Chapter 39
Zayden
She disappears around the corner without looking back, just like I told her to.
Good girl.
But damn, it’s pathetic how much I already miss her. She’s gone, but her scent is still here. I close my eyes and breathe it in like a starved man. Then I pull out my phone and shoot a quick text to Jasper.
Me: A3 vend. Code red. Last twenty minutes.
Jasper will know what to do. Wipe the last twenty minutes from the camera feed near the vending machine. I can’t risk anyone seeing the footage of when I pulled her toward the wall. Not when we still don’t know who accessed the last Shadow Rink footage before Jasper could pull it.
I’m about to slip the phone back into my pocket when I receive a notification. I glance down, expecting a sarcastic ‘on it’ from Jasper or a middle finger emoji, but it’s another anonymous message.
Unknown number: Did you enjoy your little weekend getaway? Everyone has weaknesses, and we both know who yours is. Do you even know what your family is capable of? Can you protect her from them?
Everything in me stills, and just like that, all the warmth she left behind evaporates.
I reread the message again. Whoever this is…they’re watching, and they know about the cabin. And they know something about my family that I don’t. And I have no idea who they are or what the fuck they want.
Fuck! I slam my fist into the wall behind me and welcome the pain that shoots through my knuckles. I need to find Jasper and find out who the fuck is behind these anonymous messages. Their little game ends here.
I push off the wall, chest burning, and take the same exit Luna did. By the time I reach the dorm, I’m shaking. The walk back did nothing to cool me off. I’m still burning inside.
I scan my key card and shove the door open and head straight to Jasper’s room. He’s sitting at his desk, headphones half on, typing something fast like he’s deep in another code sweep. He barely glances up—until I toss my phone onto his desk. It lands with a sharp thud right in front of him.
He pulls his headphones down, blinking. “Uh—what the hell?”
“Read it.”
He picks up the phone and reads the message. His face changes fast.
I pace the room like a caged animal, fists clenched at my sides.
“You said you were close. I need a name. Like now.”
He nods, already clicking into some tab. “I’m working on it, Z. Whoever this is? They’re good. But I’m better. It’s definitely a student on campus.”
“I’ll do anything to protect her, even if it means burning the fucking school to the ground,” I say through gritted teeth. “You know that, right?”
Jasper doesn’t look up from his screen, but his fingers pause on the keyboard. “I know. That’s why I’m not letting this go either.”
I exhale slowly, then glance toward him again. “And the other thing?”
He leans back, cracking his knuckles. “Still trying to access the deeper archives. The footage from the night Ellias died? It’s buried. Not just password-protected—scrubbed. I’ve been pulling from old backups and ghost files, but it’s going to take time.”
He pauses, dragging a file into a new folder. “I did find out something, though.”
That gets my full attention. “What is it?”
“Ellias had a sister. That part wasn’t in the student files, but I cross-checked an old yearbook article with hospital birth records. Same last name, same region.”
“A sister?”
“Yeah. They were born four years apart. She’d be around nineteen now. University age.”
“Have you found her?”
“Not yet, but I’m close. I think she might’ve changed her name, because her records disappeared about two years ago. I’ve got a few leads, though.”
“You think she knows what happened to her brother?”
“Maybe. If she doesn’t, she might be looking for answers. And if she does, she’d be playing it smart.”
I stare at the wall, tension building in my chest.
“I tried reaching out to some of the students who were at Valcérre that year,” I mutter. “Some don’t even remember Ellias.”
“What?”
“They said he was only here for one semester. First year.”
“Bullshit,” Jasper says.
“Exactly,” I snap. “It’s like someone wiped him clean.”
“We have a dead student. A missing sister. Sealed footage. And you and Luna are in the middle of it all.”
I run a hand over my mouth, trying not to lose it. “Why Luna? Why pull her into this? She has nothing to do with this.”
Jasper shrugs. “Maybe because she’s new. Maybe because she’s stubborn. Maybe because…they knew you’d care.”
“We need to find whoever’s behind this. Because if something happens to Luna…”
I can’t even finish the sentence.
“We’ll keep her safe. Just trust me to handle this part.” He looks up at me. “You’ve got class, don’t you? Go, I got this.”
I glance at the time. “I’m not going anywhere until we figure this out.”
“No offense, but you being here isn’t helping anyone. Skipping class is going to draw attention, and we can’t afford that right now.” He shoots me a look over his shoulder.
“Fine,” I grit it out. “But if anything changes—”
“You’ll be the first to know,” Jasper says, already pulling up something on a second screen.
I nod and head to my room to get ready for class. I go through the motions, change, grab my bag, but my chest still feels tight. I’m not even thinking about business class right now. I just need to see her.
I move across the courtyard like I don’t notice anyone, but the truth is I see and hear everything. The whispers in the study lounges, the side-eyes from my own teammates.
My heart beats a little faster the moment I step into the hallway. I scan everyone, looking for anyone suspicious and listening for anything that sounds off.
Then I hear her laugh.
Not Luna’s, but that girl with the red hair she has class with.
They’re walking toward me. Luna’s eyes lock with mine, and time fucking stops.
Everything in me stills—except the ache in my chest. Because even though I just held her a couple hours ago, I want to pull her into me again.
Feel her against my skin. Make sure she’s okay.
So I soften my eyes a little even when I shouldn’t, letting her see the things I can’t tell her.
I already miss you.
I fucking hate this.
Please, be careful.
Her friend’s eyes move between us like she’s putting something together, but she doesn’t seem surprised.
I look away quickly, slipping my hands into my pockets to stop myself from doing something reckless like reaching out for her. Then I keep walking, but I make a mental note to look her friend up. I don’t trust anyone right now.
I should be heading to class, but I’m not in the mood to sit through a one-hour lecture and pretend to care about business marketing. Instead, I head to the cafeteria, grab a salad and lemon water, and discreetly make my way to the library to the section nobody uses.
The old study wing is hidden behind towers of books.
There’s a love seat, a square wooden table, and a couple of chairs.
I blow some of the dust off the table and set the food down.
Then I go back to the corridor and pull an old stack of books from the shelf, some shit that no one reads.
I place it on the floor next to the bookshelf. It means occupied and do not disturb.
This part of the library is colder, so I pull out the small fleece blanket I brought with me and place it on the loveseat.
I grab my phone and send a quick text to Jasper to check on Luna’s friend from psych class. Then I wait, but every second without her feels like an eternity. The quiet is where I breathe, and think, but right now, it’s so fucking loud.
The books on the second shelf look interesting right about now.
So I grab the first one I see, something about Dreams and Your Subconscious.
When I open it, the dust makes my throat hitch.
I cough into my sleeve and glance around, making sure no one heard.
Even though most students don’t know this place exists, that’s why I picked it.
I open it to a random page, trying to distract myself, but it doesn’t work. Then my phone buzzes from where I left it on the table. It’s a message.
Jasper: I got something. Need you back now.
I check the time on my phone. Luna won’t be here for another twenty minutes. But I need to know what Jasper found.
I rip a page from the old book I was pretending to read and grab a pen from my pocket. Moving closer to the table, I scribble her a little note.
Hey, little storm,
I promised I wouldn’t just disappear without letting you know, but I had to go. Something came up with Jasper, but I’ll make it up to you.
Eat something, stay warm, and don’t stay too long.
Miss you already.
Z.
I tuck the note under the water bottle and hope she sees it. Then I grab my bag but pause before leaving. One last glance at the spot where I was supposed to hold her.
Whatever Jasper found better help me put an end to all this.