The explosion at Merriton Port dominated the headlines across Athelvia. It was the only thing anyone was talking about.
Crestline Academy was no exception. The students in the elite classes, privy to insider information, treated it as their daily gossip. Some claimed it was revenge by the fleeing Volgaar Raiders, others insisted it was a turf war between underground syndicates, and a few even spun it into a conspiracy about government corruption.
The rumors grew wilder by the minute.
"Mina, what do you think happened at Merriton?"
Mina Blackthorne had been completely checked out for three days straight. Sophia Everhart had tried talking to her multiple times, but got no response.
"Mina, what's wrong with you? You've been totally out of it lately."
Mina sighed heavily. The medical test results were coming out soon, and Vivienne Lexton had vanished into thin air. Where was she supposed to find another scapegoat?
She waved a hand weakly, her voice hollow. "I'm fine."
Seeing she didn't want to talk, Sophia dropped it. The two of them walked into the classroom in silence.
Suddenly, Mina's eyes lit up. She resurrected on the spot, practically teleporting to the desk by the window.
"Vivienne!"
Vivienne was looking down, unpacking her bag. Hearing her name, she glanced up. "Oh."
"What do you mean 'Oh'?! What's with that attitude!" Mina snapped, immediately irritated. She lifted her chin and stormed back to her seat.
Bianca Whitmore watched the exchange. "Is she psychotic?"
She marched over just to say hi, and then threw a tantrum for no reason?
Seeing that Mina wasn't even going to try to smooth things over, Sophia felt a deep wave of disappointment. She stood up and headed for the door.
At that exact moment, Julianne Whitmore stormed in, cursing under her breath. Completely distracted, the two girls slammed hard into each other.
Julianne was already in a furious mood.
Just moments ago, she had watched Lara Arlington and Preston Everhart walk into the building, laughing and flirting. Ever since Lara transferred to the school, Preston had practically ignored Julianne. Older students were even gossiping that Lara spent all her free time with Preston at The Eden Club, and their private hangouts lasted for hours.
Julianne was seething. She had tried throwing a fit in front of Preston, but he didn't care at all.
Already on the verge of exploding, Julianne found the perfect target in Sophia. She unleashed her fury. "What is your problem? Are you crazy?! Did you bump into me on purpose?!"
What should have been a minor accident instantly silenced the entire classroom as Julianne's screech echoed off the walls.

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