> "The best assassins don't carry knives.
They carry invitations."
---
The invitation was black.
Smooth. No name. No seal. Just a red wax circle pressed into the back.
Sharon found it on her desk when she returned from class — untouched, like it had grown there.
She didn't open it immediately.
Instead, she stared at it like it might hiss.
Nora walked in, paused, and asked carefully, "You got one too?"
Sharon turned. "One what?"
Nora reached into her bag and pulled out the same invitation.
Black. Waxed. Silent.
"This is how they test loyalty," Nora whispered. "If we don't go, they make sure we regret it."
Sharon's voice dropped. "And if we do go?"
"They make sure we don't forget it."
---
🗝️ The Truth Nora Never Meant to Say
That night, the two sat side by side in near silence. Sharon finally asked:
"What else do you know about Sade?"
Nora hesitated.
"I wasn't supposed to hear it," she said finally. "But the day before she died… she was arguing with someone on the phone."
"Who?"
"I don't know. But she said a name. One name. Over and over."
Sharon's pulse quickened. "What name?"
Nora's voice dropped to a whisper.
> "Ade Martins."
---
🕯️ The Name That Wasn't Meant to Be Heard
Sharon froze.
That name hadn't come up before.
No student with that name. No teacher.
But something about it... rang old. Like it wasn't just a person — it was a legacy.
She jotted it down in her notebook:
> Ade Martins
— Sade's last known contact
— Not a student
— Possibly alumni? Staff?
— Reina may know
---
🎭 The Gathering
The Circle didn't host parties.
They hosted events.
And this one wasn't in the greenhouse or courtyard — it was underground.
An old theater, hidden beneath the music hall, once used for rehearsals… now abandoned.
Candles burned in wine bottles. Velvet drapes hung in shadows.
The "game" was already set:
A long table. Twelve chairs. No names.
Sharon and Nora arrived together — masked.
Zuri was already seated, unsure if she belonged.
Bianca sat at the head of the table, her gold mask cracked slightly near the edge. A quiet flaw.
Ikenna didn't show up.
Damian arrived late, took a seat directly across from Sharon.
And then, from the shadows, a new voice:
> "Before the game begins, let's see who bleeds easiest."
The lights dimmed.
The first dare?
Sharon.
She was handed a letter opener — old, antique, silver.
"Cut the person sitting to your left," said the voice.
She turned.
It was Nora.
Nora's eyes widened, full of fear and trust.
Sharon stood slowly.
And instead of obeying, she sliced her own palm — clean, swift — and dropped blood onto the tablecloth.
Bianca stood.
"You think pain makes you strong?" she snapped.
Sharon met her eyes. "No. But it reminds you you're alive."
---
🔥 Damian's Warning
After the gathering, as the others scattered, Damian pulled Sharon aside.
"You need to stop."
"Or what?"
"They'll bury you like they buried her."
Sharon didn't flinch.
"You say that like you weren't one of them."
He didn't answer.
But then he whispered, "Look for Ade's name in the archive. You'll understand everything."
"Why are you helping me?"
He stepped closer. "Because if anyone's going to burn this school to the ground… I want it to be you."
---
📌 End of Chapter Twelve
> And in a locked drawer in the deepest part of Crescent Grove's archive,
A file sat waiting.
> Marked: ADE MARTINS – DECEASED
---
🔜 Coming in Chapter Thirteen: All the Things Left Buried
Sharon breaks into the school archive to uncover the truth about Ade.
Zuri starts asking her own questions — and someone warns her to stop.
Reina appears again — this time with a page from Sade's original journal… the one that was never supposed to exist.
Ready to continue?