<h4>Chapter 450: 450-Let’s See What The North Is All About</h4>
<strong>Miss Rue:</strong>
Finally, I got up, folded my legs beneath me, and sat upright on the floor, my hands resting on my knees.
I finally raised my head and stared the headmaster in the eye.
"He is lying. I did none of that," I said softly, making sure my voice sounded steady.
"Wait a minute. We are not sure," Mr. Rick spoke up. "I do remember seeing footage of Miss Rue going into the woods near the fence to the North. It was the same day Clementine was supposed to return."
He was taking his anger out on me for my earlierment.
I snapped my head toward him and red for a moment before I spoke.
"He is doing this because I reminded him that he killed three innocent boys from Green Squad to hide his own failure."
The moment I said that, the headmaster rushed across the table and grabbed Rick by the cor.
"What is she saying?" he demanded.
At the same time, I did not realize when it happened, but Troy rushed toward me, grabbed the back of my hair, and forced me to stand.
These boys were my students, my crusaders. I had never earned such disrespect from anyone until now, all because of Clementine.
"I cannot believe I had two snakes up my sleeve," the headmaster grunted, yelling loudly.
I looked up and noticed the lurkers outside the hall. Running away was no longer an option. I was caught.
"As if you did not get so many innocent teens killed for your own satisfaction,"
The moment I said that, it confirmed that I had shot Clementine. I was no longer acting miserable. A cocky grin spread across my lips.
"As for Clementine, she killed my sister, Riv. I did what I had to do to kill the monster who killed my sister."
The moment those words left my mouth, a punchnded on my jaw, and I dropped to the ground. I ced a hand on my chin and looked up to see Haiden standing in front of me, his fists clenched.
"You better kill me, or I will ruin all of your lives," I yelled.
"Take her away and throw her in prison. She will be sent to the North," the headmaster shouted.
The moment he said that, my grin faded. I crawled to his feet and begged for mercy.
"No, please listen. Do not do this. The North is not for me. I made a mistake, but Clementine is alive."
Fear hit me all at once.
"No. That is it. Both of you will be sent to the North," the headmaster said as he stepped away from Rick and me.
Rick and I exchanged a nce, and terror struck me.
"But I did it so the academy’s secrets would not get out," Rick tried to exin.
The headmaster shoved his palm into Rick’s face.
"You killed three students because you let information slip in front of them. You both will go to the North."
He did not stop there. He ordered the lurkers inside, and they grabbed us by our arms and dragged us out.
"No, listen, please. I will exin," I cried, struggling for a few moments before my resistance faded.
Rick kept fighting, trying to break free from the lurkers’ grip, while I started walking toward the transport that would take us to the North.
As soon as I was pushed into the vehicle, I took out my phone. The lurkers were focused on Mr. Rick, trying to stop him from struggling so they could handcuff him and force him inside.
I knew they would search me for my phone and any other equipment. They would strip me of my weapons and send me into the North.
So I had to do one thing. Onest act against the person who ruined everything for me. Oriana.
Once Rick was pushed into the car with me, he started grunting angrily. His hands were locked in handcuffs.
A warrior stood nearby, and a lurker made sure a gun was pointed straight at his head.
"This is ridiculous. As if he is innocent," Rickined, speaking about the headmaster.
"You are not innocent either," I replied calmly.
He snapped his head toward me and frowned.
"Aren’t you worried at all? We are both going to die. There is no way we can survive the North," he said.
I noticed his hands were shaking.
"Do you think their hands shook like that as well when they were on the train?" I asked.
My eyes drifted as I held my phone in my hand.
"What? Who cares about them?" he muttered, grunting under his breath. "Their families sent them into the academy. It’s not like I forced them. Someone had to go fight. I didn’t personally kill them. I just sent them to the North. The monsters killed them. It’s the same thing as this. If we don’t fight the monsters, they wille here and kill us. Would it be our fault for not killing them first?"
Rick spoke in one breath, trying to justify his actions.
I turned my head slightly toward him and smiled.
"Then how are you ming the headmaster for doing the same thing? He didn’t personally kill any crusader. He was just taking revenge."
Rick growled at me.
"You have no idea how it feels to be wronged. To lose someone," I snapped.
"Rick, people lose control. Look at me. Clementine didn’t kill my sister. I just needed somewhere to direct my anger. It gave me a reason to move away from the pain."
As I exined, he rolled his eyes.
"But you killed those three boys with your own hands," I continued. "I told you not to do it. I told you to tell the headmaster, and he would have convinced them his research was wrong. So no, not everyone is the same. At least you are not."
His fists clenched as he grunted.
"You better shut up, or I’ll throw you to the monsters in the North," he yelled.
I started to chuckle.
"Oh, Rick. We are both going to die. They are sending us to the dark side of the North. There won’t be anyoneing to save us. There won’t be a train waiting to take us back." Iughed at him.
"You have your phone. Ask someone for help. Call the news. Tell them they’re sending us to the North," Rick said, suddenly excited.
When he tried to grab my phone, I stretched my arm out the window.
All I did was press one button.
Then I let go of the phone.
"What did you do?" he screamed.
The lurkers shoved him back, forcing him to sit away from me.
"You ruined everything. We could have survived," he screamed.
"No, Rick, neither you nor I deserve to live. I tried to kill someone, and then I used someone of something they did not do," I said, watching him narrow his eyes before shaking his head in disbelief.
"We both deserve to die, and we deserve to do it in the North," I continued calmly, a smile still on my lips.
It was a smile of defeat and of finally understanding how anger and jealousy could ruin an entire life. I could have lived a normal life, but I ruined it because I became too consumed by anger and revenge.
They took us to the station and tried to drag us out. They did not need to do that to me. I was ready to go on my own, but I let them pull me anyway. I deserved the humiliation.
Maybe if I had focused only on the watch, Clementine would have helped me. I could have gotten the watch and saved my sister instead of killing someone else.
Then Rick started to chuckle loudly.
"You’re right. You wasted your time. We saw the footage," he said. "Oh,e on. Clementine was trying to save your sister. She deserved to die because she was just as vindictive as you."
As soon as he finished speaking, I stormed into my carriage on my own. He was thrown into the other one, and the doors shut between us.
Rick began to panic, scream, and throw himself around, but the train had already started moving.
After a slow ride to the dark side of the North, the train finally stopped after half an hour. I took a deep breath and watched the door open.
"I’m not leaving," Rick cried as I stepped out of the train.
I turned back to look at him.
"You trapped me. I would have escaped," I said, a smile still on my lips.
It was true. If he had not done what he did to me, I would have survived. If he had not caught me at the wrong moment and I had escaped the hall, I would have run away.
So I walked toward his carriage. Maybe we would face the monsters together.
When he saw meing closer, he began to panic.
"Step away from me, you psychopath," he screamed as I entered the carriage and dragged him out with me.