"Good," Hoshimi said. "You're both awake. I have an announcement."
Twenty minutes later, the common room was full.
Neila had arrived.
Her twin-tails perfectly arranged despite the circumstances, her expression was that of boredom, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. She had sat down into the largest armchair, one leg crossed over the other, watching the others file in with the lazy interest of a cat observing mice.
Lucy came next, her dark blue hair still damp from a shower, her crimson eyes bright. She sat close to the window, positioning herself where she could see both the room and the courtyard beyond.
"I still can't stand you."
"Suit yourself, Walker bitch."
Edward followed, moving quietly as always. He took a position near the door, his back to the wall, his black eyes wandered.
Sarah arrived last, gliding into the room with that unsettling grace that marked her as something other. Her amber eyes gleamed in the morning light, and her skin seemed almost to glow unusually. She took a seat near the back, away from the others, her face blank, like watching a group of stray dogs.
Dominic watched her.
Hoshimi stood at the center of the room, Kira sat behind him, tapping her fingers on her thigh, her eyes staring down at the floor. His violet eyes swept across them all.
"I'm going to be direct," he said. His voice was flat, emotionless, the voice of someone delivering a report. "This current invasion was an inside job, the rogues knew where Sophia was while the invasion was occurring, information only given to the witches here."
Neila raised an eyebrow. "Yeah what does that have to do with me?"
"It's a 100% chance that one of you is feeding information or part of the rogues." Hoshimi's voice didn't change, but something in the room shifted. "The vice principal confirmed it. The injuries on some of the students match Audrey Mirlo's. And guess what? Everyone here with the exception of Seraphina was at the Mirlo estate."
Lucy's hand went to her chest, a protective gesture. "You're saying the invasion and Audrey's murder are connected?"
Edward spoke from the door, his voice quiet but steady. "Connected how? The same person?"
"Possibly." Hoshimi's gaze moved to Sarah, lingered for just a moment, then continued its sweep. "Someone on the inside fed them information. Someone knew when our defenses would be weakest. Someone knew about the Zenith."
The room was very quiet.
Neila leaned forward, her blue eyes sharp. "Yeah, this has nothing to do with me."
Hoshimi stared into Neila's eyes.
[I need to figure this out before they kill more people, rather than investigating in secret, this will pressure them further into making a mistake. If I stop them from going outside and the murders that were predicted don't occur than I can be sure]
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
He kept staring.
"What?" A single bead of sweat dropped down her temple. "Is there something on my face?"
"It's not that, but you're the only one who seemed to gain something after Audrey Mirlo's death."
"Huh? Puppet, are you really trying to accuse me right now?"
"I don't know, you tell me."
She walked up to him, staring into his eyes, but her small stature forced her to look up at him.
"You think I'd band up with some petty rogues? How low did you think I would ever go?"
"I'd say that you're the number one suspect."
"Tell me, what if.. just what if its you. And you're just trying to shift the blame onto me to avoid it. You were the one who was always with the Mirlo girl anyways, if its not you, then who the hell could it be!?"
A corner of Sarah's lips curved upwards.
[They don't have any evidence pointing towards me, they don't even know there's more than one. That boy would eventually figured it out anyway so I made Jack sprinkle his abilities here and there a little bit]
Kira made a small sound, pressing closer to Hoshimi's arm. Lucy's eyes widened. Edward's hand drifted toward his belt, where a knife was concealed.
Dominic felt the weight of everyone's attention shift, felt the suspicion coiling in the air like smoke.
[A spy? One of us? It can't be me right?]
He forced the thought down. Forced his face to remain still.
Hoshimi watched them all with those flat violet eyes. "Until we identify the traitor, you have until tomorrow to do your business outside, though you all will be monitored, starting from tomorrow everyone here will be confined."
"Confined?" Lucy's voice rose. "You're imprisoning us?"
"I'm protecting us." Hoshimi's tone didn't change. "The killer is hereSIf you're innocent, you have nothing to fear from a few days in familiar surroundings. If you're guilty..." He paused. "Then we'll find out."
Neila laughed, a sharp, brittle sound. "Who the hell put you in charge, puppet? Last I checked, you weren't student council. You weren't faculty. You're just another cog, same as the rest of us."
"I was tasked with the Mirlo case in secret, the vice principal gave me the authority to make the decisions now." Hoshimi met her gaze without flinching. "If you have a better plan, I'm listening."
Neila's eyes narrowed. For a long moment, the two of them stared at each other. Then Neila leaned back in her chair, a slow smile spreading across her face.
"Fine," she said. "I'll play along. For now." Her eyes glittered. "But if you're wrong about this, if you're the spy playing around, I'll make sure your death is painful."
Sarah rose from her seat, fluid and graceful. "This is all very dramatic, but I have things to attend to." She moved toward the door.
Edward blocked her path. "You heard him. We'll all be monitored."
Sarah's amber eyes flickered to him, and for just a moment, the temperature in the room seemed to drop. Edward didn't move, didn't flinch, but a bead of sweat rolled down his temple.
"I'm not one of your students," Sarah said softly. "I'm not bound by your little lockdown."
"You're in this room. That makes you a suspect like the rest of us." Hoshimi's voice cut through the tension. "Unless you have something to hide?"
"Fine." She stepped back, returning to her seat. "I'll wait. For now."
Kira exhaled, a sound she'd been holding since the conversation started. Lucy moved closer to Dominic, seeking comfort in proximity. Edward remained by the door, his hand still on his knife.
Hoshimi looked at them all. "Everyone excluding Seraphina, get into groups of two."
Sarah replied immediately, "I'll stay with Nei-"
"You'll stay with Lucy."
Sarah's eyes narrowed.
[Well I didn't really think he'd do this, this is more annoying than anything, but my plans don't need any communication between me and him anymore. At the very least he doesn't suspect Jack]
Edward's grip on his knife loosened.
Seraphina walked up to Hoshimi.
"I'd like permission for Edward and Dominic to go out with me."
"Fine by me."
Hoshimi walked up to Edward and grabbed his shoulder, whispering into his ear.
"Watch Dominic closely."
The morning wore on.
Breakfast was a quiet affair, raided from the common room's small kitchen.
Kira picked at a piece of toast, her eyes darting to each person in turn. Lucy sat with Dominic, their shoulders almost touching, finding comfort in familiar blood. Edward fiddled with the food on his plate.
[It's ticking me off]
Neila tapped her finger rapidly against the edge of the wooden table.
[Sarah's fork and plate aren't even arranged neatly, she doesn't even give a shit about table manners]
She stood up, walking towards the kitchen and turned on the tap, the sound of the water calmed her down.
[This is why I hate eating with other people, I hate getting dirty, I hate how uneven things are]
Sarah sat in her corner, eyes half-closed, apparently dozing, leaving the silverware scattered across the table and the breadcrumbs dispersed on the table.
Hoshimi rested his elbows and intertwined his fingers.
"Dominic, are you not going to eat?"