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Clone β Fire Escapes
After the conversation with Lenore
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Quick, rushed steps hit the marble floors of the academy halls. Dominic sprinted across, backpack hitting his body. He didnβt dare look back.
He turned a sharp corner, his back hitting the cold, stone wall. As his chest heaved from the sudden increase in speed, Dominic shut his eyes.
Calm down.
Slowly, he released an exhale, letting his muscles relax.
Shuffling to the side, he peeked his head from behind the wall. His eyes darted around quickly as he scanned the hallway, his heart pounding in anticipation.
Nothing but emptiness. The hanging chandeliers lit up the hallway, leaving shadows by the side where statues stood. On the other side β arch-shaped windows spanning the entire length, from where the moon cast a soft glow against the glass. Outside, the air felt still, a light breeze swaying along the grass.
Everything was silent, aside from the song of crickets and owls; the muffled music coming from the Umbra Coven dorm.
Dominic retreated, cursing under his breath. That entire day, from breakfast to the scavenger hunt, to the beginning of the party and everything in between, there was something trailing after him. A presence, not quite material, one he could feel through a sixth sense of sort. If youβd asked him to prove it, he wouldnβt be able to, because neither his eyes nor his ears could detect anything. He just knew, from the back of his mind and the uneasiness in his stomach, there was something β somebody β watching him. A pair of eyes, or perhaps a dozen, moving along with his shadow everywhere he went.
After shooting one last glance at the hallway, Dominic continued on his path. He clenched his fists, and the silence was cut by the thud of his shoes. Walls blurred around him into an image of shadows and light, a door at the end becoming the center of his vision. His mind raced, disorganized thoughts flashing through his head.
Specifically, how had he missed this presence following him so closely?
Crowds. All day long he was surrounded by people, obstacles to his goal. How foolish of him to underestimate these watchful eyes under the assumption of discomfort.
The music turned louder the closer he approached. Its melody blurred with the thud of his quickened steps. His grip landed on the handle, and Dominic pulled the door open, the silence shattered by the sudden blast.
He steadied himself with a small exhale, before slipping between the people. Navigating through the crowds, he made it out of the Umbra Covenβs common area and into the kitchen, where the smell of alcohol filled his nose. Dominicβs face scrunched in disgust, pushing past a group of chanting men. Next to the counters, in the far corner of the room, was a heavy door to a fire escape.
Heβd memorized the layout so clearly, from all those nights he had spent wandering the common areas, the hallways, the classrooms abandoned during the darkest hours. An internal map existed solely in his mind, containing even the location of so-called βsecretβ places heβd since given up on exploring.
Though this was the most crowded place, nobody would notice him missing in a pool of many, obscured by blinding lights.
Dominic pushed the door open enough to slip through. Remnants of lights floated in his vision as he was met with dark silence once more. Steadily he began to walk down, hand gliding across the chipping rust of the railing. As the cool breeze hit his skin, his pace quickened, the clang of metal echoing into the stillness. And though his heart pounded in his ears and adrenaline coursed through his veins in a painful spike, his lips curved into a smile. For once, he felt hopeful. The exit was within his reach, and he was almost there. Once he reached the bottom, he would climb off and run as far as his feet could take himβ
A shadow flashed into his view, blocking the sight of his escape. Dominic stopped abruptly, staggering back. He gripped the railing tightly, cold piercing his numbing skin.
He could hear the pounding of his heart again. His head snapped to the sides, as if looking for an asnwer β was he to turn back now? He looked behind him, his heel lifting to the previous step. And there he saw him. The tall man with the intimidating blue eyes, looming over him. Dominicβs heart sunk, a sharp pain shooting through his chest. He felt his limbs go as cold as the air.
He was trapped. In front of him β a shadow, likely one of Vincenzoβs, and behind him was the man himself, the sole reason heβd chosen to run.
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@raviola β π₯β Vinnieee
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