Surrender To Us, Our Luna (One Luna, Four Alphas) novel Chapter 386

Chapter 386: 386-It Was Five Of Us

Clementine:

The fog inside the castle made it hard to see more than a few steps ahead.

I lifted my hand to push the mist aside, but it slipped through my fingers.

The entrance hall was huge and wide. I wondered how many rooms there could be, so I reached for the first door I noticed.

However, the moment I turned the knob and opened it, there was only mist.

I could not even step inside to confirm what I was seeing.

It seemed like there was nothing behind that door, only an endless misty ground.

I could not see past the haze. I stepped back and quickly closed the door.

It was then I realized that exploring the rooms was not really my task and I should not be doing it, because it looked like an illusion of some sort.

I moved deeper inside. The walls were already so dark that everything was hard to make out.

I had been given only a lighter, which I had been saving for this moment.

I flicked it on and could see just a few inches ahead.

At last I reached what seemed to be the end, because a large wall stood behind a wave of fog.

As I approached, the mist drifted aside. And there it was.

Five watches.

They hung spaced out in a perfect line. Each one had an old silver chain, the exact style from the pictures.

I swallowed at the sight. My fingers brushed over the cold metal of the first one, then the second.

They all looked the same. There was nothing different about them.

"How are we supposed to choose from one of them?" Mint wondered.

I almost jumped, because I had thought I was completely alone here.

"Oh gosh, Mint, you scared me," I complained, placing a hand on my chest.

"Oh come on, there is nothing that can frighten the badass Clementine," Mint remarked, trying to make me feel a little better once she realized we had been through a lot in the last few hours.

"Okay, so I have a plan. How about I close my eyes, move my hand around, and whichever my finger lands on, we pick that one," I commented, focusing on choosing the right one.

"You do know we only have two choices, and our life depends on it," Mint replied, protesting my idea.

"Do you have a better plan?" I asked, and after a silence she let out a slow breath.

"Okay fine, try it," she stated.

So I closed my eyes and moved my hand sideways, one finger pointing ahead.

I could sometimes feel the glass of the watches brush against the tip of my finger.

Then I stopped. I opened my eyes and saw that my finger was pointing toward the third one.

Then I stepped forward. This time I chose to trust my instincts instead of playing stupid games.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them and murmured, "You know, there were five of us in the black squad." I spoke the words while remembering my mates and myself in the early days of our arrival at the academy.

That was when I reached for the fifth watch. My fingers hesitated for one second, then I grabbed the chain and lifted it off the hook.

I closed my eyes and waited for the ceiling to fall again.

Nothing happened. Instead, a soft click sounded inside the watch. My eyes opened fast.

I stared down at it and let out a shaky breath.

"I picked the right one," I told Mint, smiling widely. My knees felt so weak from happiness.

The mist started to pull away, and I realized it was time for the castle to disappear once again.

I turned around and rushed toward the exit.

All the while, I could only think about how happy I would be to return through the woods and surprise Ian.

I was sure the ringleaders would have no idea. I was going to get out regardless of their help.

But the moment I was out of the castle, still smiling and celebrating the victory, I heard the same humming sound of a haunted monster I had heard earlier.

I slowly lifted my head, and there it was in the middle of the road, standing tall, the monster with no face, large limbs, and a big hole where its features should have been.

"You know what? Screw you. You’re not stopping me from going back home," I hissed as I started to run toward the monster.