Lina
Eventually he convinced me to go back inside.
The moment the doors opened, I regretted it.
Ruth was there. Of course he was.
"Gabriel!"
He approached with that same pleasant smile.
"I was wondering where you disappeared to."
He gestured toward his group. Gabriel looked at me and shifted his body slightly, clearly inviting me along.
Ruth noticed.
"Oh, no. We don't need you."
I froze.
Gabriel stopped.
"Why?"
Ruth looked at him.
"I wasn't talking to you."
Gabriel's expression flattened.
"I know."
Something changed, something very small.
Ruth's smile remained, but not all of it.
"Then don't involve yourself with her."
Gabriel answered immediately.
"Can't do that."
Ruth paused.
"You don't know her."
"Then I'll get to know her."
For the first time all night, Ruth's expression slipped. Only slightly, but I knew him well enough to see it.
Then he reached for me, and his hand closed around my wrist.
Not violently but firmly.
My eyes widened.
"Let her go."
Gabriel's voice changed.
Ruth looked at me instead of him.
"This doesn't concern you."
"You're hurting her."
"I'm preventing her from making another mistake."
Gabriel lowered his chin, and his eyes sharpened.
Ruth looked at him.
"Gabriel, you said you're good at reading people, right?"
"I try."
"Then tell me what you think of her."
He pointed toward me like I was an exhibit.
Gabriel didn't even look or answer.
"Let her go."
Ruth stared.
Then finally released me.
He adjusted his sleeve.
"Be careful who you dance with."
Gabriel's face hardened.
Before either of them could say anything else, somebody moving through the crowd accidentally collided with Gabriel's shoulder.
Gabriel stumbled forward.
His glass tipped; dark violet wine splashed directly across Ruth's shirt.
Silence.
Gabriel froze.
"Oh—"
Ruth stared down at himself.
"I'm sorry." Gabriel immediately reached for a napkin. "Seriously, that was an accident."
Ruth wasn't listening. His fingers twitched. His jaw tightened.
Gabriel was still reaching toward him when Ruth's hand came across his face.
The sound cracked through the ballroom.
"Gabriel!"
I stepped forward, but Milo caught me from behind.
"Let me go!"
Gabriel barely reacted. Ruth swung again; Gabriel moved.
The punch missed.
Another miss.
Gabriel wasn't fighting back. That was what made it strange.
His face stayed almost completely straight as he shifted around Ruth's attacks, moving just enough each time.
Not flashy or angry, just efficient.
People around us began backing away.
Kieran moved first when Elias and Nadia came rushing over, then Asher, then Celeste and Livvy.
Suddenly everybody was involved.
Nadia didn't look loud-angry; she looked calm-angry, which was scarier.
Elias looked personally offended by the entire concept of what had just happened.
"What the hell is wrong with you people?"
Kieran stepped toward him, and in response, Elias stepped toward Kieran.
And apparently that was enough agreement for both of them.
Then another person joined.
A girl, Brown and blonde hair, Blue eyes, a sharp suit instead of a dress.
Who was she again? I think it was Reyna, maybe. I barely knew her.
She looked like she would rather spend the night anywhere else than in the middle of a stupid banquet fight.
Then Celeste tried to move past her. Reyna slapped her.
Just—
smack.
Celeste's head snapped sideways.
The entire area went quiet for half a second.
Celeste slowly turned back. Her face was absolutely murderous.
She swung at Reyna.
Reyna sidestepped awkwardly but quickly, almost raw in the way she moved, then slapped Celeste again while Celeste was still off balance, and Celeste went down.
I almost forgot how upset I was.
Reyna wasn't protecting me because we were friends; we weren't. I wasn't even sure she particularly liked any of us. She had simply looked at the situation and apparently concluded, 'Those people are wrong.' And that was enough.
Gabriel ducked another haymaker from Ruth.
Then, finally, one light jab in self-defense.
Straight into Ruth's nose.
Nothing dramatic, barely anything compared to what Ruth had thrown. But something inside Ruth snapped.
He grabbed an empty wine glass and swung.
Gabriel didn't see this one, but I did.
I opened my mouth.
Then the air exploded.
Wind rushed through the ballroom hard enough to flutter dresses, jackets, tablecloths, and hair. Someone appeared between them, so quickly my eyes barely registered the movement.
