The Black Swan's Final Revenge Pirouette: The 99th Game Was Mine All Along by Kylie Homme

Chapter 8

Outside the burning mansion, Latigi’s friends shrieked with excitement at the growing inferno, wildly snapping photos and videos on their phones like it was a concert finale.

“Holy shit, revenge ninety nine is going to be LEGENDARY!” Tyler howled, capturing an Instagram story of the flames.

“Tinally, Luigi can dump that clingy bitch and on with his life!” Blake slapped his knee, grinning

maniacally.

move

“When we ‘rescue her, I’m going to record her ugly crying face and blast it all over TikTok. Let the whole fucking campus see what a pathetic mess she really is!” Josh laughed, already planning his caption.

The hellish red glow illuminated their faces like demons at a bonfire, casting long, distorted shadows behind them.

Standing slightly apart from the group, Luigi listened to their callous banter with growing discomfort. Something felt deeply wrong.

His mind kept replaying Ariana’s face from moments earlier–that strange, peaceful expression. Those words that now seemed so final.

Wait–she’d been abnormally calm, hadn’t she?

Every previous anniversary, Ariana had practically vibrated with excitement. She’d plan for weeks. creating Pinterest boards, texting him countdown updates, handling every detail personally with almost manic enthusiasm.

Luigi had always been happy to let her take over. Why waste effort on someone who was just a means to an end? He’d even internally justified his coldness–if she hadn’t humiliated Leila, she wouldn’t be with him anyway.

But tonight had been completely different. Ariana had been unsettlingly quiet.

During the entire drive, she’d sat silently beside him, no nervous chatter, no excited questions.

Beyond those haunting final words, she hadn’t once asked about his “surprise.” She’d been like a marionette with cut strings–compliant, empty, resigned.

And now that he thought about it–he’d been gone nearly twenty minutes, the fire had been raging for almost as long–and she hadn’t called or texted even once?

him like a bucket of ice water. Luigi frantically pulled

17. 17.

Black Swan’s Final Revenge Pirouette: The 99th Gjel

and over, desperation growing with each swipe No calls. No texts.

hammered against his ribs as cold dread

Orange and red tongues

away.

“Ariana

the way she’d leave little notes in his textbooks,

move, he bolted toward

the fuck, Luigi! Where are you going?” Derek shouted, as the

his mouth to respond, a deafening explosion ripped

BOOM!

fireball erupted from the roof of the mansion, sending a mushroom cloud of flame and debris spiraling

expressions transformed from drunken celebration to genuine horror in an instant.

wasn’t supposed to happen!” Blake yelled, suddenly

they stood frozen in shock, a series of secondary explosions followed, one after another. The

of wood and concrete rained down around them, forcing them to cover

his mind consumed by a single thought: she

inferno.

forward with frantic desperation, only to be tackled

go in there!” Tyler shouted, pinning him to the ground.

called 911! Fire rescue is coming!” Blake yelled, his face ashen with

be okay,” Josh stammered, no trace of his earlier cruelty. “They’ll get

out!”

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Chapter 8

eating the him–could imagine her trapped, choking, terrified. Every memony of her kindness, hey deson tr he’d taken

aside with strength born of pure adrenaline, launching himself toward the