Clementine:
"It’s really none of my business, but you should’ve at least moved an arm or two," I yelled at her, watching her eyes widen.
She instantly turned toward the others, probably asking with her wide eyes why they were letting me talk to her that way.
" I mean, she isn’t wrong. But it is fine. There are more inside. We’d be able to get the flags for you," Troy stood beside me for a moment before stepping away to comfort her.
But I saw something in her eyes, something dangerous. She stayed silent, saying nothing.
Suddenly, the ogres began to move away from the door.
"Okay, we’ll go back in there—" Troy was in the middle of explaining when Oriana suddenly sprinted inside.
"Oriana!" Haiden shouted, his voice filled with worry as he almost panicked for her.
"What the fuck is she doing?" I yelled when I saw she was heading straight for my flags.
"We don’t need to fight these ogres! If I get these flags, we can all leave! Then it’ll be Clementine’s problem to find the flags!" she shouted, leaping over the dead bodies and leaving me stunned.
"Oriana, it’s too dangerous!" Haiden yelled.
Before I knew it, the three of them were running through the small door, trying to draw the monsters’ attention to themselves.
"What the fuck are you guys doing?" I screamed.
I didn’t know why I panicked.
The moment I realized they weren’t focused on saving themselves but on saving Oriana, something in me pulled forward, pushing me to help them.
I ran into the hall again, attacking the ogres so they wouldn’t reach those idiots.
Then chaos hit. Oriana had taken my flags and was sprinting in the opposite direction.
One of the ogres swung his arm, and I saw all my mates, along with her, get tossed around.
I ran straight for the ogre.
He clenched his fist, ready to slam them to the ground, Troy, Yorick, Haiden, and Oriana, whoever he could crush.
I rushed in and jumped, hanging onto his arm.
Sweat gathered on my temple as he shook me violently, and I saw his other hand coming toward me.
That’s when I stabbed him in the small circle. He screamed and threw me across the room.
I hit the ground hard, landing among broken toys and playground furniture.
My eyes caught something that froze me, a pendant. Not just any pendant, but a red cherry pendant, glinting under one of the tables.
Everything went silent, and all I could hear was my mother’s voice.
Tears filled my eyes as I crawled under the table and grabbed the pendant.
When I turned it over, I saw the initials, and my whole body froze. I knew this was my mother’s pendant.
"Clementine, go!" Haiden shouted, snapping me back to reality.
The moment I tried to crawl out from under the table, another ogre fell on top of it, trapping me underneath.
I groaned in pain and screamed.
I tried to wiggle free, but I was already hurt, and too many thoughts were clouding my mind to focus on my movements.
Then another ogre swung its arm and hit me so hard I felt my bones crack as I slammed against the wall.
"Troy! Over here!" I yelled, raising my hand for help.
I was under attack by a monster.
If I had not entered the hall to save my mates, I wouldn’t have been in this state. But I did not regret it.
I would do it again to save them. Even when I will never accept them, I will never leave them to die.
The four of them heard me cry out as the creature clawed me and slammed me against the wall.
"Help me!" I gasped, but their attention shifted when a soft cry came from the other side.

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