Denisha

"You love him, don't you?" Maylee said, elbowing me in laughter.

Does everything need to be about a boy for her?

I laughed back, rolling my eyes, mirroring her expression.

"That's good," she responded. "I can set him up with you. The only thing is Brooke." She shrugged.

Now I'm interested. "Brooke and Ramon had something going on?" I questioned. I thought Brooke just liked him, and he didn't.

"Oh," she giggled. "Ramon loves Brooke. He talks about her like crazy. He's obsessed with her."

"Wow," I thought it was a one-sided crush. The revelation must have hurt him deeper than I thought. Ramon is a good person for immediately teaming up with me instead of following his love for Brooke

"It's so funny because Brooke is literally the devil."

"How?"

"Lemme tell you a secret," she whispered in my ear. "You know Perse? The one before you."

I nodded.

"Brooke bullied her until she dropped out. That's how you replaced her."

"No way!" I responded, trying to sound surprised and shocked.

"Yes way. Paris and Renee all listened to Brooke and bullied Perse."

"Oh yeah ?" I questioned, pretending to be shocked. "What about you?"

Maylee frowned. "I never really was a fan of Perse. She was too... I don't know... she was too much, and she acted like a know-it-all."

"I can imagine," I said, trying to suppress my anger. How dare she talk about my sister like that?

"But I'd never go as far as hurting her. I genuinely do not care about her enough to waste my time bullying her."

"You're a good person," I beamed with fake enthusiasm. Maylee was a bitch and had misplaced priorities, but she's kind of a good person.

"Right?" She giggled.

I looked over and saw Brooke talking to Rayla. A frown grew on my face.

Rayla and Brooke? They are working together?

I frowned, trying to walk closer to them to eavesdrop, but they separated from each other.

Are they? No way.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned as I realized who it was.

Celeste.

"Denisha!"

I hugged her. "We've not had enough time to talk. Where have you been?"

"Around," she said, sounding angry.

"I have information we can use on Renee. I got Ramon on my side too. Our plan is-"

"Why did you treat Jasper like that?" she said, cutting me off.

"I-"

"Look, Denisha, I'm helping you take down a bully. I didn't realize you were a bully too."

"How am I a bully? Jasper was worrying me, and I told him to leave."

"You called him a dog."

"So what? He came to report to you like the little bitch he is," I said without thinking.

Celeste shook her head, leaving. "No wait." I held her hand. "I'm so sorry. I was planning on apologizing to him. Did he tell you anything else?"

"Is there something else he should tell me?"

"No. No."

She looked at me skeptically. "Look, Denisha, you're probably scared to trust anyone after what happened to your sister, but Jasper is someone I trust. I'm also helping you. The least you could do is trust that I know what I'm doing."

"I-" I began to protest but backed down. It wasn't worth it. I couldn't afford to lose my allies in this. "I'll apologize to him. I'm sorry. I trust you and your decisions."

She smiled. "Good."

"I didn't see you in class?"

"You asked me to go through their stuff, right?"

"Yes," I nodded, looking at her, waiting to see what she found.

"I saw this." She took out her phone, opening her gallery.

"Brooke's bed?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I managed to go through some of her things before her shimmer arrived with her cleaning tools."

I looked at the picture and saw a purple book with a snake surrounding a gem.

"That's her tattoo."

Celeste nodded, sliding to the next picture.

On it was written "The Descendants."

I gasped.

"Why is Brooke holding a descendant book? Plus, wasn't it rare knowledge or something?" Celeste asked.

I couldn't answer; my mind was racing. Brooke was speaking to Rayla who was part of the assassination of the queen. Was Brooke part of it?

"Hello," Celeste waved

"Oh, sorry, I was just taken aback," I apologized, turning my attention to Celeste. "Where is the book right now?"

"I put it back in the blue bag," Celeste answered.

"Which blue bag?"

"She has this blue bag on top of her wardrobe. It has stuff inside: knives, lighters, weed, and other things."

"We need to get that book."

"Why? We don't need the Descendants' book for anything."

I looked at her, contemplating whether I should tell her or not. "Trust me; we do."

She frowned. "Why?"

"I need to speak to Jasper" I said dismissively. "Where is he?"

"I think he is in his dorm."

"Okay, bye, I have to go." I waved at Celeste, who stood there looking at me, dumbfounded.

"Okay?" She said puzzled. "Meet you later then."

I ran towards the Air clan house.

"Jasper, I need to talk to you," I texted from my phone. Stupid me forgot to ask for his room number.

"No."

"I'll explain everything."

"Room 69."

The Air Clan house was an architectural marvel that seemed to defy gravity itself. Perched atop a series of tall, slender pillars, it gave the impression of floating among the clouds. The building was constructed primarily from gleaming white marble and crystal-clear glass, reflecting the azure skies above. The entire structure had a sleek, futuristic design, with sweeping curves and elegant lines.

A central dome, adorned with intricate air-themed engravings, crowned the building. This dome served as the central gathering point for clan members and was often used for meetings, celebrations, and rituals. Surrounding the central dome were smaller, interconnected spheres and crescent-shaped balconies that provided breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.

Inside, the Air Clan house was a marvel of both aesthetics and functionality. Large, open spaces allowed for easy movement and gatherings, while the walls were adorned with air-related artwork and symbols. The color palette predominantly consisted of various shades of white , reflecting the clan's affinity with the element of air.

Airy, open courtyards with cascading water features and lush greenery added a touch of tranquility to the otherwise dynamic design. The entire building seemed to breathe with life, capturing the essence of the air element.

"Woah" I marvelled walking to jaspers room

I knocked on the door, my heart pounding in anticipation. After a moment, the door swung open, and there stood Jasper, shirtless, his toned chest and abdomen glistening with a sheen of sweat. The faint light filtering through the room highlighted his chiseled features and defined muscles.

My gaze involuntarily drifted across his sculpted torso, and I quickly averted my eyes, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment. Clearing my throat, I forced myself to maintain eye contact.

"Jasper, I need to talk to you," I said, trying to sound composed despite my distraction.

He smiled "here to apologize?"

"Yes"

I took a deep breath, feeling a pang of guilt for my earlier behavior towards Jasper.

"Jasper," I began, my voice sincere, "I owe you an apology for the way I treated you earlier. I was completely out of line, and I'm truly sorry."

He looked at me with a mix of surprise and curiosity, his expression softening. "Wow, you actually apologized. You didn't need to. Now I feel bad"

"No, Jasper, I needed to . I shouldn't have called you names or treated you disrespectfully. You were just confused and I should've explained . I'm just... dealing with a lot right now, and it got the best of me."

Jasper nodded, his expression understanding. "I get it. We're all going through a tough time. No hard feelings."

I smiled, grateful for his forgiveness. "Thank you, Jasper. I promise I'll do better."

He returned my smile. "I know you will, Denisha. We're in this together, after all."

I smiled

"Wanna come in. I have information on Rayla and some other people which will blow your mind "

"Just the person I was about to talk about"