❝ Sheep abide by the herd complex; safety in numbers. When all are the same, no one can be singled out.
A fox among sheep is able to infiltrate the herd only a handful of ways: under the veil of dusk, or by clothing itself as the prey, shedding i...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
OPAL DIDN'T PROTEST when he took the reins, navigating them both through the canteen with a skeletal wrist vised in Jonah's custody. Just how oblivious had he been to her deterioration?
With her bag hooked over his shoulder, the warmth of Jonah's palm found sanctuary beneath her skin, while ice forayed into his. Jonah couldn't explain whether the goosebumps prudently advancing the course of his spine were from the cold, or if it was the entrancement Opal had on him exercising its power, even now.
Jonah banished the surfacing feelings he had spent the best part of three months convincing himself were founded upon falsehoods. He needed to concentrate and devise how he was going to handle this new spot of bother he's landed in. The bell had already rung, indicating for students to filter themselves from the hallways and to their respective classrooms. His absence and audacity to skip the duration of his detention wouldn't go unnoticed for long; it was only a matter of time before the wrong teacher caught sight of them.
Luckily, Jonah was an expert; he was confident that he could find Matthieu before somebody else found him. If it wasn't for the collapse of Opal's health, Jonah would have been pleased to finally take on a challenge which had the capacity to stimulate his brain far better than any algebra worksheet.
However, as all decisions are, they're pursued by a cost— one that Jonah had agreed to in a heartbeat. He had accepted his fate, which would be an unhappy phone call home, entailing an even unhappier mother to greet him when she finishes her shift. The mixture of sleep deprivation and exposure to the fact her golden child wasn't so golden was a deadly concoction; Jonah didn't pause to ponder on his decision. He hadn't a clue what Opal had ingested, or the possibly delayed reaction soon to follow. As far as he was concerned, time was of the essence. Opal— and her life— were priceless, so when the consequences chasing his actions came knocking at his door, Jonah would abide by whatever punishment they throw his way.
He adjusted the rucksack digging into his collarbone. Every unsought twitch to resonate from the girl had him checking on her in fleeting reflexes; just how one would breathe. Jonah was afraid that at any moment he'd see the fire in her eyes perish, and he would be left powerless to watch. This wasn't good; nerves cleared room for slip-ups.
When the detention classroom took shape at the end of the corridor, Jonah was quick to disguise himself and Opal amidst a flock of students who happened to be walking in the same direction. Pulling Opal closer to his side, Jonah's eyes were glued to his trainers when a door flew open. He could have sighed in relief when Henri's red Nikes and mismatched socks began to approach the gathering of teenagers, not the pair of wedges he'd been dreading.
Fortunately, Jonah was taller than the majority. It wasn't difficult to grab his friend's attention. "Henri!"
His head perked up at the sound of his name immediately. Approaching Jonah, amusement tugged at his lips.
