Page 4 of Endless Anger (Monsters Within #1)

“Well, historically, Avernia was a place for students to step into the world of liberating thought and social practices. They emphasized and highlighted the arts and humanities as tools to bridge histories and psyches, and they’ve created many loyal alumni from those practices.

I assume she wanted to come here based on that, and because it was one of the top colleges in the country for classics studies. ”

Glancing up, I meet her soft gaze. “Do you think this is a normal school? I mean, they have books about town curses and conspiracies. That’s weird, right?”

“Everyone has their lore.” She lifts a shoulder.

“It seems normal enough. They’re incredibly difficult to get into, they have rigorous programs, their endowment is impressive, and Quincy says student life is pretty typical, even in the classics department.

Parties, tailgates, fundraisers. Why? Does it not appeal to you? ”

I swing my face forward, staring at the ground. “College never has, but Lucy wants to go here so bad. She thinks it’ll be some miracle worker for her. I don’t see the point.”

“Ah.” She quiets for a moment. “You know who you sound like? ”

“Who?”

“Noelle.”

My face twists into a mask of horror. “ Gross. You think I sound like that spoiled brat?”

Laughing, Mom tugs me closer. “Don’t for a second think you’re any less spoiled there, my sweet son. Your father and I are just as indulgent to your whims as we are Q’s and Noelle’s. It’s just that usually yours have to do with Lucy.”

Grumbling under my breath, I lean into her and stop talking.

We meet up with the others as they’re walking past the four dormitories, which sit in their own square a ways off from the main academic building and close to an entrance into the Primordial Forest, the woods that surround the school and block it off from the mountains.

Dad kisses Mom’s forehead but allows us to stay toward the back, continuing our conversation even as our group moves on with its tour.

“Mortui vivos docent.” I pause under the iron gateway, staring up at the words.

“The dead teach the living,” Mom translates, squeezing my fingers.

“Does that mean I could learn more if you told me about your parents?”

She bristles, tugging me forward. “Any lessons you’d take from my parents would just be a laundry list of how to not be a shitty human. Don’t you think your father and I have already drilled that into you at this point?”

I consider this as we weave between trees, coming out eventually at a rocky clearing that overlooks a dark, pitch-black lake many feet below. Shitty humans probably don’t make their friends cry by lying to them about their car being full, but I don’t tell Mom that.

If she wants to believe I’m good, I’ll let her. Maybe if she thinks it long enough, it’ll become true. A reality that takes over others.

Ahead of us, I catch Dad’s eye. His expression doesn’t change, but I know he heard what she said.

They don’t go into depth when it comes to their pasts, but from what I understand, Mom’s parents are a particularly sore subject.

Not even Aunt Ariana or Stella will talk about them, which makes it as though they never even existed.

Which is just as well, I guess.

My gaze flickers along my father’s rigid back as he walks ahead of us. I wonder if he thinks I’m good. Compared to what the people back home say about him, the bar is pretty low.

But as they also say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

“As you can see here, this is the quarry. It’s home to some beautiful natural minerals and gemstones,” the tour guide says, sweeping their hand out.

“We haven’t had anyone drill in a long time, but it’s always a possibility that the city will bring excavators back, so campus administrators tend to try and keep this place under wraps.

Though, Quincy, I’m sure you’ve found that students venture into the woods anyway. ”

My sister grunts, and I know she’s annoyed that she isn’t the one giving us the tour. Noelle’s face is buried in her phone, and she keeps stepping on Quincy’s heels.

“Now, if you’ll follow me over here, we can take a look at some of the cave systems under the mountains surrounding campus, although again, these are off-limits to the public. Unlike the Primordial Forest in totality, the caves are completely blocked off…”

I stop listening when Mom lets go of my hand, jogging to catch up with Dad. He wraps an arm around her waist, tugging her close without even a moment’s hesitation, and I kind of wish I’d let Lucy come with us.

Not that she’d ever let me touch her like that, but at least I wouldn’t be the lone straggler.

Crouching down to tie my shoe, I exhale, doing my best not to think about how much Lucy would love it here. The gloomy atmosphere, the promise of progress, and the wide-open outdoors mostly untouched by humanity? She’d thrive, and maybe that’s part of the reason I didn’t want her coming.

