Chapter Fourteen

Gabriel stepped towards her, a storm of darkness in his eyes, his jaws clenched and his posture stone cold. She swallowed hard as he approached, the pit of her stomach dropping and twisting in her. Her throat dried out as she willed for him to close the distance between them.

A murder of crows tore between them!

They flew and flew, escaping from the ground and up into the air, disappearing in a vortex of pitch black. The sound they made was so awful, Lucianne had to cover her ears as feathers fluttered to the ground at her side.

She lowered her head to look at Gabriel again, and found him taking a few steps back, his expression regaining control. She stepped forth, but he held a hand out to stop her.

"Gabriel."

"I think it's time you return to your dormitory, Lucianne," he said. "It's getting late and dangerous."

"It's fine."

"This is the last day of October."

"I'm not afraid."

He gave a small smile. "You're impressive, you know that, right?"

"Of course."

"Walk back with me," he said. "Let's talk."

She grinned, running up to his side. They continued chatting as they returned to the school, and the gates were already closing by the time they neared. They picked up their pace, escaping into the gates as they closed amid their laughter. He fetched her back to her tower and bade her goodbye for the night.

The next day, she awoke to the breakfast bell as usual. Preparing for the day, her heart sank when she clicked on her phone to an announcement from Gabriel that the first period with him would be shifted to that very night. It meant that she would see him later, but at least she'd see him.

As she strolled to the food hall, she pondered what she would do for the empty period. But her thoughts came to an instant halt the moment she reached the food hall, and…

Found it completely empty.

There was no sign of life. Not even the kitchen had cooks in them. There was no reason for everyone not to be there. She checked the date on her phone to see if it was a public holiday, and realised that it was the first day of November.

The first day of November.

She shrugged, about to stroll into the food hall to help herself to the food which was already cooked and steaming along the food stalls when Harper emerged from behind her.

"Lucianne! Where were you?"

"I just arrived from my tower," she explained.

"Come! Everyone is outside at the school yard! You have to see this."

"Alright," she said and followed Harper out to the school yard. "What happened?"

"What do you think happened?" Harper said.

"I don't know."

"It's November!"

"So?"

"Jeez, one of these days you're gonna be the one to disappear."

Lucianne was about to say something in response when she set foot on the school yard, and the view opened up to show heaps upon heaps of students crowding around something. Harper grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd, muttering apologies as they grunted against their movement. Eventually, they were at the front of the crowd.

It was a sight to behold.

The girl was spread-eagled on the cobblestone, her left arm tucked awkwardly behind her head and her right arm bent at an unnatural angle. Her face was twisted to the side and her spine stuck out of her neck, the bone exposed to the air. Her legs were bloody and lacerations ran up and down her thighs. Her uniform was in tatters, as if a beast had attacked her. But that wasn't the best part.

Her mouth was agape, and right between her teeth was what appeared to be a human organ.

"Is that her heart?" Lucianne asked Harper.

"Yes."

"Oh god," she said. The gravity of the situation slowly started to sink in for her.

"You thought it was some scary camp story, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, now you know," Harper said.

"Who - " Lucianne began saying but her words were drowned out by a dreadful siren. The students sent horrified glances at each other as the siren blared, and Lucianne craned her neck every which way to search for where the sound was being broadcasted from. "What's this siren?"

"It's a bell specially for November murder cases."

"They have a special bell just for that?" Lucianne said, unable to believe her ears.

"Of course."

"How long has this been going on?"

"Many years."

"This is not normal - " she said when out of nowhere, a student sprang forth and collapsed at the side of the murdered girl.

"Frieda! No!" the girl cried out. She hugged her, the blood staining her clothes. She shook and shook the girl, the pain of her loss plain on her face. "No!"

The crowd only continued to stare at her.

The girl got to her feet, her eyes blazing as she turned round and round to glare at all the students who surrounded her.

"Which of you bastards killed her?! I'll kill you!"

Silence.

"Come out! You murderers! You killed Frieda!"

Lucianne wasn't sure what to say, and as she looked at the faces of the students who stood in a circle around the girl and the body, she knew that her outburst hadn't exactly been taken well.

Scoffing, a boy stepped to the front, glaring at her with a lopsided smile.

"Did you kill her?!"

"Obviously not."

"Who killed her?!"

"You fool," he said. "You're next."