Free Web NovelChapter 142: Chapter 142
Now while Valentin didn’t drink often, he also couldn’t handle wine so he had no intention of taking any. They all left the cafeteria early so it would be easier to sneak away.
He blinked in surprise when Audie opened a plain-looking locker and just stepped inside. Their lockers were big enough to fit a person but it was terribly cramped inside.
Even more shocking than that was when Audie seemed to disappear, "Audie?" Valentin called fearfully, whispering although they were currently the only ones there.
"What are you all waiting for?!" Audie’s cheery voice called from within the locker.
Without hesitation, Nael stepped in, bending a bit so that he didn’t whack his head on his way in.
Valentin waited for a few beats after Nael went in, expecting a reaction but he just remained silent making his anxiety climb.
"Want to go in first?" Jacques offered nicely, still holding onto the wine that he had gotten from the cafeteria.
What kind of cooks did the academy even hire? Why would they hand a student several bottles of wine right in the middle of classes?
Valentin didn’t really want to but he accepted anyway, stepping up to the locker. It was just as cramped as he thought it would be but that didn’t last for long, the locker was merely the doorway to somewhere more spacious.
He stepped out into a dimly lit platform, it was connected to winding stairs that led downwards.
Jacques joined them in no time, making sure to close the door of the locker behind them. "I’m not sure what I was expecting," He whistled looking around.
Valentin crossed his arms, still huffy, "How did you even find this? Did you go around trying everyone’s locker?" He demanded.
Audie had a poker face on, the dim lighting casting shadows on his handsome face. "It doesn’t matter how I found it, let’s check this place out." He diverted, taking off his overcoat before going down the stairs without an ounce of self-preservation.
"Hand me a bottle, Jac." Nael said grimly.
Valentin looked stricken when Jacques tossed him a bottle, Nael catching it with ease. "At least get down the stairs first before you start drinking!" He called after his friend in a panic, hurrying after him. freewebnovel.cσ๓
Jacques was the last to start down the stairs, the flickering lights showed the slight smile on his face as he took the stairs.
The stairs were lit up just as dimly as the platform had been. The walls were made of smoothly cut stones which meant that they were going under the class building.
It was drafty and it looked like the lights had been deliberately made to be dim and flickering to add to the ambiance because the hidden passageway didn’t look abandoned at all. It was free of cobwebs and not as dusty as an abandoned secret passageway should be.
Valentin hadn’t been able to dissuade Nael, the taller Alpha already screwed the cork open and took a big swig before Valentin could even catch up to him, his hazel eyes reflecting the deep yellow lights that were made to mimic torches.
Valentin had immediately given up on stopping him, holding his free hand instead so that he didn’t lose his balance and go tumbling down the stairs.
"So where does this lead to?" He asked Audie, still a little concerned.
"Beats me," Audie said casually.
Valentin turned around slowly, "What do you mea- you’re both drinking too?" He half cried when he caught sight of Jacques and Audie holding incriminating bottles of wine.
Jacques gave him an innocent smile while Audie shrugged, "Want some?" He offered.
Valentin had to look forward again so that he didn’t trip seeing as he was also in charge of keeping Nael upright. "No, I don’t! Couldn’t you have waited till we got to the bottom of the stairs?" He scolded.
Nael draped himself over him at that moment, his head hanging limply. "I miss Errol," He mumbled.
"I’ll push you down the stairs," Valentin said without hesitation, shoving him. "And get off me, you’re heavy."
They, fortunately, managed to get down to the bottom of the stairs in one piece, it was considerably colder down here, the stairs leading to a spacious passageway that was as poorly lit as the stairs had been.
"It couldn’t have hurt them to put proper lighting, could it?" Valentin muttered under his breath, still holding onto Nael although they had cleared the stairs because his taller friend was already weaving on his feet.
Audie took the lead now, bounding forward with energy. "I can’t wait to find out where this leads!" He said excitably, his words slurring slightly.
’Oh no...’ Valentin was already regretting his decision to babysit them, why did he think looking after them while they were drunk was a hot idea?
He looked to Jacques pleadingly, "Please could you help me keep an eye on him?" He asked. While Jacques was no good either, he couldn’t leave Nael.
He half expected Jacques to turn him down, well aware that the two were always at loggerheads with each other.
"Sure." Jacques instead agreed in a quiet voice, handing him the rest of the bag of wine before picking up the pace to catch up with Audie.
Valentin just sighed, hoping that this ’secret’ passageway didn’t lead to somewhere as horrendous as the Head Chancellor’s office. He would be hard-pressed to explain his way out of a situation like that.
Nael seemed docile enough so their journey was peaceful, Audie and Jacques had already disappeared into the distant darkness... or so he thought.
After they covered a few more feet, Nael halted, seeming fixed to the ground.
"What now?" Valentin groaned, he couldn’t budge Nael no matter how hard he tried so he was forced to listen. "We’ll lose the others at this rate."
"Do you think... do you think that Errol hates me? Is that why you won’t drink?" Nael said slowly like his brain had a hard time finding the perfect words to complete the sentence.
Valentin found himself intently listening but that was because he was trying to figure out what his slightly intoxicated friend was saying, ’those two things had nothing to do with each other’.
