JACOB

I am impressed.

We all know that Jayden and Seth prospecting each other was a failsafe against them prospecting other people they were not even remotely interested in. We also know that Seth has been infatuated with Jayden since he met him.

It was no secret that my roommate wanted him, so Jayden choosing to go for Seth was either easy or convenient - and I don't say this to take any merit from Jayden's decision. It's like when an artist hooks up with one of their fans, what's wrong with that? What is wrong with choosing a person who already likes you?

I say more power to them. Seth got the man of his dreams, and Jayden got the most coveted Omega of the entire academy. Good for them for getting what they wanted instead of settling for people they did not want at all, like Seth and Kyle, who were not a likely pair. At least, as far as Seth was concerned.

With all that being said, no one would have imagined that they would strike such a strong and fast chemistry. Every time they are in the same room, Jayden seems enchanted by Seth. They have barely been together for a week, but it seems so much more than that.

I do not want to mention that Jayden was in love with me until a week ago, but facts are facts. There is only one truth, and that is he is making waves in his relationship with my roommate. I am happy for both of them, so if they are happy, so am I. I mean it.

It's Monday morning, December 9th.

After a rather revealing breakfast, the students were about to start exiting the cafeteria when Professor Roberts startled us with his voice in the intercom system - Lockwood had heart surgery and is out of commission until January, to say the least.

"Attention students! This is Acting Headmaster Roberts to bring you an urgent announcement." His voice reverberated throughout the three towers of Ravenwood, catching all the students and staff members off guard.

"We have just received a weather alert from the municipal authority warning us about a possible avalanche. All exams for today have been canceled and the students must go to the second tower and wait it out in their dormitories safely." He continued in a somber tone.

"Please make sure to grab some water bottles before you go and stop by the vending machines to grab some snacks in case we cannot serve you lunch today. Rest assured, we are prepared for any eventuality, but the safety of our students is our primary concern." He concluded, sounding worried for us.

Oh, my Goddess! An avalanche? Right here? Who had the bright idea of building this school at the bottom of the mountains of Colorado? Didn't they know there are dozens of events like this every year?

All the students stared at each other for a minute, then everybody darted for the vending machines at the same time, like they were preparing themselves for a famine. Hordes of students battled it out to buy snacks and soft drinks before going back to their rooms.

All of them are from outside states, so they don't know how to deal with the aftermath of an avalanche. I was born in Colorado, so I am no stranger to harsh climates. This doesn't scare me, but depending on the volume of snow that falls, we could be in some trouble.

"An avalanche? I didn't know this could happen here! Aren't we far away from the Rocky Mountains?" Seth was fearful as he said that, his eyes widened and he looked apprehensive.

"Seth, Colorado is the Rocky Mountains. It's not going to be the 'Hunger Games'. This happens all the time here, but at most we could be inconvenienced. I doubt we will be left without lunch. The students are behaving like savages." I told him, while dozens of boys and girls were fighting to get food for later. It's not like they are going to let us starve. This is a thirty years old institution, they know what can happen in Colorado.

I was scared to even try to get anything among those people behaving like survival preppers. Fortunately for me, Seth already keeps our dorm room fully stocked with beverages and snacks. Plus, we still have water in the bathroom, it's just not filtered.

Nobody is dying of thirst or hunger, despite what Roberts' tone suggested. He only meant for us to be prepared in case of an event. Nothing like what happened in the aftermath of COVID-19 and we had gone into lockdown.

"Aren't you going to buy something for you?" Kyle asked Skylar, neither of them had rushed to the vending machines like most of the other students.

"I don't need to. My mini fridge is always stocked and it just so happens that I had it restocked last Friday. I always keep food in my room in case I sleep late. I hate going to the vending machines for anything, so Santos always sends me care packages. I mean, for me and my brother, of course." He replied, not bothered by the savagery going on by the vending machines.

While the people who did not rush out of the cafeteria in desperation dispensed their food trays, we started walking back to the second tower. I am not worried about food and water because Seth has enough for both of us, I am just concerned for our safety in general.

People can die from these things, depending on where they are when the avalanche hits. But that is mostly when they are skiing or mountain climbing, not down on the ground.

