*Point One… what does that even mean?*
This thought raced in Emmett's mind. He had never heard of a Point One, nor had the Baron told them of anything related to it.
He glanced at the others.
Briar was still watching the whole scene while hiding behind the sofa, her face a mixture of shock and contemplation.
Felix looked like he'd just seen a ghost, his mouth agape.
And Theta… Theta was looking at the scene with an unreadable expression. It wasn't shock, wasn't anger. It was something else. A knowing look, as if she had been expecting Beatrice to make such a move. Then, she turned her attention to her twin.
Eta stood tall, her posture almost lazily nonchalant, but her eyes had a spark of something menacing. She took a single, slow step toward Beatrice, who was now rising unsteadily from the floor.
Eta's stance was defensive, a preemptive one, her weight subtly shifted forward, ready to absorb a blow or counter an advance.
Beatrice moved. Fast. Too fast. The speed was beyond her control. The calvanite coursing through her veins started to override her every intention. She closed the distance with a swung clumsy fist. It wasn't a clean punch, but it landed hard on Eta's stomach.
Eta grunted, a low, guttural sound that was more annoyed surprise than pain. She didn't fall. The blow was solid, and the heat radiating from Beatrice was intense, but Eta had endured far, far worse.
Seeing her target falter for a moment, Beatrice's inexperience showed. She pressed the attack, leaving herself wide open.
It was all the opening Eta needed. The look in her eyes turned menacing. There was no hesitation. Just a quick shift of her shoulders and a powerful right hook that connected with Beatrice's jaw.
The force was enough to send her flying through the walls of their living quarters, slamming straight through it and into one of the bedrooms.
The living area was instantly choked with a cloud of plaster dust, the air thick with the acrid scent of building materials.
Felix stumbled backwards, his eyes wide.
"What was that? She went... she went right through the wall!"
he stammered, his voice filled with disbelief. The other children who had been watching shared his confusion. How could someone punch another person so hard they went through a wall? And how was that person still standing?
Beatrice staggered out of the gaping hole, a hand pressed to her throbbing jaw, a line of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. The pain was immense. The force of Eta's punch, compounded by the impact with the wall, was a crushing agony.
Everything felt like it was on fire.
She saw a wooden stool nearby and, without thinking, picked it up, her arm shaking from the effort. She hurled it toward Eta. It was a pathetic toss, and Eta barely even moved. She just swatted it away with dismissively.
The casual defence, however, was enough of a diversion. In that microsecond, Beatrice saw her own small opening and capitalized on it. She lunged forward, low and fast, and landed a swift kick to Eta's side. The blow was clean, but Eta's reflexes were just as fast. She didn't dodge, but she managed to catch Beatrice's leg in a tight grip.
Eta's eyes narrowed, and the feigned nonchalance was now completely gone. The look was menacing.
"You shouldn't have done that,"
she said, her voice being low and dangerous.
With a powerful heave, she used the grip on Beatrice's leg to swing her across the living area like a ragdoll. Beatrice's leg twisted in its socket, making a pop sound as it dislocated. She was thrown, not through another wall, but across the room, slamming hard into the kitchenette wall. She hit with a solid thud, slid down to the floor, and passed out.
Eta turned to the children who were now frozen in fear, a chilling coldness in her gaze.
"Enough."
Theta's voice was calm but firm, and it cut through Eta's simmering rage.
Eta scoffed, the sound a mix of annoyance and frustration, but she retreated, the fire in her eyes dimming slightly.
Theta walked over to the unconscious Beatrice, whose body temperature was now back to normal. She knelt and lifted her into her arms.
"We're taking them to the infirmary,"
she announced, her voice flat. She looked over at Rhys, who had some minor injuries.
"Rhys, come on."
Eta was already moving, her movements just as effortless as her twins. She went to where Corbin lay, still out cold against the wall. Eta scooped him up with surprising gentleness and held him securely.
The twins walked out, leaving Emmett, Briar, and Felix in the wreckage of their living quarters. Rhys, his leg throbbing, limped slowly after them.
Emmett let out a long, slow breath.
"Well, that was something."
"It definitely was,"
Briar replied, her gaze still fixed on the hole in the wall.
"I have so many questions, but I guess the twins aren't in the mood for a Q&A."
"Hey,"
Felix said, trying to add some sort of levity into the tense situation.
"Look on the bright side,"
Felix began, trying to add some sort of levity into the tense situation.
"At least we're not—"
"—in the infirmary,"
Briar finished, her gaze sweeping over the demolished room.
"But we still have to clean up this mess."
"Eh,"
Felix shrugged, a small, confident smile on his face.
"How much worse could it get?"
The door to the living quarters slammed open.
"WHAT IN THE HEAVENS HAPPENED IN HERE?!"
It was Charolette, her face a mask of utter fury. She surveyed the scene, her eyes wide with disbelief. The splintered furniture, the shattered windows, the gaping hole in the wall.
"This... this is an utter disgrace!"
she shrieked, her voice echoing off the walls.
"What kind of game led to this? Who's going to pay for this?!"
The three of them stayed silent.
"I will tell the Baron about this. You can be sure of that!"
she spat.
"Now, I don't care what happened. You're going to clean this up. Every last piece."
Felix, wanting to explain everything to her, spoke up.
"Don't you want to know where the others–"
"I DON'T CARE!"
she bellowed, cutting him off.
"Get to work!"
She slammed the door shut behind her, the sound rattling the remaining windows. The silence she left behind was deafening.
Emmett sighed. He ran a hand through his hair and looked at the mountain of work ahead of them.
"Well, let's get to it."