"Pick two, Sandra."
Tracy grinned as she glanced at Lisandra, who responded with a deep frown while staring at the card that had just been played—a number '2' printed at both the top and bottom corners.
"God, I hate this game," Lisandra groaned with genuine irritation before reaching forward to pick up the required two cards from the deck.
"Says the loser," Ashley laughed while playing the appropriate card to keep the game moving.
"Star? Really? Ugh." Tracy complained the moment she realized she didn't have the card Ashley just played. She ended up placing another card she'd been saving for emergencies, anything to avoid picking up more cards from that cursed pile. "I need... Circle," she announced after playing her 'I need' card, then shot Lisandra a knowing look.
Lisandra glared absolute HELLFIRE at her before picking up another card since she didn't have the one Tracy requested.
"Oh dear, do I have circle? Ummm..." Ashley made an animated show of confusion, pursing her lips in exaggerated thought before glancing at Tracy, who felt immediate dread wash over her.
"No, please," Tracy grimaced as Ashley began sorting through her cards—and there were THREE separate piles of them.
"I am SO sorry, sweetheart, but pick six." Ashley announced with the most sinister laugh as she dropped the devastating combination.
"ARGH!" Tracy actually rolled on the ground in pure frustration because after EVERYTHING she'd done to avoid picking up cards, she ended up stacking SIX at once!
While the three of them played their card game in the corner, something completely different was happening at the table nearby.
"A bipedal Ferosis."
Jason answered with a huge grin spreading across his face. Angelica glanced at him, then at the paper she'd written on, then back at him before a smile broke through her expression.
"Correct," she confirmed while showing him what she'd written.
"Don't underestimate me, Angelica. I do read, you know," he flaunted with a smirk.
She nodded in acknowledgment. "You're so right. How can I forget how much of a genius you are? You've got me all figured out." She raised her hands in mock surrender before standing up, which made Jason frown slightly because he recognized that movement pattern all too well.
"Since you are so smart, you should be able to answer this simple question." Her finger slowly glided across the table surface as she approached him. When she reached his position, she walked behind him instead of stopping in front.
"What question?" Jason asked, though as the number one victim of her constant antics and endless teasing, he knew exactly what was coming. But here's the thing—knowing you were going to die on Friday didn't mean you'd survive just because you had advance warning. That was exactly where he found himself right now.
"What is that essential thing that all humans cannot do without?" She purred directly into his ear while one hand began feeling his chest and the other made a two-finger walking motion that traveled down from his shoulder to his hand and back up again.
"F-food?" Jason, now under immense pressure, found it quite difficult to concentrate on how white the ceiling actually was.
"Oh? So you know. Well, that's good." She praised in that tone of hers before adding, "A young man needs food to grow fully into a man, and you need it too." Her head came to rest on his shoulder as she spoke.
"So?"
"So," she continued smoothly, "why don't you eat something?"
"Eat what?" He prompted, knowing he was walking straight into whatever trap she'd set.
She grinned at his question, then held his chin with her other hand and made him turn to look directly into her eyes. "My—OUCH!" She was cut off when a hand suddenly grabbed her by the hair and pulled her backward.
"Annabelle," she groaned in irritation.
"You horny bitch, stop trying to seduce him already! At this point, if you both are left alone for just five minutes, you might end up raping him!" Anna glared at Angelica, who was now attempting to fix her disheveled hair.
"So what if I do? It's not like he would mind." Angelica said casually before turning to look at Jason, who had no idea how to join this conversation or escape from it. "Right, Jay? You wouldn't mind, would you?" She purred while biting her lower lip in that deliberate way of hers.
Jason froze for a moment before regaining his composure and giving an unnecessary cough to buy himself time. "What is this rape word again? I've been hearing it a lot recently, but I don't know what it means."
Anna rolled her eyes while Angelica just shrugged.
"Oh~ Silly me. How could I forget? You probably never had someone explain its meaning in detail." She shook her head in what appeared to be pity. "But don't you worry. I will take it upon myself to enlighten you. I won't stop until it's carved into your brain and you fully understand it." She grinned while already moving toward him before he could process what was happening.
"Guys."
A voice suddenly interrupted them, and everyone turned toward Lisandra, who was lying flat on the ground after suffering a bitter defeat in the card game.
"Is it just me, or has Selene finally gone crazy?" She asked while leaning forward to glance at all of them.
"Wait, don't tell me she approached you too," Ashley started to say.
Lisandra gave her a completely blank look. "Approached? She practically ATTACKED me."
The mood in the room shifted as everyone frowned at that information.
"Okay, this is getting out of hand," Tracy added with genuine concern in her voice.
"What's she mad about this time?" Anna asked, joining the conversation, but the three card players looked at her like she was an idiot for even asking.
"What?" Anna shifted uncomfortably, disturbed by the scandalous looks they were giving her.
"What else would Selene bother us for if not that treacherous scum?" Lisandra stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Tracy gave an exasperated sigh. "At this point, I am fully convinced he used some kind of mind control on her because it makes zero sense why she would like that fool so much." She let herself fall to the ground, her lips pursed as she blew on stray strands of hair that had fallen across her face.
"Like?" Lisandra suddenly sat up straight and sent Tracy a dry look. "Girl, that bitch is OBSESSED. Obsessed with a capital O," she said while massaging her neck to ease the tension there.
"And crazy. Don't forget crazy," Ashley added with an annoyed expression.
"Wait, what exactly happened?" Jason interjected, and Lisandra sat up properly before glancing his way to find him looking genuinely concerned.
"After club yesterday, I was heading back to my dorm when she suddenly showed up from nowhere, spewing nonsense about what we said happened to Eren not being what really happened. Then she attacked me." Lisandra explained with a sigh while rolling her arm to ease the stiffness in her shoulder. "I don't know if it's me who's gotten rusty, or if she's grown to a whole new level of strength." She frowned thoughtfully. "If a senior hadn't intervened at that critical moment, she would have seriously injured me."
Jason's frown deepened at that revelation. "I... think I should talk to her myself. Maybe she would listen to me," he suggested, though his tone wasn't entirely confident.
Lisandra just sighed and laid back down on the ground.
Angelica, who had been quiet throughout this entire exchange with her face resting comfortably on Jason's chest, suddenly looked up. "Don't bother with her. She's just throwing a tantrum. It'll be over soon. By the way, where's Anna?"
Just then, everyone else noticed her absence as well because she had definitely been there moments ago. "You're right. She was just here," someone said in confusion.
Angelica's frown deepened as a thought crossed her mind. Just what are you up to, Anna?
...
"Ugh."
Annabelle muttered while standing alone in a bathroom somewhere in the building. She unbuttoned her top and pulled it down enough to reveal her back, then turned around carefully and looked over her shoulder at the mirror to see a mark on her back glowing faintly with eerie light.
"Sigh. It's this feeling again... What's that bastard doing?" She whispered to herself while staring at the mark, frustration and concern mixing together in her expression.