"Hey, crazy idea, would you mind if I stayed with you? This way, your roommate could go up to my dorm room to stay with his prospect." Jayden approached Seth on the way out of the cafeteria, who was caught off guard by the proposal.

"Who says the R. A. won't bar people from other houses from coming into the Gamma House?" Seth countered with a worried frown. Every floor has a Resident Advisor who works for Ravenwood and supervises the students, dealing with issues as they come up.

Jayden did not count on that comeback.

"Oh, you're probably right. But can we try, at least?" He insisted without being pushy.

"I can't keep Jake from being in our dorm room, but if he wants to stay with my brother..." He told him, glancing at me as he said that. I was walking just a few steps away from him.

"It's not a terrible idea..." I muttered, thinking about it. Skylar seems content about the idea of spending some time alone with me, but conflicted over leaving his brother alone with Jayden.

I say let them be happy together. I am pretty sure Jayden and Seth won't have sex today of all days. Even if they were, how much longer is Seth supposed to wait around? Goddess knows his brother has had plenty of action... double standards?

We reached the second tower only to find nobody in the corridor or the common areas. I guess we can do whatever we want because other people are occupied right now. The four of us looked at each other, not knowing what to say or who would speak first.

After an awkward minute of us staring at each other silently, I opened my mouth only to be precluded from speaking by a testy Alpha.

"We will be going up to my room, then. Please behave yourself with my brother, okay?" Skylar declared, looking at Jayden with a menacing frown. Seth was not a fan of his protectiveness in this instance. Enough is enough!

"I am not a delicate flower! I can handle myself!" He growled at his brother, who was taken aback by his aggressiveness.

"Let's go, Jay, before I lose my temper." Seth grabbed his hand and dragged him toward our dorm room. He was not pleased with Skylar's tone, but he didn't have time to bicker with his roommate. The two of them walked ahead hastily while Seth was stomping the ground in fury. I stared as they gained some distance from us.

"Word of advice: if you don't want to push your brother into his arms, stay out of it. I am pretty sure Seth is safe with Jayden; in fact, he is much safer than I was with you when we first were in a room together." I told Skylar, rather peeved at his patronizing tone.

I get that he wants to guard Seth from harm, but this is not one of those instances. Jayden may have many flaws - as do I - but pushing people's boundaries is not one of them. I highly doubt Seth has anything to fear from him.

"I know. I just don't like the idea of Seth stuck in a room with him so close to his heat." He muttered, sounding bothered by this.

"His heat is still too far away to strike now. There's a better chance of that happening by New Year's Eve, but it is not guaranteed. A normal cycle should culminate in the first week of January, in his case." I stated, confidently. As an Omega, I know a thing or two about heat cycles. Not that having three of them so far makes me an expert, but I read up on them when I was younger to prepare myself. Most of us do if we were raised well.

"If you say so." He did not look convinced.

"I do. Now let's go before the R. A. decides to show up and stop me from going upstairs." I affirmed, rather peeved at him for not believing in me. Not that he said that out loud. I know that he is apprehensive about his brother's health, but he is with his prospect. If Seth is not safe with Jayden, he won't be safe with anybody else.

We heard a commotion of students approaching the second tower, so we hurried upstairs. I don't want to have to face anyone in our way, all I want to do is to get comfortable in Skylar's arms. That is where I feel the safest in the world. Honest to Goddess.

The two of us got cozy inside the dorm room. This is actually my first time inside his bedroom. I was never here even when Jayden and I dated each other. It is just a standard room, no different from mine and Seth's.

Skylar picked up a water bottle and a bag of potato chips, then laid on his nightstand for me in case I got hungry. He wrapped me in his arms as I comfortably laid my body next to his on the bed. I felt so warm and good, safe and protected. I felt all the things an Omega is supposed to feel with his Alpha. We are the two ends of the spectrum.

There is a reason why people say 'The Alpha and the Omega'. We are made for each other, complementing our pair in what the other one lacks. What we falter in strength, we compensate in warmth. I have never felt safer in my entire life, despite the alarming event.

Hours went by without as much as a single speck of snow. Students were getting restless, trapped inside their rooms. Even with cell phones, laptops, and tablets to distract us, we were riled up by the lack of the so-called avalanche.

