The Alchemists

Terry, who was very good in using words, tried to persuade Rosemary to lower her gun. They were in a very crowded room and he was now able to hear whispers around him, suggesting to call the police.

"Rosemary ... listen, Aleksis was not the one who wronged you, it was me. I'm the one who was careless and didn't think about your feelings ..." Terry said in a very soft voice, "I'm sorry. I'll do whatever you ask, to show my regret ... but please, lower your gun. Let's talk …"

He walked slowly to the girl and reached out his arms, to show that he had no bad intentions.

Rosemary looked at Terry and Aleksis alternately. Her lower lip was bleeding because she bit it too hard. Tears flowed even harder down her cheeks. "You two are just as bad! If I have to die, you also have to die with me ... !!"

"Big Brother ... don't go near her... we don't know her current mental state," Aleksis whispered anxiously. Cold sweat was flowing onto her temple. She did not see Carl and Sascha anywhere. Her bodyguards certainly didn't expect something to happen this early, especially in a crowded place like the campus cafeteria.

Oh God ... I don't want to die at Rosemary's hand ... she cried inwardly.

I still want to meet Alaric ...

I can't die before I talk to him … 

Aleksis slowly and carefully put her hand in her bag and dialled Alaric's number. It was only 2am in England ... but Alaric had told her that she could call him at any time.

At the very least, she should say goodbye ...

"Rosemary ... please lower your gun. There's still hope, don't be desperate. You're not a bad person. We will make sure you get help ..." Terry continued. He advanced slowly toward Rosemary, which made dozens of girls around them scream and hold back and cry. They didn't want to see their idol die miserably at the hands of a crazy fan like Rosemary.

Nicolae retreated slowly, trying his best not to be noticed by Rosemary. He intended to quietly disappear and then ambush the girl from behind.

Unfortunately, Rosemary saw his movements with the corner of her eye and immediately fired her gun at Nicolae's feet. "Stay where you are! I know what you are going to do! You will help this evil slut, right ?!"

Her shot missed; it hit the ground a few inches to Nicolae's left, making everyone scream, and it caused Nicolae to be rooted on the spot. His face turned pale. The bullet hit the ground only inches away from the tip of his shoe.

Rosemary smiled like a crazy woman and then casually fired another shot. Everyone screamed in terror when a second later, a bird fell to the ground with its head crushed.

"I purposely missed the shot, because I have no intention of killing you. You are not responsible for my father's death," said Rosemary in a cold voice, "But as you can see for yourself, I know how to use a gun properly. Don't try to test me nor my patience ..."

The atmosphere became increasingly tense. Crazy! It turned out that Rosemary was skilled at using weapons! Possibly it was because she grew up around mafia. Even Nicolae ran out of ideas and didn't know what to do in such a critical condition.

"Alright ... we understand." Finally, Nicolae joined in, "What do you want?"

Rosemary narrowed her eyes that were filled with hatred. She raised her index finger and pointed at Aleksis, "I want her dead."

People who were burned with hatred certainly couldn't use their common sense. Aleksis was totally innocent. She was not Terry, who had kissed Rosemary and pretended to ask her to be his girlfriend; Aleksis was also not Rhionen Assassins, who slaughtered her father's mob group. But now, in Rosemary's eyes, Aleksis was responsible for all the suffering she had to endure.

Aleksis subconsciously shed her tears. She did not know how she could come out of this alive. Rosemary was determined, and no one was able to stop her. What made her sad was the fact that she could not say a proper goodbye to the people she loved; her father, mother, younger siblings, Uncle Rory, and most importantly … Alaric - her husband ...

"Over my dead body."

They were all shocked when those four words came out of Nicolae's lips. He walked forward without hesitation and stood between Aleksis and Rosemary, covering Aleksis' body from Rosemary's view.

Aleksis gasped. She stared at Nicolae's back in disbelief.

For the umpteenth time, Nicolae stood protecting her, without a second thought. Aleksis was so shocked that she stood transfixed in her place. Her mind immediately went blank.

Why was Nicolae always trying to protect her so selflessly? Was Aleksis that valuable to him? But how was this possible? They haven't known each other for long …

"Nico ..." Finally, Aleksis could only utter those four letters weakly. She was very moved.

Nicolae's hand reached back and held Aleksis' hand so that her body would not move, while he was still standing straight facing Rosemary who now looked increasingly angry.

"You ... you want to die for that bitch so badly ...! ?? I told you, I am not after you. Move aside, Nicolae ..." Rosemary said in a threatening tone. Her jaw trembled with anger.

"You're after the wrong target, Rosemary. Aleksis is innocent. If you insist on killing Aleksis, then you have to face me," Nicolae said firmly.

Again, muffled cries could be heard from almost every corner. The girls who saw the scene fell even more in love with Nicolae and many looked at Aleksis with envy. Terry himself was very depressed. He realized that all of this was his fault. Because of his big mouth, his sister and best friend were now in danger. He felt very remorseful.

"Rosemary ... I'm the one at fault. Please let them go," he said in a trembling voice. He could not face his mother if anything happened to Aleksis.

Aleksis was the only daughter in the family, and she was the heir to the Schneider family. He could not let Aleksis die because of his mistakes.

The news about the incident in the cafeteria was spreading like wildfire. Many students secretly recorded the scene with their cellphones and broadcast it their social platform. Within five minutes, the sirens of police cars could be heard in the distance.

Hearing the sirens, Rosemary panicked. She knew it would not be long before the police arrived and surrounded her. She entered the building already knowing that she wouldn't be able to get out alive. She was blinded by determination, and she did not want to leave before Aleksis was dead. Everything she had was gone ... and so she wanted Aleksis to die with her.

"Alright ... if you two really want to die with Aleksis, I will grant your wish ... DEATH TO ALL OF YOU !!!!"

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

There were repeated gunshots the students in the cafeteria went hysterical.

***

Alaric punched the wall with his fist!

He could not listen anymore. Aleksis' phone call woke him up and when he saw the name Takeshi on the screen, he became alert in less than a second. He was about to greet Aleksis but then he heard what was happening on the other end of the phone. He realized that Aleksis was in grave danger.

He listened carefully to assess the situation and soon came to the conclusion that a dangerous girl was threatening Aleksis at gunpoint. He frowned when he heard Nicolae's voice, who came forward to protect Aleksis, and the voice of another young man who tried to calm the girl down.

His brain worked hard to think of what he could do from 12,000 kilometers away. His chest hurt knowing that his wife was in danger and he was not there to help her.

What should he do ... what should he do ...

Before he could contact anyone, he heard the sound of repeated gun shots.

"Aleksiiis !!!" Alaric screamed, calling Aleksis' name. The cell phone fell from his hand and his fist struck the wall causing his knuckles to bleed. His head became dizzy, thinking about the worst possible scenarios.

***

Everyone was lying on the ground leaving only five people standing; Aleksis who was glued in her place-unable to move; Nicolae who had closed his eyes in horror when he saw Rosemary aiming her gun at them and shoot repeatedly; Terry who had covered his face with his hands, ready to die; and Rosemary who was still agape with surprise when suddenly her hand was pulled upwards so quickly by someone and all she shot was the ceiling; and Lauriel who was standing behind Rosemary - his one hand gripped the girl's neck, while the other hand had curled Rosemary's arm behind her back.

The girl's gun had fallen after releasing the three shots.

"How dare you try to touch my children," Lauriel hissed in Rosemary's ear in a voice as cold as ice. Instantly the girl's heart sank and she became very scared.