The Blunder

Mark and Liam stood face to face, locked in an unspoken challenge.

They were equal in height, equal in build, but there was something unmistakable in Liam's gaze—a faint hostility that simmered beneath his otherwise stoic expression.

Mark, however, seemed completely unfazed.

His posture remained relaxed, his expression almost bored as he kept his hand extended toward Liam for a handshake.

But Liam didn't move.

Instead, just as he was about to ask Mark something in a serious tone,

Mark suddenly turned away.

Liam's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the boy completely ignore him and head straight toward Ava and her group.

The atmosphere in the room shifted.

Everyone was watching.

Ilsa, who had been observing the entire exchange, suddenly spoke up.

Her voice carried a sharp, questioning edge.

"Did you see that crowbar in Ava's hand?"

She folded her arms, glancing toward the metal weapon that Ava still firmly held.

"Why does she have it?" Ilsa continued, her tone laced with thinly veiled discontent.

"Wouldn't it be better to give it to Mia or Vin?"

Her words made Liam's brows furrow slightly.

He slowly turned his gaze toward her, his expression unreadable.

Seeing his silence, Ilsa hesitated for a moment but quickly pressed on.

"I-I mean…" she stammered slightly.

"She can defend herself, right? But Mia and Vin are weaker. It'd be better to give them something to protect themselves, don't you think? Especially Mia. Right, Liam?"

Liam continued to stare at her, his sharp gaze unwavering.

And then—

He simply turned away.

Without a single word, he walked past Ilsa and went toward the classroom door, guarding it as usual.

His silence was a clear dismissal—a statement that her argument wasn't even worth responding to.

Ilsa clenched her fists, biting her lip in frustration.

Tension Between Groups

After a few moments, Ilsa let out a small huff, clearly annoyed by being ignored.

Determined to regain control of the situation, she motioned toward Jason, Eli, Mia, and Vin, leading them toward Ava's group.

Meanwhile, Ava, Riley, and Elise were engaged in lighthearted bickering with Mark.

Mark's easygoing personality seemed to blend seamlessly with Ava's group, despite only having met them recently.

At one point, Riley even playfully punched his shoulder, rolling her eyes at one of his remarks.

They looked like friends.

Like they had known each other for a long time.

But then—

A sharp, curt voice cut through the casual conversation.

Ilsa.

"Where did you get that crowbar?"

The group stopped immediately.

Riley, who had been laughing just a second ago, turned to Ilsa with an irritated scowl.

"What's it to you?" she snapped.

"We found it."

Ilsa crossed her arms, her expression turning grumpy and impatient.

"We're a group, okay? We need to cooperate properly."

Ava narrowed her eyes slightly, sensing where this was going.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her tone skeptical.

Ilsa sighed dramatically, as if Ava was being difficult on purpose.

"I mean," she said, her voice taking on a patronizing tone,

"You can defend yourself just fine, but Mia and Vin are weak. It would be better if you just gave it to us so they could at least have something to protect themselves with."

The room fell silent.

Elise and Riley's expressions darkened immediately.

As if they had just heard the most ridiculous thing in their entire lives.

Riley let out a sharp, humorless laugh.

"Oh, really?" she said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"And what about your accusations against Ava earlier?"

Ilsa tilted her head slightly, feigning innocence.

"What accusations?" she said in a mock-confused tone.

"I was only saying that someone might have stolen the supplies… and Vin just happened to see Ava near them."

Ava's expression remained calm, but there was a distinct edge to her stare.

She knew exactly what Ilsa was doing.

Mark, for once, chose to stay silent.

He could tell that stepping into this conversation wouldn't be wise.

Ava, however, wasn't interested in arguing.

She simply turned her gaze toward Vin.

Unlike the others, Vin had always been honest.

He had never deliberately tried to frame her or take sides in Ilsa's games.

Ava considered the situation.

She wasn't injured.

Vin, on the other hand, was.

Giving him the crowbar made sense.

So, without a word, she extended the crowbar toward him.

But—

Vin shook his head.

His voice was gentle, yet firm.

"I don't need it, Ava," he said with a small smile.

Ilsa's expression twisted.

Her eyes flickered with a brief flash of annoyance.

Vin continued, completely unaware of the tension around him.

"You found it yourself, right?" he chuckled lightly.

