[hr][CENTER][img]http://txt-dynamic.cdn.1001fonts.net/txt/b3RmLjcyLjkyM2Y2MC5VR1Z1Ym5rZ1RHRjNjMjl1LjA,/youth-and-beauty.regular.png[/img]
[b][code]Hillview High - Mason Square[/code][/b]
[sub][@Fernstone][@Surtr Inc][/sub][/center][hr]


Penny knew it was pointless to try and run. The school was surrounded by the unimaginable, and she doubted that there would be anyway to break through the curtain of black, shifting tendrils. She knew that dragging Maddie around with Rien was only exhausting them and that, eventually, the Glutton’s avatar would hunt them down and catch them. The only reason they weren’t being devoured now was because it was off after someone else. She stopped near a tree and looked at Rien. She didn’t know about them, but she was exhausted after hauling Maddie away from the school. She hated the idea, but maybe it’d be better to just try and hide the unconscious girl. If they were all doomed anyway it didn’t really matter, anyway.

“This isn’t working,” said Penny, and she slipped her arm out from underneath Maddie’s shoulder before dropping her bag, shrugging off her jacket, and letting it fall to the ground. “Cover her up with this and hide her with some leaves or something,” she continued, her voice strained and defeated. “I’m going to...I’m going to try and do...something. I don’t know. I don’t know. I’m not going out like this.”

Penny picked her bag back up, as little good as her improvisational artillery would do, and headed back towards the school building proper. She heard some familiar voices as she stepped closer to the building, and her pace went from broken march to a stumbling run as she saw Claire’s aura through the brush. She burst out of the woods in time to see Claire slam Britney up against the wall of the school and accuse her of things that were, well, mostly true. Penny was as mad at Britney as Claire was, but the fact that Claire was stupid enough to start up the infighting again at a moment like this forced Penny’s anger to swell up and laser sight itself on her. It took all of her willpower to resist grabbing a handful of pens from her bag, instead letting her nails cut into the skin of her palms as she stepped up beside Justin.

“He’s right, you stupid idiot!” shouted Penny. “Do you really think this is what Hagan would’ve wanted!? He tried to protect us, so stop being such a dumb bitch for once and use your goddamn brain! I hate her as much as you do, but Britney is the only one that knows about this shit. Let her go, please Claire, let her go, and maybe we can figure out some way to get out of this.” 

She had slowly moved forward as she spoke. Penny could feel the energy burning off of Claire as she approached. Cautiously, Penny reached off with her hand to grab Claire’s shoulder and guide her away from Britney. She was close enough that she no longer needed to shout, her voice a whisper as she begged Claire, “Please, this won’t solve anything.”