The red light blinked faster.
Elian grabbed Ayla's hand. "Run."
They sprinted toward the main door, but it didn't move. The metal latch held tight.
Smoke started to curl from the far end of the room.
Ayla looked back. "Lara!" she screamed. "What did you set?"
Lara laughed. "Nothing you can stop."Elian ran toward her, but she slipped behind a bookshelf and disappeared through a side
door.
"Forget her!" Ayla shouted. "Find the exit!"
They kicked at the old wooden window frames until one cracked open. Elian shoved Ayla
through first. She landed hard on the ground outside, gasping for air.
He followed seconds later, coughing as black smoke poured from the window behind
him.
A crowd was already forming in the courtyard. The fire alarm blared again.
Someone yelled, "Another fire! The library this time!"
Students screamed and scattered. Teachers shouted orders.
Ayla and Elian stood in the chaos, both shaking. Her face was streaked with ash, his
hands bleeding from glass cuts.
She looked at him. "She tried to kill us."
He nodded. "And she's not working alone."
Before Ayla could respond, the headmistress appeared, eyes wide with disbelief. "What
have you done?"
Elian stepped forward. "It wasn't us."
"You were seen running from the library," she snapped. "Both of you! Again!"
Ayla shook her head. "Someone set us up. You have to listen—"
The headmistress pointed toward the arriving officers. "They will. You're both under
investigation for arson and attempted murder."
Ayla's stomach dropped.
Two officers stepped forward. "We'll need you both to come with us."Elian tried to reason. "You don't understand. Someone planted a device—"
The officer cut him off. "Save it for your statement."
They were separated and taken to different police cars. The flashing blue lights painted
the courtyard in harsh colors.
Through the window, Ayla saw Elian looking back at her. His expression was unreadable
—half guilt, half fear.
Hours later, she sat in a cold interview room. Her uniform was torn. Her throat dry.
The officer across from her leaned forward. "Why were you in the library at midnight?"
"Someone called me there," she said. "They used Elian's handwriting."
"And you expect us to believe that?"
"It's the truth."
He dropped a folder on the table. "Then explain this."
Inside were photos. Grainy security stills. Ayla and Elian entering the library. Lara
nowhere to be seen.
Ayla's chest tightened. "She's editing the footage."
The officer sighed. "You're suspended indefinitely from St. Arden's Academy. Until we
verify your story, you're not to return."
Her voice cracked. "You think I'd burn my school down?"
He didn't answer.
By morning, she was back home. Her mother barely spoke a word, only looked at her
with disappointment. The news already spread online—"Students Behind Fire Scandal."Her phone buzzed all day with messages. Gossip. Hate. Lies.
She turned it off and stared at the ceiling.
Elian was still in custody.
She closed her eyes, but his face kept flashing in her mind. His last words before the
fire. "You weren't supposed to come."
What did he mean?
And if Lara was still out there, what else was she planning?
That night, Ayla snuck out. The air was cold, the moon half-hidden behind clouds. She
walked back toward the academy gates, guarded by police tape and security lights.
She hid behind the fence until she saw movement by the old chapel near the back field.
A hooded figure slipped inside.
Ayla's pulse raced. She climbed the fence and followed.
The chapel was dark, silent. Dust floated in the faint light from a cracked window.
"Lara?" she whispered.
No answer.
She walked down the aisle, her footsteps echoing on the stone floor. Then a sound—a
soft click behind her.
She turned fast.
Elian stood there.
His eyes looked hollow. Tired.
"Elian," she breathed. "You're out.""They released me," he said quietly. "Not for long."
"Why are you here?"
"I came to end it."
"End what?"
Before he could answer, a second figure stepped out from the shadows behind the altar.
Lara.
She smiled. "End what he started ten years ago."
Ayla froze. "What are you talking about?"
Lara pulled a photo from her pocket and tossed it on the floor. It was old, edges burned.
Three children in front of the school's old building. Elian, Lara—and Ayla.
Ayla's breath caught. "That's not possible."
"You don't remember," Lara said. "But you were there the night of the first fire. You
helped cover it up."
"That's a lie."
"Then why did your name appear in the old report?"
Elian's voice was cold. "You said it yourself, Lara. She doesn't remember."
"And that's the problem," Lara said. "You both forgot what you did."
Elian stepped closer. "Say it."
Lara's grin widened. "You want the truth? You started the fire, Elian. Not your brother."
Silence fell.
Ayla's heart pounded. "Elian?"
He didn't move. Didn't deny it.