Clementine:
After Yorick spoke with me, the others came around and told me the same thing. They said there was nothing else going on, that I was overreacting, and it didn’t look good on me.
At that point, I didn’t want to keep looking like a jealous person. I told them about her, but they didn’t believe me.
The rest wasn’t my problem. So, I decided to leave for my room. If she caused trouble for them or for us, that would be their responsibility.
"So, what exactly do you think is going on?" Oriana asked as we sat together.
I knew this would happen. No matter how many times we told her not to bring it up again, she always did.
And the others made it seem like she only did it because she was adorably naive.
Haiden quickly glanced at her, signaling not to speak in front of Ian. Oriana nodded while I sat on the bed, clipping and filing my nails.
The rest of the time, we stayed quietly in our rooms until we were called to the hall again.
Dinner had been served, and honestly, we rushed out in haste, leaving Ian behind. I guessed everyone was just tired because they immediately sat down to eat.
"Oriana! Can you please go and check on Ian?" Miss Lenora called out, making me frown.
I was sure the others noticed too, but it was probably because she wanted to include her own students in some kind of task.
Ever since Oriana had joined our group, we’d forgotten that she wasn’t supposed to listen to Miss Rue but to Miss Lenora.
And since Ian had been a mess lately, I didn’t bother, and neither did the others.
Oriana got up and timidly walked out of the hall. I guessed she would have preferred it if it were anyone else, but Ian could be harsh and brutal.
Ian was usually gone. Maybe he was just around, as always, checking on the lurkers and everything.
Speaking of the lurkers, I remembered Oriana’s comments about them being orphans. If that was true, I doubted they had any say in what happened to them.
But why were they so empty of emotion, like they didn’t feel anything at all?
After a few minutes, I noticed the ringleader beginning to wonder what was taking Oriana so long.
Maybe she couldn’t find him. Miss Rue grunted, annoyed that we had to wait for Ian before starting dinner.
"Clementine, why don’t you go and fetch them both?" Miss Rue called out this time, smiling proudly.
I guessed she was trying to show that I could handle the task better than Oriana, but in my mind, I kept asking, why?
Why would she ask me? Still, she had, and I had no choice but to follow her orders.
I stood up from my seat and started walking out of the hall. I glanced around quickly and saw no sign of either of them in any of the passageways.
As I walked toward our dorm room, I began hearing strange noises, like some sort of commotion was going on.
The first thought that came to my mind was that Oriana must have said something to Ian, and he didn’t like it and started throwing a tantrum.
I hurried, picking up my pace to save her from his temper.
"Of all the places, you two had to choose my bed." Even though I tried to hold back, a trace of anger slipped through, and for once, I thought it was justified.
The anxiety he had shown earlier started to fade, replaced by something almost satisfying.
"So, you’re jealous?" he asked with a small smile.
Oriana rushed out from behind him, finally dressed.
"No one has started eating because they’re all waiting for you," I said sharply.
I turned to walk away, but soon heard quick footsteps behind me. I knew it was Oriana following, while Ian stayed back to finish getting dressed.
As soon as she caught up, I heard her giggle. I stopped in my tracks and turned to face her.
"I guess I’ll have a boyfriend," she said, and my heart skipped a beat.
"What?" I asked, my voice full of shock.
"Yeah," she replied.
"When I went to his room, I found him sitting on your bed. And you know what he told me? He said he’d actually been thinking about me. He said that ever since he first saw me, he thought I was really cute. So, I guess I’m going to give it a try. He’s very protective and strong too. What do you think?"
I couldn’t tell if she was truly that clueless. Maybe she was, since she didn’t know that Ian and I were also mates.
But the way she spoke so cheerfully, almost like she was sharing some fun gossip, made me wonder if she even realized what she was saying.

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Surrender To Us, Our Luna (One Luna, Four Alphas)