Lucas POV
We were all seated in the meeting room, the weight of Mr. Aurorium’s orders hanging heavy in the air. The task had been laid out for us earlier this morning, we were responsible for tonight’s celebration, the food, the location, everything. It wasn’t exactly what I had in mind for the day, but we didn’t have a choice.
Across the table, I could see Finn deep in thought, Nathalie already fidgeting with her pen, and Abigail… quiet, but something about her silence was different. Emery sat at the head of the table, her face as unreadable as ever. She hadn't said a word yet, just watching, probably waiting for us to come up with something. The pressure in the room was unbearable.
Finn was the first to speak up. His tone was serious, which was rare for him. “I think the park ground would be the best spot for tonight. It’s wide enough, peaceful, and under the stars, it’ll feel special. Perfect for what we need.”
Nathalie immediately raised an eyebrow, almost rolling her eyes. “The park? Seriously? It's been used for every little event here. We need something different, something better. We can’t keep using the same spot. Why not try somewhere else?”
Finn looked at her, his brows furrowed, his voice still calm but a little sharper now. “The park has everything we need. Why overcomplicate it? You don’t need to fix something that isn’t broken, Nathalie.”
She scoffed, leaning back in her chair. “It’s overused, Finn. We should try being creative for once instead of doing the same thing over and over.”
Emery stayed silent, her eyes following the back-and-forth like it was some kind of game. She wasn’t stepping in, just watching. Like she was waiting for the perfect moment to drop in her thoughts. 
I sighed, rubbing my temple. “How about the back building?” I suggested, trying to cut through their argument. “It’s quiet, peaceful… there’s a tree there, and the ground’s perfect for setting up tables. It could work.”
Nathalie shot me a look. “That place is too isolated. Do you want people to get lost just finding the celebration?”
I was about to fire back when Finn, his patience clearly running thin, leaned forward, his voice louder now. “Nathalie, we don’t need something fancy. It’s just a small event.”
Nathalie shook her head, her voice rising as well. “And that’s why we need to make it special, Finn! We can’t just throw people into some random corner of the Academy!”
The argument escalated quickly. They were almost shouting now, voices overlapping. Even I felt my own frustration rising. Why couldn’t they just agree on something? It was a celebration, not a battlefield. Abigail, though, remained silent. She hadn’t said a word. She just sat there, watching them bicker, probably wondering why she even bothered showing up.
Then, just as Finn was about to say something else, Emery shifted in her seat. The sound of her movement was enough to freeze everyone in place. She didn’t speak right away, but the air grew tense, thick, as if the room itself was holding its breath.
“Shut up.”
Her voice was cold, sharp. It wasn’t loud, but it sliced through the argument like a knife. All of us fell silent instantly, our eyes turning to her. She opened her eyes, looking at each of us, one by one, and I felt a chill run down my spine. Her gaze was heavy, suffocating, and none of us dared to speak.
After a moment, she spoke again, her voice calm but still cold. “How about the Garden of Life?” Her eyes flicked toward Abigail, as if reading her mind.
The suggestion hung in the air, and for a moment, I forgot to breathe. The Garden of Life. My heart skipped a beat. Finn, Nathalie, and I exchanged glances, but we couldn’t say anything. Last night’s memories of sneaking into the garden rushed back, the guilt suddenly weighing down on me. It felt like Emery was playing with us, like she knew exactly where we had been.
No one said a word. We couldn’t let Emery find out we had broken the rules, sneaking out in the middle of the night. The thought of her knowing… It sent a shiver down my spine. She hated mistakes, especially from the Elites. And breaking a rule like that? She would have made sure we paid for it.
Emery’s eyes lingered on us, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “Silence means yes, then.” Her words were almost mocking.
I swallowed hard, my heart racing. None of us dared to disagree. Finn and Nathalie, who had been so adamant about their own ideas just minutes ago, were suddenly too quiet. Abigail didn’t even look up.
Emery continued, her voice now back to its usual, emotionless tone. “You all have your tasks. Finn, you’ll organize the area—the tables, plates, everything. Make sure it’s done correctly.”
Finn gave a stiff nod, his serious expression back on, though I could tell he was still shaken.
Emery’s gaze shifted to me next. “Lucas, you will monitor the Elites. Personally give them their invitations. If they don’t show up, don’t bother asking why. Make sure they understand it’s not optional.” She paused, locking eyes with me, her tone colder than ever. “Don’t fail this task. It’s simple enough, even for you.”
I clenched my jaw but nodded, knowing better than to talk back.
Finally, she turned to Nathalie and Abigail. “You two will handle the food and drinks. Make sure the wine and juice are fresh. I expect nothing less.”
Abigail and Nathalie exchanged quick glances, both nodding without a word. 
With that, the meeting seemed to wrap up. We were all about to leave, standing to bow our heads to Emery, when she suddenly rose from her chair. Her cold eyes locked onto me. 
“Lucas,” she said, her tone serious, making me freeze. “Someone will be joining you for your task.”
I blinked, confused. Before any of us could question her, a knock came from the door. The sound echoed in the room, and we all turned to look.
James walked in, wearing the blue Elite uniform, his glasses sitting neatly on his nose. His face was blank, emotionless. No one said a word. James? A Blue Elite? I didn’t understand. I knew for a fact he hadn’t earned the points to rise this high. He didn’t even perform well during the Midnight Scavenger event. 