One hand caught Ruth's wrist. The glass stopped inches from Gabriel's face.
Instructor Seraphina Draeven.
Ruth instantly went pale.
Milo let go of me so quickly you would have thought I was burning him.
She was wearing a long white silk dress, elegant enough that she looked almost completely out of place in the middle of a fight. Gold-blonde hair fell around her shoulders. Dark brows framed gold eyes that were much more frightening up close than they ever looked from a distance.
She was beautiful. Dangerously beautiful, like something nature made beautiful specifically so stupid animals would get close enough to die.
Ruth immediately released the wine glass.
It fell. And shattered.
Seraphina didn't even flinch or look down.
"What…"
Her voice was quiet.
"…the hell are you doing?"
Ruth swallowed.
"I—"
"You what?"
"I apologize, Instructor."
"Already?"
Her head tilted slightly.
"That's interesting."
Ruth went silent.
"Do you think you're a thug?"
"No."
"Someone spills a drink on your shirt, and suddenly you believe that permits you to strike another cadet?"
"No, Instructor."
"Then what are you?"
His lips parted, but nothing came out.
Seraphina stepped closer.
"Tell me."
Ruth lowered his eyes.
"A cadet."
Her grip tightened slightly around his wrist.
"And what does a cadet do when someone accidentally spills a drink on him?"
"Accepts the apology."
"What did you do?"
"I struck him."
"Yes."
Her eyes narrowed.
"So perhaps you think you're above society."
"No."
"Above the academy?"
"No."
"Above the rules?"
"No."
She leaned closer.
"Above me?"
Ruth's eyes widened immediately.
"No, Instructor."
"Good answer."
She released him only to gesture around the ballroom.
"Then explain this."
Nobody spoke.
"Ten cadets. A formal banquet. Furniture displaced. Drinks spilled. Half the room spectating like animals around a pit."
She looked back at Ruth.
"You seemed remarkably confident thirty seconds ago."
His shoulders sank.
"I lost my temper."
Her voice sharpened.
"You made a decision."
Ruth looked down.
"Yes, Instructor."
"And now you're going to explain why."
Her eyes shifted toward Gabriel.
"And you—"
"Wait." A voice came from behind the crowd.
Everyone turned.
One cadet stood awkwardly among them with his hand raised.
He looked terrified.
Seraphina looked at him.
"Yes?"
"I saw what happened."
"Then speak."
He swallowed.
"He didn't provoke anything."
He pointed toward Gabriel.
"Neither did she," to Nadia.
"Or him," to Elias.
"And she only stepped in to defend them." to Reyna
Seraphina's eyes narrowed.
"And the girl?"
The cadet pointed toward me.
"She was being held."
Seraphina slowly turned.
Seraphina looked back toward Ruth, then Asher, Kieran, Celeste, Livvy.
Understanding settled across her face.
"So."
She released Ruth completely.
"You surrounded another cadet."
No answer.
"You interfered with her when she attempted to disengage."
Nothing.
"And when a drink was accidentally spilled…"
Her eyes landed on Ruth.
"…you decided to make the situation physical."
Silence.
"I see."
Then she looked toward Gabriel, Nadia, Elias, and Reyna.
"Stand down."
Nadia immediately lowered her hands.
Elias backed away.
Reyna casually straightened her suit as if she had merely bumped into someone.
Gabriel remained where he was.
Seraphina turned back toward the other five.
"Names."
Nobody moved.
Her eyebrow twitched.
"Was that unclear?"
Ruth spoke first.
"Ruth Garcia."
"Kieran Holt."
"Asher Red."
"Celeste Ard."
Livvy hesitated.
"Livvy Corvin."
Seraphina memorized each one.
Then she turned.
"Follow me."
That was it. No yelling, no dramatic threat.
She started walking.
Ruth stayed where he was for a moment, then slowly straightened. His eyes passed over me, then Gabriel. Nothing. No smile this time. He left.
One by one, the others followed. Asher was last. He adjusted his jacket, then stopped beside Gabriel.
That easy smile returned.
"You know what you got yourself into." Then he walked away.
I looked at Gabriel. His face was dark, but it wasn't scared or confused or anything like that. he was just irritated, thinking. That worried me much more than if he had looked afraid.
Because three days ago I had been worried these people would ruin my chance at having friends. Now I had a different problem.
They knew who my friends were too.