Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]
Chapter 77 77: A terrible present

Seraphina's Pov

As soon as Electra mentioned that she had a present waiting for me in my room, a deep sense of fear settled in my chest, and I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that whatever Electra considered a "present" would be far from pleasant.

My feet moved before I could fully process what was happening, and I bolted toward my room, panic gripping me tighter with each step that I took.

The closer I got, the louder the murmurs of a gathered crowd became, and when I reached the hallway, my breath caught in my throat.

A group of students was standing right in front of my door, their faces pale and alarmed. From the corner of my eye, I spotted Jolene carrying someone on her back, and my heart sank further when I saw Ashleigh trailing behind her with tears streaming down her face.

Pushing through the throng of students, I ran toward them, and it wasn't until I was close that I saw who Jolene was carrying. My legs nearly gave out.

It was Liana.

Blood soaked the back of Jolene's shirt and streaked down from a wound on Liana's forehead. Her face was pale, and she looked unconscious—or worse.

"Liana?" I whispered, my voice shaking as I struggled to understand what I was seeing.

Jolene didn't stop, hurrying past me with a determined look on her face. Ashleigh followed behind her, but I stepped in front of her, desperate to understand what had really happened here. "Ashleigh," I stammered, "what happened? Is Liana okay? What—"

Ashleigh turned to me sharply, and the look on her face felt like a slap. Pure disgust radiated from her, and she hissed, "Don't you dare talk to me, Seraphina."

I flinched, stunned. Ashleigh had never been kind to me, but her tone now was filled with an entirely new level of rage and disgust. I opened my mouth to ask why she was acting like this and ask again what happened to Liana, but she cut me off before I could form the words.

"Your girlfriend did this," she spat, her voice trembling with anger. "This is on you."

Her response shocked me beyond words, and I stilled, mentally wondering what she was talking about.

My girlfriend? What was she talking about? She didn't wait for me to respond, brushing past me to join Jolene, who was rushing toward the infirmary with Liana still on her back.

I stood there, frozen in place, as her words echoed in my mind. Your girlfriend did this.

She couldn't mean—no. Electra. Of course. This was Electra's "present." My stomach twisted violently, and I thought I might throw up.

Turning toward my door, I forced myself to take a shaky step forward. The students gathered around, staring at me with a mix of fear and contempt, whispering incoherent words amongst themselves.

My ears burned, and I desperately wanted to shut them out, but I couldn't. Not until I knew what had happened.

Pushing through the doorway, I stepped into my room, and boy was it a complete mess.

On stepping into my room, I stopped dead in my tracks. The stench hit me first—the metallic stench of blood, choking my lungs.

Then, my eyes fell on the sight in front of me: Liana's bed, soaked in blood. Red splatters stained her sheets and smeared across the edge of her bed where the wood was sharpest.

My stomach churned at the thought of what had happened here. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. Electra, she had really done this.

My legs buckled, and I collapsed to the floor. Tears stung my eyes as I tried to make sense of it all. The scene in front of me was horrifying, and no matter how much I disliked Liana and her annoying comments, no one deserved this.

How could Electra have taken things this far?

I pressed my trembling hands against my face, trying to block out the image of the blood, but the smell, the sharp metallic smell, refused to leave me. It lingered in my nose, in my throat, making me gag.

My tears fell harder as my mind raced with every possible consequence this would bring.

If anyone found out that Electra had come into my room and done this, they'd immediately assume I had something to do with it. No one would believe that I hadn't asked Electra for help or reported my roommates to her.

They'd think I was behind this brutal attack, using Electra as my personal weapon, and once that rumor spread, I'd really be cemented as the new bitch of the school's number one villain.

The thought made me laugh bitterly. How had my life spiraled so far out of control? A few weeks ago, I was invisible, a nobody, but now, I was caught up with Electra Vale, a girl who seemed to relish making my life hell. And this? This was her way of asserting once again that she had control over me.

A bitter laughter bubbled up again, my tears mixing with hysterical giggles. I was a fool. A pathetic, powerless fool who had walked right into Electra's den.

Her words echoed in my mind: I'll make your life so miserable, you'll have nightmares about me for the rest of your life.

It wasn't just a threat; it was a promise, and she was keeping it.

She was keeping it every single day, and no matter how hard I wanted to, I didn't see myself getting away from her anytime soon.

Suddenly, a voice spoke out, invading my thoughts.

"Do you want to switch?"

I froze. My breath hitched, and I whipped my head around, expecting to see someone standing behind me. The room was empty, and I blinked rapidly, trying to process what I just heard.

My heart began to race.

Had I imagined it? Was my mind playing tricks on me because of how distraught I was? I stayed silent, hoping to convince myself that it was nothing, but then, as clear as before, the voice spoke again.

"You only get two chances, Seraphina. Make up your mind quickly."

A chill ran down my spine. This was no figment of my imagination. The voice felt real, as if someone was standing in the room with me, even though I could see no one.

My gaze darted around, searching for a source, and my chest tightened with panic when I found nothing.

"What—what do you mean?" I stammered, my voice cracking.

Silence.

I swallowed hard, trying to calm myself. Had I just responded to...nothing? No, I had heard it. I wasn't crazy. The voice was real.

I stayed perfectly still, holding my breath as I waited for it to respond again. Moments passed, and just as I was beginning to think the voice wouldn't return, it spoke again.

"If you want to switch, say yes."

"Switch?" I whispered, my brows furrowing. "Switch what? Who are you? What are you talking about?"

The voice didn't answer my questions. Instead, it repeated itself with a slightly sharper tone. "Do you want to switch? Yes or no, Seraphina. Make up your mind."