Athaliah Kensington's Pov.



I am staring right into his eyes. Those clouded orbs that signify storm, seem to enchant me more than I would like. His whiskey-like eyes say thousands of unspoken words, drowning me in them.

"What are you doing here?" Zeus asked, bringing me back to the real world.

"Hello, purple."

His voice, the one I am having a hard time forgetting, constricts my throat to utter any other word.

Snapping back to reality, I asked,

"And you are?"

He chuckled and picked up my bag from the seat next to me and sat there with my bag in his lap. Stopping the irrational thought coming in my mind, I forced my eyes to stay focused on his face.

"Missed me?" He asked.

"For that to happen, I need to know who you are."

"She is not your another target, Demitri." Zeus interrupted.

"I never said that." Tearing his eyes away from me, he replied to Zeus.

Demitri. His name. It signifies protection and love.

But I don't know why I suddenly had that thought.

"You did a good job at telling her about all the group in this school. But I am disappointed you forgot to mention me." Demitri said.

"There is nothing to tell. And how did you know what I have told her?" Zeus replied, getting irritated now.

"Even the walls of this school have ears, Zeus." He paused before continuing, "Seeing he hadn't done his job properly, I would like to introduce myself."

He brought his hands in front of me and said,

"Nice to meet you purple. I am Demitri Sokolov."

I stared at his hands for a few seconds before shaking it.

"Athaliah."

He smirked.

"I know."

"How do you know her?" Zeus inquired, visibly annoyed.

"There is a rumor going on about someone beating the Snark Squad. I am betting on you." Demitri replied, a hint of playfulness in his voice.

"Tell me about yourself." I said.

"There is nothing to know about him, Sugar. He is a loner. He doesn't belong to any group. However, there is not a single girl in this school with whom he hadn't hooked up." Zeus replied, clearly getting fed up.

"Hey! That's not true. There is one girl I haven't hooked up with yet." He paused and turned his eyes towards me, biting his lower lip slightly.

"She is off-limits."

Someone spoke. The voice, grumbled and angry, came from behind me.

Turning back, I saw all the three younger Kensington brothers standing with a very off expression on their face.

Even Kaelen has a scowl painted on his face.

"I don't think anyone invited you to this conversation. The girl is very well capable of answering for her." Demitri replied.

"You—" Reuben was one second away from throwing his hands on Demitri.

"I am done with my lunch." I interrupted.

I forwarded my hands in front of Demitri. He raised his eyebrow.

"If you are done keeping my bag hostage, I would like to have it back." I said.

Demitri gave me a lingering gaze and ever so slowly gave my bag back. Our fingers brushed. Ignoring the slight tremor that I suddenly felt in my stomach, I turned my eyes to Zeus.

"I will be in library." Saying that I exit the lunchroom.

It was unnecessary to tell Zeus about my whereabouts. But only this time, it wasn't for him. If he gets my message, he will be there.







Reading books is one of my favorite things to do. Not just fictional, I also love reding books that have ancient stories in them. It intrigues me.

Right now, I'm lost in the quiet of the library, surrounded by rows of books, the familiar scent of paper and ink filling the air. The space feels intimate, almost like a secret hideaway. My fingers trail along the spines of the books, my eyes scanning for something to pull me in. Then, I spot it—the book I've been wanting to read. Just as I reach out to grab it, I see a pair of grey eyes across the aisle. He's doing the same thing, his hand extending toward the exact same book.

Our hands meet at the same time, a soft brush of fingers that makes me pause for a moment. My heart skips a beat, and I can't help but glance up at him. Our eyes meet, and for a second, everything else in the library fades away. There's a warmth in his eyes, a kind of playful curiosity.

I take a small step back, giving him space but still holding his gaze. The silence between us isn't uncomfortable—it's like an unspoken connection, a shared moment in the middle of a quiet aisle of books. There's something about the way he looks at me that feels different from the usual fleeting encounters. It's not just a casual glance—there's something else there, something that makes me want to stay and see where this goes.

And that thought scares me a lot.

Stepping back again, I said,

"It took you quite a lot of time to reach here."

"What can I do? Your brothers stalled me to threaten me to stay away from you." Demetri replied.

