Elysium: Desired by the Cold-hearted Princess [GL]

Third-person POV

The hallway was quiet, and Irina stayed close to Deena, her fists clenched at her sides. The further they walked, the narrower her eyes became.

"Where the hell are you taking us?" Irina snapped, her voice low but sharp. "You better not be leading us into trouble, Deena, because if you are, I swear you'll regret every bad decision you've ever made."

Deena didn't turn around. She just sighed, her pace steady. "Calm down, Irina," she said in a tired voice. "I'm not leading you into anything. I told you, I just want to help. You can hate me all you want after this, but right now, Electra's the priority, right?"

From the back, Seraphina's breath hitched as she shifted Electra's weight against her shoulder. Her arms were trembling now, and her legs ached from carrying someone who was taller and heavier than she was.

"I'm dying back here," Seraphina muttered, her voice strained. "So if there's a final destination, I'd really love to arrive before my spine snaps in half."

Penelope, walking beside her, gave her a sympathetic glance but couldn't do more than that. "We would help," she said, almost apologetically, "but… you're the only one who can touch her without getting fried like toast."

Seraphina nodded, not saying anything, and just kept walking. Her shirt was sticking to her back from sweat, and the heat radiating from Electra's body hadn't let up at all. It was like carrying a furnace that didn't burn, and she was exhausted beyond words.

Roxana, already irritated from everything that had happened tonight, wasn't even trying to hide her distaste. She narrowed her eyes at Deena's back and spoke sharply.

"Can we just talk about the fact that we're trusting someone who literally plotted to kill her own friend?" she asked, looking pointedly at Irina. "I mean, have we all gone crazy, or are we just this desperate?"

Irina shot her a look. "It's not like we have many options, Roxana, and desperate or not, this is the best lead we've got. The guards are on high alert, and we need somewhere to hide Electra before dawn."

She turned to Deena again. "That said, I swear on my last name, bitch, if you screw us over, if this is some elaborate betrayal part two, I'll make sure you don't live to see tomorrow morning."

Deena slowed just slightly, throwing a brief glance over her shoulder. "I know you hate me," she said simply. "You all do, and maybe I deserve it, but I'm not trying to trick you. I owe her, and… this is me paying back what I can."

No one responded to that. Seraphina didn't have the energy to care whether Deena was being genuine or just buying time.

All she knew was that her arms were burning, her knees buckled every few steps, and she was one bad turn away from collapsing completely, but she wouldn't. Not while Electra's life was hanging by a thread, and not while she could still do something.

They turned a corner, and Deena stopped in front of a door Seraphina didn't recognize. It was old, the paint was peeling, and the handle was scratched up and faded. A maintenance closet, maybe, or a long-forgotten supply room.

"This doesn't look like a sanctuary," Roxana scoffed.

Deena didn't respond. She pulled out a key from her pocket, an old rusted one that looked like it hadn't been used in years, and unlocked the door. It creaked open slowly, revealing a narrow staircase that spiraled down into the darkness.

Irina stepped forward, peering into the gloom. "Where does it lead?"

Deena flicked on a small flashlight and pointed it down the stairs. "An old bunker. Back when this school was built, they included a few underground rooms in case of emergencies, but nobody uses them anymore, not even the staff. They're not on any of the new blueprints."

Roxana looked skeptical. "And you know this how?"

Deena hesitated. "Because when I first started here, I didn't have many friends before you guys, so I spent a lot of time sneaking around, looking for places to be alone. I found this by accident and found the key with it." She paused, then added, "It's safe, and more importantly, it's private, and before you ask why I never mentioned it, well, it was my safe space, and we never needed an emergency hideout."

For a moment, no one moved. Then Seraphina stepped forward, her arms aching and her legs shaking. "If it's safe, that's where we go."

Deena nodded and began going down the stairs, and Penelope went after her, followed by Irina and Roxana. Seraphina took one last breath, tightened her hold on Electra, and slowly followed them into the dark.

Each step down the old stairway was echoing a lot louder than it should have, making Irina and Roxana skeptical. The walls were damp, and the air smelled like dust and dirt, but Seraphina didn't care.

At the very bottom, Deena pushed open another door, this one heavy, like it was meant to withstand something serious.

The room beyond was cold and quiet. There were no windows, but the walls had built-in lamps, and Deena quickly put them on. Pale light filled the space, revealing a row of old beds pushed to one side and several old wooden crates stacked neatly against the wall.

Penelope walked around the room, inspecting every corner. "This'll do."

Seraphina moved to the nearest bed and carefully lowered Electra onto it. As soon as she let go, her arms gave out, and she had to sit on the floor to catch her breath.

Irina knelt beside Electra, placing two fingers on her wrist, but quickly retrieving her fingers when Electra's skin burned her lightly. "Still burning up," she muttered. "But her pulse… it's there. Barely."

Seraphina watched her and then looked down at Electra's face.

Roxana crossed her arms. "We'll take shifts watching her. If anything changes, if she even twitches, we wake the others. Understood?"

Everyone nodded.

Penelope looked at Seraphina. "You okay?"

Seraphina gave a small nod, even though every part of her body felt like it was falling apart. "I'll be fine."

They all went quiet, and for the first time that night, they could actually breathe. They had a safe place, they had Electra, and for now, that was enough.

Deena stood by the door, her back against the wall, arms crossed tightly over her chest like she didn't belong in the same room, and maybe she didn't, but tonight, none of them were looking to argue. They were looking to survive and, hopefully, not get into any serious trouble.

And Seraphina was holding onto the hope that she would figure out how to save Electra because this couldn't be the end. It just couldn't be.