Page 29 of A Fate Everlasting

Dante snickered. “Bailing you out. Don’t tell me you’ve come to like it here.” He reached in his pocket for a packet and rolling papers and began winding a cigarette together. “I thought that wholedeathspeech freaked you out.”

“No, no. I do want out,” I whispered tersely. “I just don’t know if…” I trailed off, teeth sinking into my lip. Because the truth was, I did want out. I wanted it so badly I could taste it. But the deeper I sank into Evermore, the more impossible it felt. Evermore had already begun to swallow me whole. I didn’t want to drown here, but I was already starting to forget how it felt to breathe.

“If what?” Dante’s voice dropped, a shift in the current. His fingers brushed my wrist lightly, and I felt a jolt of something down my arm that sparked something low inside of me. I had made the decision to leave Evermore, and there was no clear way to do that other than expulsion.

Did I want out badly enough to take his hand? Every cell in my body screamed yes, but a thread of trepidation wove through my mind. I flicked a glance toward the students chattering down the corridor, a white-robed professor sweeping past them in a hush of silk.

“If I fail. If it doesn’t work. I don’t know what will happen to me.” My voice came out sharper than I intended, and I lowered it as a group of students from Seraphim House drifted past us.

Dante scoffed. “You don’t have to worry about that. It will work. Besides, you have nothing to lose. With a score like that this late into term, you’re dead weight.”

“I know.” I nodded, but my tone wasn’t convincing.

He exhaled, and something cold and knowing crept into his smirk. “Oh, I see.” The shift in his voice was so subtle I almost missed it. “You like someone, don’t you?”

My silence betrayed me. I hated how easily he’d seenthrough me, how obvious my hesitation must’ve looked. I stiffened. “No.”

“Let me tell you something,” he murmured, leaning in, his voice dipping low, dripping with dangerous unamusement. “Someone like Hugo? His path is already decided. He’s a favorite, you see.”

I swallowed, my throat tightening. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” Dante continued, his voice like velvet stretched thin, “he’s a soon-to-be Nephilim. His spot at graduation is all but guaranteed.” The pause sliced through me. “But you? Surely, you’ve heard the whispers. Look at your score, Arabella. You are average. Unremarkable. And if you stay here, you will not only die—” His head tilted lazily. “You will be forgotten.”

The words sank like a hook into my heart. I knew that. I’d always known that. I wasn’t the smartest or the strongest. But hearing it said aloud, in a place that demanded excellence just to survive, cut deeper than it should have. Wouldanyoneremember me if I didn’t make it?

“I’m not an idiot. I don’t want to stay. It’s just—” I glanced over my shoulder. “Are yousurethis will work?”

Dante’s expression didn’t flicker. He reached into his pocket, fingers curling around the smooth metal of a lighter. The small click echoed. The flickering glow carved shadows around his jaw, a wicked gleam reflected in his eyes. “I’m sure. I knowexactlywhat will get you expelled.”

My heart thudded. This was it, my lifeline. I could leave. It just required placing my trust in the most terrifying person I’d met at Evermore, including Dorian.

“Good.” I straightened my spine. I was out of choices. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Dante watched me for a long moment, like he was trying to figure something out. Then, he nodded. “Midnight. Outside Cherubim House, near Ariel Hall.” He turned, but before hedisappeared into the low light, he hesitated, flicking the butt of his cigarette to the floor. “And Arabella?”

“Yes?” I stilled.

“Don’t change your mind.” His voice was quieter this time, certain. “You're too good to die this young.”

For a heartbeat, I let myself believe him, just long enough to remember what hope felt like. It didn’t matter if he meant it. It felt good to hear someone say it, even if it was a lie.

13

The clock was merciless, each passing minute dragging me closer to midnight. Exhaustion consumed me, and I’d given in, accidentally slipping into a deep sleep after supper. I dreamed again of the Thread’s voice, but this time, the cadence was all wrong. It sounded faint, like a piano key struck underwater.You don’t even know who you are.

I lay beneath the heavy weight of my duvet, fully dressed, my pulse a traitorous drumbeat against the silence. Every few minutes, my fingers twitched toward my slate, the glow of its screen casting ghostly light against the sheets. The numbers shifted. Another point lost inPresent.I released a breath, relief curling through me whenFutureremained untouched, still markedUnknown.

It was almost time. I should have already been gone, but still, I lingered. Just a moment longer. Across the room, Ruby lay curled beneath her blankets, her breathing slow and even, oblivious. I couldn’t risk telling her. I knew exactly what she’d do. She’d try to stop me.

I was leaving Evermore again, and this time, I wouldn’t fail.I wasn’t sure why my mind drifted to Hugo. I might never see him again, but I found myself shoving that thought deep into the place where things I couldn’t afford to want belonged.

A sudden chime rang out from my slate, reverberating through the stillness. I swore under my breath, fumbling to silence it. Across the room, Ruby stirred, shifting onto her side. I went rigid, until she mumbled something and settled again.

Only then did I dare glance down. A single message pulsed against the dark screen, its glow casting pale light across my trembling fingers.

11:58 - Dante: Where are you? Don’t even think about bailing.

11:59 - Arabella: I’m on my way. Two minutes. I want out.

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