"No… Reina Rogers… remember her?" Claude chuckled. "She ended up being a witch… and she attacked me… and then Len randomly showed up and brought me to his home."
A flinch came from Eugene. He covered his mouth with a hand before pulling on Claude's shirt. "Dude, dude, how many non-humans have I talked to? Because, holy shit, is Gracie the only human who got around us? That's so messed up!"
Claude hummed and shook his head. "Honestly, I don't know. I could pick up a few scents here and there, but I didn't know what I was smelling. I can only ask Len about everyone else."
"Oh, gosh…" Eugene leaned both arms on the counter in front of him. "Even Irving is… a big dog? I mean, he does act like one, but… a real big… massive dog with massive claws? I can't imagine… Wait, what if he wasn't like them instead? Did they bully him because of that?"
"I'll let him know you thought of him…"
Eugene ignored Claude's sudden teasing. He looked up and pounded a fist on his hand. "I have to save him from those goons! I won't let them bully a defenseless big puppy…!"
…
The night in the Cavalry's dorm was as it should be. Claude continued to play a few songs on his Hofner, lulling most students to sleep. Those who used the open field beside them could only fuel their run with the music. However, tonight, everyone could attest that Claude was rather happy. The feeling brought by the violin's voice made them want to celebrate.
Perhaps the only ones who couldn't feel happy were those from the General's dorm. Joshua, Psi Saint Alpha's chapter president, sat at his desk. He tapped a pen against the desk's edge. In his hand was a printed letter of concern. He then looked at Ryan, who entered the room.
"Is Len back? Lavallee is surely unbothered." Joshua sighed and placed the paper down. "Should we make this his problem?"
"Do you want Len to get angry?" Ryan walked closer and leaned down to collect the paper. He frowned. "Let the SCB find a way. I'll run that through the council when we meet again. If I'm right, those people might have dragged more students into it than we realize."
"Yeah, I heard it from Hastings. At least four students are unaccounted for in the girls' dorms. Ritzy and the others are still canvassing." Joshua sighed and massaged his forehead. He then laughed. "When I heard we were having a rogue and an Alpha around this year, I already knew I was thankful for not being the SCB Student President anymore."
Ryan glanced at him. "Now you are thankful you got banned? Anyway, I still need to support whoever wins this year. And the Halloween Ball…"
Joshua laughed louder, tossing the pen on the desk. He maneuvered to escape the chair even when Ryan was standing behind him. He then wrapped an arm around Ryan's neck before flicking the paper in Ryan's hand. "With this thing around… what Halloween Ball? I'm very sure the SCB will shoot down any social gatherings. If you want to dance, help me resolve this."
The other person lifted a brow before looking at the paper. Ryan then smiled mischievously. "You know, I don't have much power in the SCB. Why don't we ask the King's Society?"
Joshua snorted. "You tell Len to ask the King's Society!"
…
Unlike what Len promised, he didn't show up in school that Monday. Claude looked around for him and his packmates at lunch, yet no one had seen them around. Claude's phone, which was returned to him before leaving Widow's Manor, remained quiet.
The GE class was still loud minutes before the professor came. Claude sat in his usual spot, and Eugene was busier gossiping with other guys from other courses. It was all right. Claude was lost in the black mirror of his phone. When the minute changed on that analog clock at the side, Claude grumbled and sent a message.
[Me: ???]
[Me: Where are you? Haven't you gone home yet?]
[Me: dorm* I meant to say, gone back to your dorm. Is this about what happened to that girl named Hunie? You guys haven't seen her yet? Can I help you with anything?]
[Me: At least let me know that you're still alive.]
"This is the worst…" Claude sighed and placed his head on the desk. He closed his eyes and tuned out the noises coming from most students. "I'm not supposed to be worried… but I can't resist it. Is it bad that I worry?"
"Not really, sweetie. I like you saying that."
Claude's eyes tore open, and he saw Len moving to his seat. When their gazes met, Len smiled. "Did I make you worry too much?"
The violinist sat up straight and leaned on his seat. "You know… Your phone is created for a reason. Why don't you use it for that once in a while? You're annoying."
Len's brows lifted, more when he spied a faint blush tinting Claude's cheeks. He chuckled and placed his phone in front of Claude. When Claude looked over, the phone screen lit up with a text… and another. It collected around fifteen messages just from sitting there for a few seconds. It was all coming from a messaging app.
Claude collected the phone and took Len's hand to unlock it. Just when the phone unlocked, the screen went black again because of a caller ID. Courtney was calling. However, it was forwarded to another number, which Claude didn't recognize.
"Wow, a lot of people are looking for you." Claude still fiddled with it to check the messaging app. He saw ten active chats moving places on their own, burying almost everything else.
"Trouble is brewing. We can't take risks by standing around." Len leaned closer, his elbows on the table. "Don't read the messages."
"They move so fast. You expect me to read them?" Claude chuckled, uncaring of Len's concern. He just scrolled down to find his name on the list, only to realize a problem. Len… didn't seem keen on naming his contacts properly. They were all nicknames.
Claude frowned at some chats. "Uh… why do you have a 'princess', 'baby', 'honey pie', and a whole list of girlfriend names?"
Len hummed for a second. He then glanced at Jameson, who was sleeping on his seat. "Some friends decided to play with Courtney before. They changed the contact names into what you see now. It's bothersome to change all of them back."
"Right." Claude scoffed and looked for his entry. His eyes narrowed. "Why am I 'Demolition Expert'? Is it all right to be upset? Do I tear walls down somewhere?"
"Don't you?" Len chuckled, attracting Claude's glare to his face.
Claude then huffed before changing the name on it. "You didn't change theirs, but you changed mine. That's unfair. At least make it sound cute…"
Len reached over, holding Claude's hand and pressing on the keyboard with his thumb. He just changed 'Expert' to 'Cutie'. "What about now, Demolition Cutie? A bit trendy, isn't it?"