Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]-Chapter 48: Hide Away

Seraphina's Pov

As I paced back and forth in the empty classroom, my right hand was all I could stare at—the same hand that had slapped Electra.

Over and over, the words, "I must have lost my mind. I've gone mad," slipped from my lips in a low whisper, repeatedly coming out like some kind of mantra.

I still couldn't believe what I'd done. Slapping Electra was like signing my own death warrant. What had possessed me to do it? And I hadn't even stayed to face her reaction—I'd just run.

What kind of fate had I just signed myself up for?

I had no idea how Electra would respond. Or, rather, I had too many ideas, each idea more terrifying than anything.

I kept seeing flashes in my mind—the same situation Yura had been in—Electra and her friends tying my hands, dragging me to that old, abandoned pool, and throwing me in without a second thought.

My heart beat faster, and I clenched my hands, trying to stop the shaking. Yuna and I had saved Yura, but who would come for me if Electra decided to make her point by leaving me there to drown?

There was so much I hadn't done yet. I couldn't just disappear without even knowing what it was like to see Gianna fall from her pedestal and be humiliated in public, just like she deserved. Just thinking about all the things I'd miss out on if Electra made good on her anger made me want to scream.

I didn't want to die, not like this. I needed to do something, but I didn't even know where to start, and my mind felt like it was spinning in a thousand different directions.

Just then, the door creaked open, and I nearly jumped out of my skin until I saw that it was Yuna coming inside.

She walked in, her face full of concern, and immediately shut the door behind her. "Seraphina? What's going on? Why did you text me to come here by this time? It's not even lunch yet, and also, you missed first period. Where the hell have you been?"

I took a shaky breath, running a trembling hand through my hair. I could barely meet her gaze. "That doesn't even matter right now," I managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper. "Yuna, I'm in big trouble. I…I don't know what to do."

Yuna's frown deepened, and she stepped closer, placing a hand on my shoulder. "What are you talking about? What happened? Take a deep breath and explain to me."

I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears, my throat tightening as I tried to find the words. I hesitated, still barely able to process what I'd done, let alone say it out loud. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I managed to blurt it out. "I slapped her."

Yuna blinked, clearly not understanding. "You slapped who?"

"Electra," I whispered, barely able to believe it myself even as I said her name. "I slapped Electra."

Yuna's eyes widened in shock, her hand slipping off my shoulder. "You did what?"

I nodded, feeling my face flush with a mix of shame and fear. "I know. I don't even know what came over me. I was just so angry. After everything she's done to Yura, to you... I just couldn't take it anymore, and then she kept saying all these things to me, acting like she didn't care about any of it, like it was all just some game to her, and I…I just lost it."

Yuna pressed her palm against my forehead, her brow furrowing as she studied me with a blend of concern and skepticism on her face. "Seraphina, did you by any chance fall asleep and have some bizarre nightmare?" she asked slowly, as if testing the waters of my sanity. "Or maybe you're coming down with something?"

I felt my face flush, offended by her disbelief, even though I half-expected it. I brushed her hand away, crossing my arms tightly over my chest. "I'm serious, Yuna. Dead serious."

Yuna raised an eyebrow, her lips curving in a skeptical half-smile, though there was still worry in her eyes. "You're telling me you slapped Electra Vale? Electra—the girl with a practically signed, sealed, and delivered 'Do Not Touch' policy? If you had slapped her, you wouldn't be standing here with all your limbs intact, Seraphina."

Her words only made the dread in my stomach worse, and I felt like I could be sick. "Well, then you might as well start planning my funeral because I did slap her. I just... slapped her, then ran before I even knew what I'd done."

The words tumbled out in a rush. "And now… Now she's probably planning all the ways she's going to kill me. So yeah, go ahead and get those mourning clothes ready."

For a moment, Yuna just stood there, staring at me, and I could see the realization dawning in her eyes, her smile fading as disbelief turned to horror. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

"No… No, Seraphina..." she whispered, her face going pale. And then, much to my shock, she raised her voice—actually raised it in a tone so sharp and loud it made me jump. "What the hell did you do?!"

I opened my mouth to respond, but the words seemed to catch in my throat. Yuna's shock had only magnified the terror building inside me, and I suddenly felt like a child caught in the act, except I wasn't just caught—I was in so far over my head I could barely see the surface.

"What were you thinking, Seraphina?" Yuna asked, her voice strained with disbelief, her eyes as wide as I'd ever seen them. "Of all people, you slapped Electra Vale? Do you have any idea what that means? Why, why would you even do something so—"

"I wasn't thinking, okay?" I interrupted, feeling frustration start to rise in me, mingling with the fear that was making my hands shake. "I just… I don't know what came over me. I wasn't thinking."

Yuna pressed her fingers to her temples, letting out a long, shaky breath as if she were trying to steady herself. "Seraphina, I've warned you so many times to stay away from Electra. You know what she did to Yura, and yet, you went ahead and did the one thing that she'll probably never forgive."

She met my gaze, her eyes pleading. "Please tell me there's a reason, something that made you lose your mind and slap her."

I swallowed hard, my throat feeling dry. I couldn't tell Yuna the truth, not the whole truth. I couldn't tell her that Electra had kissed me. "I don't know," I said, looking away, feeling the shame start to settle in. "She just... she said some things, and I was so mad, Yuna. I felt like she was taunting me, and it… it just happened."

Yuna shook her head. "Seraphina, Electra doesn't just say 'some things.' She says things to get under your skin, to make you react. She knows how to pull your buttons, and you... you let her do it."

"But now what?" I asked, my voice shaky. "What am I supposed to do, Yuna? She's going to come after me, isn't she?"

Yuna sighed, rubbing her temples again, as though she were warding off an oncoming headache.

"Seraphina, the only thing I can think of right now is that... you need to hide."

I blinked, unsure if I'd heard her correctly. "Hide?" I asked. "How am I supposed to hide, Yuna? There's nowhere in this school she won't find me."

Yuna's face tightened with worry, but she nodded, clearly understanding the difficulty of what she was suggesting. "I know it sounds impossible, Sera, but for now, hiding is all I can come up with. You need to skip class, skip dinner, skip everything, and stay in your room. If Electra is as angry as I know she is, you need to lay low and avoid her until this blows over, if it ever does."