bone in his body is screaming, pleading at him to run, run far away, as far away from this vile affront to his senses. It is a herbivore's nature to flee from death.
But he doesn't. If there was ever a time to prove his horns aren't just for show, now is that time.
Hafsa is in trouble.
His trembling leg kicks the shed door open. Now bereft of its lock, it breaks off its hinges easily with a splintering crash.
The first thing he sees is Priya, hunched over some sacks of mulch in the far end of the shed. Her pale fur glistens like a pearl in the crepuscular light, with only her dark stripes caging in the whiteness. Her stripes… and something else. A grotesque liquid, splattered on her arms and mouth break up her coat's beauty. Though the dim illumination conceals its crimson color, its scent easily gives it away. Her eyes dart to him. They are as piercing as ever. Her minuscule pupils could barely be seen under the intense gleaming. She had been crying.
The second thing he sees is right at his feet. A pool of blood, fresh and raw, staining the soles of his shoes.
It poured out from the Peter's body.
AN: Thank you for reading! This is the part I like to call "shit hits the fan o'clock".
For those still unsure of how Priya managed to find out Hafsa's intentions... going to the black market with H's bestie + sudden reconciliation with said bestie + sudden obvious excuse to visit dorm room + obvious searching through bathroom + Priya is just kind of an overly-cautious person. I had planned to explain this properly in the chapter but it sounded really unnatural.
RIP Peter, too pure for this world.
Take it easy and stay safe.