Chapter 308:Winning an argument?

Chapter 308: 308:Winning an argument?

Mallory laughed before she could stop herself. Shirley’s face stiffened, only for an instant, then she smiled.

"I suppose I’ll see you again, Ravenna."

"I’m sure you will. We’re both in Alpha Three now."

Shirley turned toward Mallory.

"It was nice seeing you again."

Mallory’s smile was painfully polite.

"I wish I could say the same."

Ravenna looked at her. She shrugged.

"What? You said ’you’ weren’t giving her a reaction. You didn’t say anything about me."

Antony finally laughed openly, even Ravenna couldn’t stop herself. A small laugh escaped her.

Shirley stared at them. For the first time since approaching the table, she looked genuinely irritated, then the irritation vanished.

She turned away.

"Come on, girls. We have a reservation."

The five women followed her. As Shirley walked away, one of them whispered something near her ear. Shirley answered quietly, then she glanced back.

Her eyes met Ravenna’s before she smiled. Ravenna knew that smile; this wasn’t finished, not even close.

Shirley turned away again and continued across the restaurant.

The moment she was far enough away, Mallory exhaled loudly.

"I still hate her."

Ravenna looked at her.

"You’ve spoken to her maybe five times in your entire life."

"Five times too many."

Antony watched Shirley and her group disappear toward another section of the restaurant.

"So that’s your stepsister."

"Unfortunately."

"She seems..."

He paused.

Ravenna raised an eyebrow.

"Choose your next words carefully."

Antony thought about it.

"Exhausting."

Ravenna nodded approvingly.

"That’s acceptable."

Mallory looked toward her.

"You should have let me say something when she started talking about your exile."

"And give her exactly what she wanted?"

"She was lying."

"Not completely."

Mallory frowned clearly not happy with how she was bringing herself doen. Ravenna shrugged.

"I ’was’ violent."

"You had legitimate reasons."

"That doesn’t change what happened. Most people don’t care about the reasoning, just the results."

Mallory opened her mouth.

Ravenna continued before she could argue.

"Shirley doesn’t care whether the story is true. She cares about controlling how people hear it. If I’d started shouting and defending myself, those girls would remember the angry woman arguing in an expensive restaurant while Shirley stood there looking hurt. That’s what she wanted."

Antony slowly nodded.

"So you bored her into leaving."

Ravenna smiled.

"More or less."

"That’s terrifying."

"It’s call experience."

Ravenna’s smile faded as she looked toward the direction Shirley had gone.

There had been a time when those games worked on her. Shirley would provoke her and Ravenna would become angry, then Shirley would cry.

Their parents would arrive. And somehow Ravenna would always be the one standing there looking guilty. She had learned eventually but far too late, perhaps.

Mallory reached across the table.

"Are you worried she’ll actually call them?"

"She’ll call."

"You’re sure?"

"Completely." Ravenna picked up her drink. "She probably started composing the tragedy in her head the moment she saw me."

Antony leaned forward.

"What tragedy?"

Ravenna adopted an exaggeratedly gentle voice.

"’Mum, I didn’t want to worry you, but I saw Ravenna today... she looked troubled. I tried speaking to her, but she was so cold toward me. I think something might be wrong.’"

Mallory and Antony stared at her in shock. Ravenna returned to her normal voice.

"Something like that."

Mallory slowly shook her head.

"The disturbing part is that sounded exactly like her."

"I’ve had years of practice."

Their food finally arrived. The conversation gradually shifted away from Shirley, although Ravenna knew the problem hadn’t disappeared. Her stepsister was in Alpha Three.

That alone complicated things.

She knew Shirley was here for the academy that was obvious what she didn’t know is what Shirley would tell their parents, but all of that could wait.

Silver couldn’t.

Ravenna ate quickly.

Mallory noticed that.

"Slow down."

"We need to leave."

"We haven’t finished."

"You can eat faster."

Antony looked offended.

"Some of us respect food."

Ravenna glanced toward the clock mounted on the wall. Her eyes widened slightly. Mallory followed her gaze, then she immediately checked the time on her phone.

"Oh."

Ravenna leaned forward.

"What?"

Mallory showed her.

"It’s almost time."

Everything about Shirley disappeared from Ravenna’s mind.

"Then why are we still sitting here?"

Antony stared at his half-finished meal.

"Because normal people finish eating before leaving restaurants."

Ravenna was already reaching for her things.

"Take it with you."

"Ravenna..."

"Antony."

He looked at her.

She pointed toward his plate.

"Take. It. With. You."

Antony sighed.

"I liked you more when you were depressed."

Mallory slapped his arm.

"Don’t say that."

"I’m joking."

Ravenna was already standing.

"Both of you can argue in the car."

Mallory laughed and stood as well. They paid, arranged for what remained of their food to be packed, and headed toward the hotel’s entrance.

Ravenna didn’t look toward Shirley again. Her stepsister could call whoever she wanted and her parents could create whatever problems they wanted but for now, none of them mattered.

Outside, the late-afternoon streets of Alpha Three were becoming even busier as workers finished their shifts and traffic began building across the major roads.

Antony unlocked the car.

Ravenna immediately climbed into the passenger seat and Mallory entered the back. Antony settled behind the wheel.

"Where exactly am I going?"

Mallory pulled up the route.

"Northern Alpha Three, take that intersection, to the right."

Ravenna looked toward the road ahead.

"The academy."

Antony started the engine. Traffic was already heavy. Ravenna’s fingers moved toward the tracker in her pocket. This time, she took it out but the screen remained useless.

She held it tightly.

They had spent the entire day waiting for this. Ravenna didn’t know whether Shawn could force the Association to act. She didn’t know whether his influence would be enough to organize a rescue.

She didn’t even know how he would react when she told him that his younger cousin was trapped beneath Death Row Valley because a team of Rank Four Contractors had abandoned him to a Rank Six beast.

But she was going to find out.

Antony pulled onto the road leading north. Ravenna looked through the windshield as the enormous city moved around them, her hand closing tighter around Silver’s tracker.