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?

hit him like a bucket of ice

17. 17.

Swan’s Final Revenge

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

ribs as cold dread spread

first time. Orange and red tongues licked three stories high, the heat intense enough to feel on his

away.

“Ariana

fragments of her presence in his life flashed through his mind–her laughter echoing in their apartment, the way she’d leave little notes in his textbooks,

move, he

are you going?” Derek shouted, as the group moved to block him.

his mouth to respond, a deafening explosion ripped through the night, the

BOOM!

flame and debris spiraling into the black sky. The

drunken celebration to genuine horror in an

happen!” Blake yelled,

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

glass shattered. Burning chunks of wood and concrete rained down around them, forcing them to

consumed by a single thought:

inferno.

desperation, only to be

die if you go in there!” Tyler shouted, pinning him

is coming!” Blake yelled, his face ashen

Josh stammered, no trace of

out!”

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Chapter 8

choking, terrified. Every memony of her

roared, throwing his friends aside with strength