My eyes widened for the briefest moment, but I quickly blinked, trying to suppress the shock that wanted to flood my face.

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"Well, obviously I will know If someone stalls me when they harshly grab my hand and not let me go." He replied, his mouth forming a smirk.

"You are not that stupid not to understand my question." I said.

He fixed his gaze on me and slowly came to my aisle. Crossing his arms and leaning towards one of the bookshelves, he replied,

"I know a lot of things about you. This piece of information is nothing in front of them. Besides, it doesn't take a genius to know that they are your brothers when they become all hulk in any matter concerning you."

"This is the second time when the Kensington brothers have interfered in any matter concerning a girl." He completed.

"You wanted to me. Any special reason?" He asked.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked.

"I am afraid I need more than that to precisely understand the thing you are saying." He replied.

"Scythe." I said, keeping my eyes on his.

"If you know a bit or two of my life, don't overestimate yourself. I know exactly which buttons to push to make you my puppet right at this instant." I said, putting my elbow on one of the bookshelves.

He raised his eyebrows.

"I can be your puppet without you doing anything. You just need to say the words." He replied.

A slight blush started forming on my cheeks and neck. Gulping once, I asked,

"How is Sofia?"

Hearing my question, his smirk wiped off. His eyes hardened.

Holding his gaze, I continued, "I was thinking of paying a visit to that 3 years old child in her orphanage. You seem to have a nice bond with her."

"Don't you dare." He seethed in anger, emphasizing every syllable.

"Not planning. Yet. Just give me some answers and you can have your time with her. Peacefully." I said.

I am not going to harm any child. But he doesn't need to know that.

Seeing him silent, I shot my first question,

"How do you know I have a mole surrounding me?"

He scoffed and replied,

"The people you are fighting against are not dumb. Of Course, they would plant someone on your back."

It was my turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Are you one of them?"

"Purple, if I was, I wouldn't have warned you. Twice."

"Why are you helping me?" I repeated my question.

His smirk came back.

"Now, not every question can be answered."

Before I could say something, he spoke again,

"If you want more answers, come to Unit 33, 12th Crescent Drive. Three days from now, at 11 PM. I will be waiting for you, Cicada."

Saying that, he left.

I saw his retreating figure. I still don't understand what his relationship with the ones I am fighting against is and why he is helping me.

I exited the library soon after. I was walking in the halls. The school is almost empty now. No one really waits for the last period to be over.

Suddenly, someone jerked me towards a room that looked like a chemistry lab or something. Gaining my balance, I looked forward to seeing five girls glaring at me like I broke their favorite lipstick or something. I recognize three of them. They were sitting with Reuben and Royce in the lunchroom.

"Any particular reason why you dragged me to this chemical room?" I asked with a monotony in my voice.

"What is your relationship with Kensington brothers?" The barbie of the group asked.

So this is what it's all about. They are just insecure that my broth— Kensington brothers defended me. I decided to play with them a little.

"Oh, you will be thrilled to know."

Their glares deepened.

"Not only just the Kensington's, but I also saw her talking to Demitri in the library as well." Another girl of this 'Golden girl gang' spoke.

I scoffed.

"You are messing with a wrong person." I said in an icy tone.

"Why? What can a girl like you do?" Barbie spoke.

"You are just a girl whose family have abandoned her here." One of them spoke, stirring one of my worst memories.

"You are just a girl whose family have abandoned her here, lavender."

"Shut up." I roared.

The girls started laughing.

"Why? Having problem in accepting the truth?" The third girl spoke.

I breathed heavily.

"This body of yours cannot protect you from what's coming." One of the girls said. I am now too lost to differentiate who.

"This little, petite body of yours cannot protect you from what I want to do with you."

"You are pathetic."

"There is only one use of your body."

Fisting my fingers, I tried to cool down. I can't have a panic attack now.

I tried to leave but someone blocked my way.

"Oh look, she is scared. I love seeing her scared."

"There is no way you can escape us."

"I love it when you are scared."

"You cannot escape me."

I blinked my eyes to have a grip on myself.

"What were they calling you?" One of them asked and pretended to be thinking.

I need to get out of here.

