JULIAN
I walked into school with my hands in my pockets, maintaining a straight face despite the emotions swirling inside me. I have no friends; you can call me an outcast. My only goal is to graduate and start anew.
As I entered the hallway, I spotted Maya and Liam together, laughing and carefree. Maya used to be my friend, but she chose a different path. Liam seemed pleasant enough, but appearances can be deceiving.
"Julian!" someone called out, breaking my reverie. It was the girl who's always with Jordan.
"Good morning," she said with a smile, but I remained expressionless, my right brow raised in question.
"Sorry to call you out, but I need to tell you something," she said hesitantly.
"You want to tell me something?" I asked, skeptical.
"Yes, please. Can we discuss it at lunch break? Let's meet at the archive; it seems safe, if you know what I mean," she suggested, her tone conspiratorial.
"I'll think about it," I replied, dismissing her without another glance.
But curiosity gnawed at me. What could she possibly want to discuss? Does it involve Jordan? I couldn't shake the feeling that meeting with her would put me in the principal's crosshairs.
JORDAN
"What?!" I exclaimed when Heather told me about approaching Julian. "You talked to her?"
"Yes, we agreed on that yesterday," Heather replied.
"We discussed it, but I didn't think you'd act so quickly," I said, teasingly pulling her cheeks.
"I had to move fast before we're silenced," Heather explained.
"I wonder, though," I said, "Malcolm told Victoria to seek vengeance after his death, but she's protecting and controlling the school. It doesn't add up."
"Probably there's more to this than we know," Heather opined. "Maybe they didn't have the perfect marriage, and Victoria doesn't need to avenge his death when she can become the principal and rule the school."
"No matter how rough a relationship can be, you can't wish your partner dead," I insisted. "There's more to his death and the life the principal is currently living."
"Let's hope Julian knows something," Heather said optimistically.
"That's if she shows up," I added skeptically.
Heather and I dusted off the old wooden chairs in the archive, waiting for Julian.
"Do you think she'll come?" I asked.
"I have a feeling she will," Heather replied confidently.
Just then, Julian's voice echoed through the room. "It seems you weren't expecting me."
Heather smiled. "Have a seat, please; time is of the essence."
Julian's smirk hinted at her reluctance.
"I know we shouldn't have called you here..." Heather began.
Julian interrupted, "Then why call me here when you know you shouldn't have?"
Heather sighed. "We're left with no choice; we can't just let all this go. Ravenswood's past is too dark to ignore."
Julian's expression turned thoughtful. "Is that past by any chance affecting the present?"
Heather's confidence surprised me. "There's a lot present that we're not seeing. Behind this present, we're all seeing lies dark forces eyes are not meant to see. It might be affecting things we can't see, and maybe it's coming to us – us, as in you and I."
Julian's voice rose. "You're right; there are dark forces. That's why you should stop now. They'll destroy you, me, and everyone."
Heather fired back, "Thought you're brave and ruthless, is this where it all ends? You're just a pawn."
Julian stood up immediately. "So nice of you to think you can do this. Let's see how it goes, going against a school like Ravenswood with powerful board members. These people are very high above us; don't you get it?"
Heather remained unfazed. "Fine, keep running away from it, and see if it won't get close to you. Keep being a pawn when you can actually take over."
Julian wanted to speak, but then she closed her eyes tight for a second, sighed, and turned to leave. "Coming here was a bad idea to begin with."
"I know it isn't your fault, too," I said, stopping her. "I understand you want us to stay clear of trouble, but still, we can't keep running. We can't, and you know it."
Julian looked over her shoulder and left without a word.
"Is this really you talking, Heather?" I asked, astonished.
Heather smiled. "She'll come back."
"I don't think she will,the conversation is too heated" I disagree
"I don't know when but she will"
"Even if she comes back, how can we trust her?" I asked really confused
"In this kind of situation, we don't have a choice. She is the only option and we have to see how things go" She answered
"But we cany put our eggs in one basket,we have to check other ways to overcome this " I said.
"We have to try her first and see how much she knows. If she is unyielding, we might have to challenge Ava heads on but I have this strange feeling that we will win Julian over" Heather said confidently.
I nodded and decided to have trust in whatever Heather profess.