As the alarm sounded off, announcing it was time for lunch, there seemed to be no point in restraining ourselves in our rooms for now. Let's get lunch, then we'll figure this out later.

Looking like a bunch of bored teenagers, the students were all talking about the avalanche that never came. We stood in line for food once again, but the Security Guards and the staff working at the cafeteria still seemed troubled, concerned about the potential avalanche.

I am merely curious about the delay, but if it turns out that it was a false alarm, then good for us. That means we are all safe from its destructive force. Who knows?

"How was your morning? Did you have fun with your prospect?" I asked Seth, who looked pleased as we waited in line to get food.

"I don't know if fun is the right word, but we talked a lot. We got closer to each other, which to me was far more important than any physical connection." He replied, sincerely.

"Good for you, my friend. You deserve to be happy and I am elated for you to be getting what you've always wanted." I told him, smiling contently.

"Thanks, Jake. That means a lot considering your past relationship with him." He said, tentatively.

"All that matters to me now is that Jayden is with the person he was supposed to be with all along. I truly believe that out of all the remaining single Alphas, he is the best option for you. But to be honest, he could be wonderful to any Omega here. Despite the fact that we did not work out, I still hold him in the highest regard. Both of you deserve the world." I said, enthusiastically.

At the Alpha table, the students looked disappointed they did not see any snow yet. We thought we would only get to see that when we return here in January.

"Well, at least you got a date out of it." Roberto told Jayden with a mischievous grin.

"I am glad to have any chance to be close to my Omega." Jayden sounded smitten, which of course was music to Seth's ears.

"He is not your Omega yet, you still need to get the contract first." Skylar interjected in a sour mood.

"You are impossible to please! This whole time you have been hounding me to give your brother a chance and now that I have, you still aren't happy! What is eating your ass, blondie? Is life too hard when you have a bright future, more money than you could ever spend, and the boy of your dreams in your arms? Leave me the fuck alone!" He snarled at him, irritated.

"Don't call me blondie!" Skylar rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"I'll call you whatever the fuck I want, blondie!" Jayden was glaring daggers at him.

"Why don't you two fuck each other and get over it already? This is disturbing my lunch break!" Kyle snapped at Skylar, angrily.

"Is this what happened between you and Roberto? You got so angry, you fucked him?" Skylar asked him with a naughty grin.

"You're being disrespectful to me and to Jayden. He is right. You have all that you have ever wanted in life. Leave him alone already! It's not funny anymore!" Kyle was livid by that inappropriate comment.

The uncomfortable vibe was taking over the Alpha section, while most of the other students were too busy focusing their attention outside the cafeteria.

As we ate our lunch, I made a mental note to talk to Skylar later about his relationship with Jayden. There is no reason for him to be bickering with him anymore. Kyle is right, it's no longer amusing.

A thunderous noise was heard outside and the patio was covered by a foot of snow. We rushed out of the cafeteria to see it.

"Is that it? Just a foot of snow?" Someone sounded disappointed by the look of it.

"It's an avalanche, not the end of times. What did you think would happen?" I said in a snarky tone.

The students then proceeded to behave like teens who had never seen snow before and started playing with it. I was not impressed by it, so I stayed out of it. But suddenly, the patio looked like a kindergarten.

Skylar could not resist making a snow angel with his large figure, that is until Acting Headmaster Roberts showed up to crash the party.

"That's enough! Please report to your classrooms. You still have exams to take." He declared, crashing the party.

"But I didn't even throw a snowball at anyone yet." Skylar whined.

"The snow will still be here when you are done with school, Mr. Stronghold." He declared from the entrance to the first tower, where I was standing and quietly judging everyone for their childish behavior.

When the students began to walk towards the second tower, in the mix of all the snow, another thunderous sound was heard. A secondary event.

"SKYLAR!" I screamed while I watched him getting buried under the snow right in front of me. Not only him but a bunch of other students as well, to my utter shock. I am horrified. I felt like my world was ending right before my eyes.

https://youtu.be/1jO2wSpAoxA

A|N: BOOM!

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OFF: I wrote this chapter with this song in mind.

Next is something special. It's called "Somewhere Only We Know".

Love,

Léo.