The air in the headmaster's office felt tight. Old wood. Polished floors. The faint smell of
power.
Ayla stood straight, her mind running through excuses. Elian leaned against the wall, his
arms crossed, pretending calm.
"Miss Raines," the headmaster said, "the archive room is restricted for a reason. You're
aware that tampering with student records is grounds for suspension?""Yes, sir," she said, keeping her voice steady. "But I didn't tamper with anything. I was
verifying information that concerns me."
The headmaster frowned. "Your expulsion records were sealed years ago. There's
nothing left for you to verify."
Her chest tightened. She could feel Elian's eyes on her. He was enjoying this.
"Still," she said softly, "I deserve to know why it happened."
"Enough," the headmaster said. "Go back to class. Both of you. I'll deal with this later."
They left the office together. The second the door shut, Ayla turned on him.
"You set me up."
He smiled slightly. "You make it too easy."
She grabbed his arm. "You think this is funny? You're trying to get me expelled again?"
He looked down at her hand, then back into her eyes. "If I wanted you gone, you'd
already be gone."
"Then what do you want?"
His smile faded. "For you to stop digging."
"I'm not stopping."
He stepped closer, voice low. "Then you'll need me."
Her heart pounded. "Why would I ever need you?"
"Because," he said, "you're not the only one being watched."
She frowned. "What are you talking about?"
He glanced toward the hallway cameras. "Someone's following us. You're not the first
person to go through those files. And whoever it is doesn't want either of us to find the
truth."She didn't believe him, not yet. "If this is a trick—"
"Then test me." He took out his phone, scrolling through messages. "Two nights ago, I
got this." He held the screen toward her.
A text message glowed across the display:
"Stop looking. You won't like what you find."
It was the same message she'd received.
Her voice dropped. "Who sent that?"
"I don't know," he said. "But if we want answers, we'll have to pretend to work
together."
She stared at him, unsure whether to trust or hate him.
"You're asking me to team up with you?"
"I'm offering you a bargain," he said. "One week. We dig together, we find out who's
behind this, and we both walk away clean. But if you cross me, I'll make sure you regret
ever coming back."
She folded her arms. "What makes you think I'll agree?"
He smirked. "Because you don't have a choice."
She hated that he was right.
That night, she sat in her dorm, staring at the glowing screen of her phone. A message
from Elian appeared.
"Meet me in the old library basement. Midnight."
Zara stirred in her sleep as Ayla grabbed her hoodie and slipped out.
The halls were dark. Rain tapped against the windows. She reached the basement door
and pushed it open.
The room was cold and smelled of dust. Shadows stretched across the shelves."Elian?" she whispered.
The door slammed shut behind her.
The lock clicked.