Back home, she depends on me. I’m her only friend besides Aurora and Foxe, and I like it that way .

If she leaves and comes here, that all changes.

Unless I go with her, and frankly, college doesn’t seem like it’s for me. All I want to do is draw, and I can do that anywhere. Why would I do it at a place designed to make me miserable, even if there is a familial connection to it?

Especially a school that believes in bullshit curses.

When I stand back up, I realize I’m alone. My parents and sisters, even the tour guide—they’ve all disappeared, leaving me in the middle of fucking nowhere.

“Fantastic,” I mutter, gritting my teeth as I start in the direction they were all heading. Noelle talks so loud that I’m positive I’ll be able to find them if I move quickly enough.

Eventually, I come to a small fork in the path, and I stare at it for several seconds. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I try not to roll my eyes at the odds of having no service.

Hooking right, I cross my fingers and hope for the best. I can already hear Dad’s lecture on keeping aware of my surroundings, one I’ve gotten from him dozens of times before, although usually because Lucy wasn’t paying attention to hers and I stepped in to help.

And she thinks I’m trouble.

I don’t find my family though, instead stumbling upon a smaller clearing with a white gazebo, bright among the greenery surrounding it. Just beyond is a decrepit house with a half-collapsed roof, while the entire side of the building is rubble, as if someone took a sledgehammer to it.

Seems strange that this wasn’t included in the tour, but maybe it’s something from before the school came to be, and no one’s bothered to remove it yet.

As I circle the gazebo, I tilt my head all the way back, admiring the intricate carvings along the curved top—vines and flowers mostly, along with little symbols I can’t fully make out. At the center, hanging lower than the rest, is a three-headed beast.

It looks like the one my mythology books say guards the gates of the Underworld, and given Avernia’s obvious inspiration, I’m not at all surprised to see it.

Branches snap in the distance, and I whirl around, trying to figure out where the noise is coming from. I suddenly feel like I’m encroaching on someone’s territory, and I shouldn’t be here at all.

The air around me seems to thicken, pressing down until breathing becomes difficult.

Panic, maybe, or something sinister clinging to the atmosphere.

Turning, I start back the way I came, though I walk too fast for my feet to catch up fully, tripping over a tree root rising out of the ground. My face smacks the dirt, and my palms scrape against gravel, the little rocks tearing into my skin.

Hissing against the burn, I push to my knees, dusting my hands off. An eerie sensation crawls down my spine, but I lift my chin despite it, meeting the hardened gaze of a complete stranger.

Their short hair is in disarray, but their dark eyes feel unmistakable. For as long as I live, I’ll remember their deep sheen and the feral glint hidden within.

Living doesn’t seem to be much of an option, though, when they hold up an arm to reveal a butcher’s knife, their fingers gripping the handle so tight that their knuckles are almost translucent.

My eyes widen, and I fall back on my ass.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” the person says.

“S-sorry,” I choke out, fear clouding my throat. “I got lost and took a wrong turn?—”

“No,” they interrupt, moving closer. “Here at all. You’ll bring destruction to this campus, all of you. This family is not welcome.”

It is the duty of Avernia to ensure they do not remain.

I have no qualms about leaving, so I scramble to my feet, prepared to dart into the forest. As soon as my foot moves in that direction though, the person launches themselves at me, knocking me back to the ground.

My vision temporarily goes black as my head hits a rock, but when I come to again, the person is looming over me, straddling my waist, and holding the sharp edge of the knife to my throat.

Clenching my jaw, I don’t make any sudden moves as the blade gently presses against my skin. I feel the moment it slices through, and guilt washes over me that this will be how my parents find their only son: lost and decapitated.

How fucking embarrassing.

There’s no doubt in my mind that disappointment would be a forefront emotion when my dad discovers my corpse; he spent half our childhoods teaching us not only to be aware of our surroundings but to utilize them to our advantage.

As the person swaps the knife for their hand, strangling me instead of trying to cut through flesh and bone, my fingers stretch out, slowly groping the ground for something to use.

Anything.

I don’t know what the hell is happening, but I do know I don’t want to die.