Seraphina's Pov
I was lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, and replaying the events of the dining hall over and over again.
My mind kept circling back to the moment I literally ran into that beautiful girl—whose name I still didn't know and didn't think I'd ever find out.
It had all happened so fast, but her face was stuck in my head for whatever reason, and something about her felt odd, almost sinister even, but in an oddly intriguing way.
It hadn't even been fifteen minutes since I'd run from the dining hall when the door to the dorm opened, and Ashleigh, Jolene, and Liana walked in, with all three of them wearing matching frowns.
I quickly sat up in bed, surprised to see them back so soon since I wasn't expecting them for at least another half hour. Surely it hadn't been long enough for them to finish their dinner?
Their sour expressions made me even more curious, especially since they were laughing earlier—at my expense, of course—enjoying their time at the table while I crumbled inside, and now they looked like they were having a terrible evening.
Something must have happened after I left.
I stayed quiet, instinctively pulling my knees up to my chest and hoping to go unnoticed. As much as I was dying to know what had them so upset, I wasn't about to insert myself into their conversation. I knew better than to be nosy, and minding other people's business wasn't really my thing.
Ashleigh let out a frustrated hiss, throwing her purse on her bed with more force than necessary. "I can't believe that bitch's audacity!" she spat out angrily, pacing back and forth as if she couldn't contain her anger.
I blinked, feeling utterly confused. Who was she talking about? She was clearly infuriated, and from the look on Jolene and Liana's faces, they were equally rattled.
"I swear, Electra's lost her mind," Jolene muttered, sinking into her bed and crossing her arms tightly. "What she did in the dining hall was insane. She's a freaking psychopath."
Electra? Who could that be?
"But what exactly did she do this time that has you all so shook?" You guys still haven't explained it to me, and you know I wasn't paying attention when the drama happened," Liana complained, clearly frustrated that she couldn't understand whatever they were talking about.
Ashleigh stopped pacing and turned to face the other two, her hands on her hips. "You should have seen the horror, Liana. She practically bashed that poor girl's face into the table. Twice! It was brutal, and at some point, I thought she was going to kill her right there in front of everyone."
"Seriously?" Liana said, her eyes wide as she exchanged glances with Jolene. "I mean, I know she's intense, but that's a whole new level of crazy, especially in public."
"It was more than crazy," Jolene added, shaking her head as if she still couldn't believe what she had seen. "That girl's nose was bleeding everywhere, and Electra just stood there, smiling like it was nothing. Like it was all a game to her. The bitch is a literal psychopath."
They were repeatedly calling someone a "crazy bitch," and from the sound of it, she had done something horrible, and despite how much I wanted to stay out of their business, I couldn't help but wonder who they were talking about.
I thought they were too busy with their conversation to notice me listening in, until all of a sudden, Jolene's attention snapped in my direction.
"Seraphina," she sneered, drawing my name out like it was something distasteful. "You know, there's a pretty good chance you might be next in line for the same treatment that girl got from Electra earlier, right?"
I blinked, startled, as my gaze darted between Jolene and Ashleigh. I had no idea what they were talking about, and I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out at first.
Ashleigh turned to look at me then, shaking her head slowly, almost like she felt sorry for me, but her tone was far from sympathetic. "Out of all the people you could've collided with while running like a complete idiot," she said, "it just had to be Elysium's craziest demon, Electra."
I processed what Ashleigh had just said and remembered the beautiful blonde girl I'd run into, but I couldn't understand how she could be the same person they were talking about.
I managed to whisper, my voice barely audible, "Who... who is Electra?" I asked.
Jolene rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed that I didn't already know. "Seriously?" she said, in a tone that was unimpressed. "Do you really not remember the girl you practically crashed into right after you made a scene at our table?"
I didn't answer, not because I forgot, but because I didn't want to admit to her how clearly I remembered the girl she was talking about and how I hadn't been able to stop thinking about her since I fled.
Instead of speaking, I just nodded and hoped it would be enough to satisfy Jolene without giving away the fact that my thoughts had been clouded by the blonde girl ever.
Jolene scoffed and leaned back against her bed. "Well, that girl, the one I'm talking about, is none other than Electra, who happens to be the only child of the King of Elmeria and the future Queen of the kingdom."
She said, laying emphasis on the last word like it was some terrible and inevitable fate. "And she's not just royalty; she's also a complete psychopath. A living, breathing mad woman."
I furrowed my brows, trying to process everything she had just said. Finding out who Electra was left me shocked, but there was something else that was bothering me.
Jolene had implied just a while ago that I was in danger and that Electra would come after me just like she had gone after the girl she didn't know.
"What do you mean by saying I'll end up like the girl from earlier? I don't know what you're talking about."
Jolene exchanged a look with Ashleigh, and her lips formed a smirk immediately. Ashleigh didn't answer me right away, but instead, she reached for her phone that was lying on top of her bed.
She took her time unlocking it, and after a few long seconds, she glanced up at me and urged me to come closer.
I hesitated for a moment before climbing out of bed and walking over to her, and when I did, she held her phone out, showing me a picture, and my breath caught in my throat the moment I saw it.
The picture was zoomed in on a girl whose face was smeared with food and blood. The food was splattered all over her, with bits of it clinging to her hair and her cheeks, and the blood mixed with the food created a horrible mess.
Her nose was obviously broken, her eyes red and swollen. She was clearly crying, and I could almost hear the screams that must have followed this picture.
"That," Ashleigh said, "is what happens when you cross Electra."
I stared at the picture, my hands trembling slightly as I processed what I was seeing. I didn't know the girl in the photo, but seeing her like that—broken, humiliated, and covered in blood—made me feel sick.
Her smile widened as she kept the phone held out in front of me. "You see, Electra doesn't take kindly to disrespect, and from what I saw, you ran into her—literally. Now, we all know that Electra isn't exactly the forgiving type, so I'd advise that you prepare for the worst because it's coming."