"Aren’t you going to come in, Ivy?" Daisy asked, eyeing the girl rooted at the threshold.
Violet had already stepped inside without incident, Daisy and Lila followed soon after. Now, only Ivy remained outside as she stared at the horrible interior.
"No!" Ivy wailed, voice shaky with dread. "This has to be a nightmare! I cannot live in a place like this. I’d rather die than be forced to stay in this shack!"
Everyone sighed, as they were reminded in that moment that Ivy was the aristocrat among them. She had likely never stepped foot in such squalor in her entire life, let alone being condemned to live there.
Unfortunately, even though they sympathized with her , the harsh reality remained the same: Ivy couldn’t stay outside forever. Not that inside was any better. The roof leaked in several places, dripping rancid water that smelled foul whenever it splashed down. Eww
"Can you do something about her?" Violet asked Lila, exasperation in her tone. The morning was distressing enough as it is already. She couldn’t allow Ivy to add to her headache.
A dark smile appeared on Lila’s face. "Very much, Princess."
Daisy lifted a curious brow, while Violet simply shrugged; both of them turned to watch what Lila would do.
For a moment, it seemed like nothing would happen. But then a terrible gust of wind roared through the trees, rattling the decrepit house until it moaned as if it might collapse at any second. Outside, branches snapped in the fierce gale.
"Violet!" Daisy cried, alarmed, as the floorboards rattled beneath them. An old lightbulb overhead shook loose from its socket and smashed against the soaked floor.
"What are you doing, Lila?!" Violet shouted, anxiety spiking in her chest. She had no idea what Lila was up to, but the entire structure felt one push away from caving in.
In that very moment, the wind itself seemed to form a physical force, shoving Ivy forward. She stumbled over the threshold, yet instead of hitting the floor with a bone-jarring thud, a bed of leaves quickly materialized, wrapping around her like a protective cocoon and rolling her closer to the others.
Once Ivy was safely inside, the wind ceased, and those leaves receded, slithering back outside where they came from.
"Right at your footsteps," Lila declared proudly with a flourish of her arm, even as Daisy and Violet exchanged dumbfounded glances.
Violet’s heart thumped, relieved that Ivy was no longer in the storm. "I asked you to find a way to bring Ivy in, not to collapse what’s left of the house and bury us under the rubble."
"There were others out there," Lila responded calmly, the mischief fading from her eyes.
"Others?" Violet gasped, not really needing an explanation. It could only be Elsie’s people, lurking somewhere to see how well they were coping with their new punishment. Those assholes.
Lila shrugged. "I had to scare them off before I performed any magic. I’ve already told you: I can’t risk my identity. Not when your safety is my top priority."
"Oh..." Violet muttered, feeling sheepish, guilt pooling in her stomach for having doubted Lila’s intentions even for a second. The girl would rather die than let harm come her way.
But they were interrupted by Ivy’s wailing. "Why did you bring me here? I told you I can’t live in this godforsaken place!"
Daisy rounded on her, having reached the end of her patience. "Enough of it, Ivy. We’ve all been through a lot already, don’t make this any harder."
Ivy scoffed, pointing accusingly at Violet. "Don’t make this any harder? When she put us through this mess? Who wanted to be a rogue? I never asked for it!"
Though Violet felt a heavy sense of guilt, Ivy’s snippy attitude rubbed her the wrong way. "I warned you!" she snapped. "I told all of you not to follow me! But you went along anyway."
"Because I didn’t know it’d be this horrible!" Ivy retorted. "Had I known being a rogue would be my fate, I never would have agreed."
"Oh, right, so that’s the real issue?" Violet snarled, voice rising with anger. "You were only in this friendship for the good times and what you could get out of it. Because deep down, you know how hard it’ll be to adjust to new roommates. You know no one else would take your selfish, self-entitled, proud attitude like we do!"
Ivy’s expression fell for a second before hardening. "You’re such a bitch, you know that?"
"At least I’m a bitch who owns up to my mistakes," Violet retorted. "Unlike you."
Ivy’s jaw tightened in fury. "I’m done here. Enjoy your new life, ’cause I’m fucking done with you guys!"
Ivy stomped toward the door, but before she reached it, the wood slammed shut right in front of her face, splinters falling like sand. It was Lila’s doing.
Lila announced with authority, "No one is leaving this house."
Daisy nodded in agreement, her tone brooking no argument. "Lila’s right. Everyone calm down, right now."
"No, I’m not calming down, neither am I spending another second with you three," Ivy insisted, her arms crossed defiantly. "Let me out of here right now!"
Daisy stepped forward, face pinched with impatience. "And go where, exactly?"
Ivy scowled, racking her brain. "I don’t know. Maybe get a camping tent and spend the rest of my days in it—thanks to a certain person ruining the rest of my school year for me." Her glare fell squarely on Violet.
Violet in question rolled her eyes, scoffing at the dramatic flare.
"Seriously, Ivy? You of all people living in a tent?" Daisy asked in disbelief.
Ivy shrugged loftily. "It can’t be that hard."
"Do you even have a tent?"
"I’ll order one."
"Can you set it up?"
"I’ll pay extra for someone to set it up," Ivy shot back, chin tilting up. She had the money after all.
"And where would you bathe?" Ivy pressed. "Where would you—y’know—do your business? You can’t go back to any of the pack houses, remember?"
Ivy swallowed, hesitation flickering in her eyes. "Well, before wars or globalization, our ancestors always found a way. I’ll probably just... do my business in the woods?"
"Even in the middle of the night?"
"Especially in the middle of the night," Ivy muttered, though her voice quivered uncertainly.
Daisy and Lila both groaned in unison, exasperation etched on their faces. They were beyond done with Ivy, their drama queen.