<h4>Chapter 386: 386-It Was Five Of Us</h4>


    <strong>Clementine:</strong>


    The fog inside the castle made it hard to see more than a few steps ahead.


    I lifted my hand to push the mist aside, but it slipped through my fingers.


    The entrance hall was huge and wide. I wondered how many rooms there could be, so I reached for the first door I noticed.


    However, the moment I turned the knob and opened it, there was only mist.


    I could not even step inside to confirm what I was seeing.


    It seemed like there was nothing behind that door, only an endless misty ground.


    I could not see past the haze. I stepped back and quickly closed the door.


    It was then I realized that exploring the rooms was not really my task and I should not be doing it, because it looked like an illusion of some sort.


    I moved deeper inside. The walls were already so dark that everything was hard to make out.


    I had been given only a lighter, which I had been saving for this moment.


    I flicked it on and could see just a few inches ahead.


    Atst I reached what seemed to be the end, because arge wall stood behind a wave of fog.


    As I approached, the mist drifted aside. And there it was.


    Five watches.


    They hung spaced out in a perfect line. Each one had an old silver chain, the exact style from the pictures.


    I swallowed at the sight. My fingers brushed over the cold metal of the first one, then the second.


    They all looked the same. There was nothing different about them.


    "How are we supposed to choose from one of them?" Mint wondered.


    I almost jumped, because I had thought I waspletely alone here.


    "Oh gosh, Mint, you scared me," Iined, cing a hand on my chest.


    "Ohe on, there is nothing that can frighten the badass Clementine," Mint remarked, trying to make me feel a little better once she realized we had been through a lot in thest few hours.


    "Okay, so I have a n. How about I close my eyes, move my hand around, and whichever my fingernds on, we pick that one," Imented, focusing on choosing the right one.


    "You do know we only have two choices, and our life depends on it," Mint replied, protesting my idea.


    "Do you have a better n?" I asked, and after a silence she let out a slow breath.


    "Okay fine, try it," she stated.


    So I closed my eyes and moved my hand sideways, one finger pointing ahead.


    I could sometimes feel the ss of the watches brush against the tip of my finger.


    Then I stopped. I opened my eyes and saw that my finger was pointing toward the third one.


    "Okay, I’m gonna pick this one," I told her, taking a deep breath and convincing myself I was making the right choice.


    I curled my fingers around the chain and pulled the watch off the hook.


    It came free very easily, not like I had to use much force.


    For a moment, nothing happened. There was no shaking of the ground, no noises, no monstersing out.


    I held the watch in my palm and looked around, a small relief spreading in my chest.


    Maybe this is the right one," The moment Mint spoke, the ground started to shake.


    The entire castle trembled under my feet. I staggered backward, mming my shoulder into the wall.


    A stone appeared from the mist above me and dropped toward the ground.


    One struck my arm and scraped my skin. Another fell across my back, knocking the air out of me.


    I bent forward and used my hands to shield my head.


    The shaking stopped after a few seconds. I stayed crouched, fighting hard to steady my breaths.


    My skin burned where the rock had cut me. When I pushed upright, I noticed how badly my legs wobbled.


    "Oh shit, if we take another wrong one, we might not walk out of here alive. This ce is built on magic," Mint warned.


    I swallowed hard while I stared at the watches. Only four remained.


    I reached to my forehead and wiped the sweat with the back of my hand.


    Then I stepped forward. This time I chose to trust my instincts instead of ying stupid games.


    I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them and murmured, "You know, there were five of us in the ck squad." I spoke the words while remembering my mates and myself in the early days of our arrival at the academy.


    That was when I reached for the fifth watch. My fingers hesitated for one second, then I grabbed the chain and lifted it off the hook.


    I closed my eyes and waited for the ceiling to fall again.


    Nothing happened. Instead, a soft click sounded inside the watch. My eyes opened fast.


    I stared down at it and let out a shaky breath.


    "I picked the right one," I told Mint, smiling widely. My knees felt so weak from happiness.


    The mist started to pull away, and I realized it was time for the castle to disappear once again.


    I turned around and rushed toward the exit.


    All the while, I could only think about how happy I would be to return through the woods and surprise Ian.


    I was sure the ringleaders would have no idea. I was going to get out regardless of their help.


    But the moment I was out of the castle, still smiling and celebrating the victory, I heard the same humming sound of a haunted monster I had heard earlier.


    I slowly lifted my head, and there it was in the middle of the road, standing tall, the monster with no face,rge limbs, and a big hole where its features should have been.


    "You know what? Screw you. You’re not stopping me from going back home," I hissed as I started to run toward the monster.