"I'd rather rely on you when I need help."

Ava stared at him for a moment.

Then—

She smiled slightly and simply turned away, saying nothing.

She didn't need to.

Ilsa, on the other hand, looked completely dumbfounded.

Her face flushed red with frustration, and she let out a sharp exhale before storming back to her usual spot with her group.

As soon as she sat down, she immediately leaned in close to Jason and Eli, murmuring something in a low, hushed voice.

Jason & Eli's Decision

Moments later, Jason and Eli stood up.

They stretched their arms, acting casual.

Then, Jason spoke up.

"We're gonna go to the washroom."

Liam, who had been standing by the door, narrowed his eyes slightly.

He glanced at the two before responding.

"I'll go with you."

But Jason quickly shook his head.

"Nah, man, it's just the washroom."

Eli added with a grin, "We can defend ourselves if something happens."

For a brief moment, Liam's expression remained unreadable.

He didn't believe them.

But before he could insist—

Ava, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke.

Her voice was calm, but firm.

"Don't go to the boys' restroom."

Jason and Eli turned toward her, eyes slightly narrowing.

"There's a Frostborn in there," she continued.

"We barely locked it in."

At first, a wave of unease passed through the room.

Mia, Liam, and a few others visibly tensed, glancing at each other.

But then—

Jason and Eli's eyes changed.

It was subtle.

Like a realization had just clicked in their minds.

They thought Ava was lying.

That she was trying to keep them from finding weapons—

Weapons that they could use against her.

Feigning indifference, Jason let out a small scoff.

With a final glance at Ava, he and Eli turned toward the door.

And without another word, they left.

Jason and Eli moved silently, their footsteps barely making a sound as they approached the boys' restroom.

The hallway was eerily quiet.

The dim emergency lights flickered slightly, casting long shadows across the tiled walls.

Eli glanced at Jason, and the two exchanged a knowing look.

A smirk played on Jason's lips as he leaned toward Eli and whispered,

"She doesn't want us to get it."

Eli raised an eyebrow.

Jason continued, his tone filled with confidence,

"She's lying. She probably hid something in here—maybe another weapon. She's just pretending there's a Frostborn to keep us away."

Eli hesitated.

"…But what if there actually is one?"

Jason rolled his eyes, letting out a quiet scoff.

"Come on, think about it. If there really was a Frostborn, would they have just waltzed out of here like that? That guy, Mark—he came from the boys' restroom, didn't he? If there was a Frostborn, wouldn't he be dead?"

Eli's expression wavered.

Jason smirked, taking Eli's doubt as agreement.

With a firm yank, he pulled away the broken mop handle that had been used to barricade the door.

The lock clicked free.

Jason grinned, pushing the door open with ease.

Without even looking inside, he turned back toward Eli, triumphant.

"See? There isn't—"

Eli's expression turned pale.

His eyes were wide, his face drained of all color.

He was frozen in place.

Jason's smirk faltered.

A deep, sickening feeling settled in his stomach.

Slowly… he turned around.

His breath caught in his throat.

Right there—standing at the entrance of the restroom—was a Frostborn.

Its head was tilted slightly, its empty, dead eyes locked onto them.

Its jaw hung slightly open, and a low, rasping exhale escaped its lips.

And then—

A second one peeked out from the last stall.

Its body twisted unnaturally as it took a slow, jerky step forward.

Jason's entire body went rigid.

His fingers twitched at his sides.

His legs started to tremble.

His throat tightened, his heartbeat pounding against his ribs.

Eli's breath hitched.

Neither of them could move.

Back in the Classroom…

Vin sat near the right wall, close to the windows.

His injured leg was stretched out slightly, though the pain had dulled to an ache.

Across the room, Ilsa and her group had moved a little farther away from him.

The tension was clear.

Ilsa would glance at Vin every now and then, her eyes sharp, serious—calculating.

Vin, noticing her stare, let out a quiet sigh, tilting his head back to look up at the ceiling.

Ava saw it all.

She observed the shift in dynamics, the way Ilsa's group was starting to fracture.

But before Ava could process it further—

A sharp, piercing scream echoed through the halls.

Jason.

The sound ripped through the classroom like a blade, cutting through the muffled silence that had settled over them.

Ava's stomach dropped.

She knew.

They had done exactly what she feared.