Ethan gave a sharp nod, but the gesture felt hollow. *He's up to something,* Allen thought, watching him closely. Once they were alone, Allen turned to Ethan.
"Sooner or later, we're going to have to face him," Allen said, his voice low.
Ethan nodded grimly. "Enzo knows where we are."
Allen snapped his head toward him. "What makes you say that?"
"I found a cave. Inside, there was a map with specific locations circled. Class names were written right next to them." Ethan's expression was dark. "The safehouse isn't safe anymore."
"Then we relocate," Allen said firmly. "Ethan, go inform Madison. I'll handle Roy."
"No," Ethan countered.
Allen blinked in surprise. "No?"
"Tell Madison, and let her be the one to tell Roy," Ethan explained. "If we go to him directly, he'll get suspicious of us. It needs to come from her."
Allen considered this for a moment, then patted Ethan's shoulder as he stood up. "Smart. Okay, let's do it."
Allen disappeared into the safehouse. Barely a minute passed before the door creaked open again and Madison stepped out, her eyes searching the treeline until they landed on Ethan.
"Allen said you had something to tell me," she said, approaching him.
Ethan sighed under his breath. *Damn it, Allen. You couldn't have been more subtle?* He shook off the irritation and nodded to her.
"Earlier, before I came back, I saw a group of men entering a cave nearby. After they cleared out, I went inside. I found a map, Madison. Our locations are circled, and our classes are labeled."
Madison's face went pale. "You're saying they know exactly where we are? But how?"
"It gets worse," Ethan continued. "On the back of the map, there was a list of every student. Our names were highlighted: yours, mine, Allen, Daisy, Sophia... even Mr. Henry."
Madison's eyes widened in horror. "But that means..."
"It means there are only two possibilities," Ethan said, cutting to the heart of it. "Either someone in our class is an imposter, or one of the teachers is a mole."
Madison gripped her arms, nodding slowly. "We have to move. Now."
"Talk to Roy," Ethan instructed. "But don't tell him how you got this information. Keep my name out of it."
"I understand," Madison said. She looked at Ethan, who was staring intently into the dark, swaying trees of the forest. "You should come inside. It's getting cold out here."
Ethan didn't move. He remained silent, a statue against the moonlight. Madison turned to leave, but his voice stopped her cold.
"There's something I need to ask you."
Madison paused, her heart skipping a beat. *What could he possibly want to ask me now?* She turned back to him. "Go ahead."
Ethan finally looked at her, his gaze piercing. "What do you think about your mother?"
The question hit Madison like a physical blow. *Does he know her?* she wondered, her mind racing. "I... I don't really know her well enough to have an opinion," she admitted, sticking to the truth. "The last time I saw her, I was just a child."
"I know," Ethan said softly.
Madison took a step toward him. "Do you know her, Ethan?"
He gave a single, slow nod.
Madison's breath hitched. *Is he the boy from my memories? The one I saw when I was in the hospital?* Ethan stood up and turned fully toward her. He opened his mouth to speak—the air thick with the weight of what he was about to reveal—when the safehouse door swung open. A classmate stepped out, glancing between them.
"Madison? Roy's calling for you." She stopped, sensing the heavy atmosphere. "Oh... am I interrupting something?"
Ethan caught Madison's eye and gestured for her to go. The moment was gone.
Madison nodded and followed the girl back inside, her mind spinning. *Was he about to tell me something?*
As they walked down the hall, the girl leaned in with a smirk. "Was Ethan finally asking you out?"
"No," Madison said shortly.
"So, were you confessing to him?"
Madison sighed, exhausted. "No. Does it look like I was?"
"I don't know," the girl giggled. "From where I was standing, it looked like a confession was definitely in the air."