Oh yes, lavender." She said and further laughed.

I froze. Hearing that word that still gives me nightmares.

"Let us take her to Zarek. He will love to fuck this pathetic piece of shit."

"I would love to fuck your pathetic body."

"But before that, our little lavender needs to learn her lesson to stay away from our boys."

"My little lavender."

At this point, I am trapped in my mind. The room suddenly feels suffocatingly small. My breath catches in my throat, shallow and erratic. My hands tremble slightly, fingers twitching with the urge to grip something solid, but my palms are too clammy to find purchase on anything.

My vision blurs, edges darkening as the room around me shifts into something familiar, something I don't want to see again. I blink hard, trying to focus, but the images are already twisting—flashes of memories I don't want to relive.

A dull ringing fills my ears, drowning out the background noise of those girls. My pulse quickens, thudding in my temples like an insistent drumbeat. Each beat sends a wave of panic, flooding me with that unmistakable feeling of being trapped, helpless. I can't breathe; I can't think.

Suddenly, I am hit hard in my face. I fell on the ground, trying to catch my breath.

When I looked up, I wished with all my being that I shouldn't have.

He is standing in front of me. That malicious smirk planted on his face. He is not single. There are 5 of him.

How will I escape them?

He crouched down towards me and I backed away. Keeping my knees close to my chest, I trembled, looking downwards.

One of his rules was not to look at him. Ever.

"My little lavender, I told you. You cannot escape me. Now you need punishment."

He laughed. My face paled and eyes widened with fear. My heart races as the reality of the situation hits me—I am trapped, nowhere to run, no one to help.

I tried to stand up and run but suddenly, he shoves my shoulder hard. I stumble, the edge of a table digging into my back. My hands fly out to try to catch myself, but they land against the cold metal, leaving my wrists scraped and raw. I heard the laughing voices.

Female laughing voices. But I am too gone to have a grip on reality.

Again, I am yanked by my hair, my head pulled back painfully. A small, strangled cry escapes me, but it's quickly drowned out by the sound of mocking laughter.

"What's wrong?" one of him taunts, "Too weak to fight back?"

Another one stepped up, his eyes cold, and slapped me across the face. The force of it sends my head snapping to the side, my vision blurring with tears. My cheek stings, the skin reddening immediately. I tried to raise my hands to protect herself, but the others are too fast—one grabs me by the wrists, holding me still while another delivers another cruel slap, harder this time.

My legs tremble, struggling to keep my balance as the onslaught continues. I gasped, my body wracked with the desperate need to escape, but my limbs feel heavy, like lead, as if they're no longer my own. My mind is spinning and I can hardly breathe.

One of them pushes my back against the counter, the sharp edge digging painfully into my back. I tried to fight the tears welling in my eyes, but it's no use. The sting of the slap, the pain in her wrist, and the bitter realization that I am utterly powerless begin to break me down.

"Don't cry," one of them sneered, as if my tears are just another reason to mock me.

Once again, he steps up, his fists clenched, and punches me in the stomach. The air is knocked out of me, leaving me gasping for breath, my vision swimming as I crumple to the ground. I am dazed, struggling to gather the strength to move, but I can't. They continue their assault, kicking my sides, pushing my head into the cold tile floor as I curl in on myself, trying to protect whatever I can.

The sounds of my sobs fill the space, muffled by the cruelty around me. The laughter, the harsh words—they all blur together. There's nothing but the overwhelming weight of helplessness, the crushing knowledge that there's no escape, no one coming to stop them.

I can never escape him. With one last jab at my head, I am losing consciousness. I heard someone saying,

"Let's go. I think she has learned her lesson."

With that, I saw black dots forming in front of my eyes. I can barely hold onto my consciousness. There is a vibration near me. I tried to hold onto that vibration. Finally, there is something in my hold. I heard someone speaking something, but I can't make out what.

I tried to speak something. Something that will tell them to help me. Something that will help me to escape from him. I tried once but he is back again. And now, I don't have any energy left in me to fight again.

———🌸———

Here is the next chapter guys.

I hope you enjoy it.

Also, thank you for your patience and support. It helps me to keep the story going.

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What will happen next?