I could feel the confusion and disbelief on everyone’s faces. Nathalie and Finn exchanged worried glances, Abigail’s expression mirroring my own shock. None of it made sense. Something was off. Something was very, very wrong.
Emery’s game had started. She was playing with us now, and none of us knew what the real rules of her were.
“Get moving,” Emery ordered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Christmas isn’t here yet.”
The room grew colder. This wasn’t going to end well.
The hallway stretched out before us as Finn, James, and I made our way to the Garden of Life. No one said a word, but the tension hung thick in the air. I couldn’t shake the confusion buzzing in my head. How did James rise so fast? He was just a normal student last week. What the hell was Emery playing at now?
I glanced over at Finn, who was walking beside me. He had that serious look on his face, the one he always wore when he was deep in thought. James was ahead of us, walking with his usual stiff posture, his face unreadable. Something about the whole thing didn’t sit right with me, and I could tell Finn felt the same.
Suddenly, Finn nudged me with his elbow, pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked at him, raising an eyebrow as he leaned in close, his voice barely above a whisper.
“You know anything about this?” he asked, his tone low enough that James wouldn’t hear.
I shook my head, giving him a look that said, ‘You think I know anything?’
Finn just sighed, rolling his eyes, and I had to suppress a laugh. Leave it to Finn to make something ridiculous feel almost laughable, even when we were standing in the middle of a mess like this.
We kept walking, and I tried to shake off the weird feeling. The faster we got this done, the faster we could get out of this mess. I could hear Nathalie and Abigail’s footsteps fading away behind us as they headed in the opposite direction for their tasks. For some reason, I felt a little guilty leaving Abigail with Nathalie. Nathalie could be... intense when she wanted things to go her way.
We reached the entrance to the Garden of Life, and the large wooden doors creaked open as we stepped inside. Blue and black Elites were scattered around, already working on setting things up. Some were setting tables, others hanging lights, and I could hear the soft hum of quiet conversations as they tried to get everything done.
Then my eyes landed on Noah, standing in the corner, messing with some wires for the lights. He wasn’t wearing his usual intimidating attire—just a pair of shorts and a clean polo, looking way too casual for the situation. But the moment he spotted us, he smiled and waved like we were old friends.
“Hey, guys!” he called out, his voice a little too friendly for comfort. “You’re just in time. Some of the Elites are already tired from their tasks. You should jump in and help before they drop dead.” He laughed, though it felt more like a bad attempt at lightening the mood.
Finn and I exchanged a glance, and I could tell we were both thinking the same thing. The Noah we knew wasn’t the type to be all casual and friendly. He was usually more... commanding. A little too proud of his authority, to be honest. This? This felt fake.
I tried not to roll my eyes. We weren’t here to play games, but Noah seemed to think this was some kind of joke. As I took a step forward, I noticed something on his wrist—a bracelet. It was a simple blue string with beads, nothing fancy, but it caught my attention for some reason. I didn’t understand why he was wearing it, but I brushed it off. We didn’t have time to think about Noah’s fashion choices.
“Get to it, guys,” Noah said, still with that fake cheerful tone. “Don’t want to keep the rest of the Elites waiting, right?” He smirked, and I could feel the urge to smack that grin off his face.
Finn, ever the sarcastic one, nudged me lightly in the back. “Come on, Lucas,” he muttered. “Let’s laugh at his joke before he starts crying.”
I shot him a sideways glance, biting back a grin. ‘Damn this boy’, I thought. ‘He can’t even make a simple joke without making it weird.’
Finn’s attempt to lighten the mood was almost infectious, so I let out a fake laugh, nodding at Noah’s so-called joke. “Yeah, yeah, we’re on it,” I said, forcing myself to play along. Finn joined in, chuckling just as fakely.
Noah gave us a satisfied nod, like he had just told the funniest joke of the century. “Good. I knew you guys would be quick on your feet.” 
We both nodded and started moving to help out, but in my head, all I could think about was how strange everything felt. Noah was acting off, James was suddenly an Elite, and Emery was pulling the strings behind it all. It was like some game we were forced into, and none of us knew the rules.
As Finn and I got to work, setting up tables and chairs, I could feel his frustration building. He shot me a look every now and then, probably thinking the same thing I was—what the hell is going on here? Every glance James threw our way only added to the confusion. The kid didn’t even speak, just moved about like a robot, following Noah’s lead.
A few minutes later, I saw Noah approach us again, this time looking more relaxed, probably thinking his work was almost done. He threw another glance at James and then turned to us, smiling like he had everything figured out.
“Make sure those lights are working,” he called out, waving his hand lazily. “We don’t want any surprises tonight, right?”
I could feel my hands clenching the chair I was adjusting. Finn noticed and nudged me again, this time with a playful smirk. “Easy, Lucas,” he whispered. “You’ll break the chair if you grip any harder.”
I let out a small laugh, shaking my head. “Yeah, sure.”
We continued setting things up in silence after that, but the tension never left. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something bigger was going on, and that Noah, James, and Emery were all part of it. But for now, all I could do was focus on getting this celebration set up without losing my mind. 
As we worked, my thoughts kept drifting back to Abigail. I wondered how she was doing with Nathalie. Probably better than us, considering the chaos we were stuck in. But something told me tonight wouldn’t go as planned, no matter how much effort we put into it.