Chapter 10 Shadows and Watchers – Luna #2
The trees thin out as we approach the coastline, and I can hear waves crashing against rocks. The path ends at a chain-link fence with warning signs posted every few feet: DANGER – UNSTABLE CLIFFS. NO TRESPASSING. VIOLATORS WILL BE PROSECUTED.
“There.” Erik points through the fence. Below, maybe a hundred yards down a steep incline, I can see a small dock jutting into the water. Two boats are moored there—one a working vessel with equipment visible on deck, the other smaller, possibly a speedboat.
“That’s our way out,” Max says.
Before anyone can respond, a voice calls from behind us.
“I’m sorry, but this area is off-limits to students.”
We turn to find a security guard approaching—mid-thirties, fit, wearing the standard academy security uniform. He’s smiling, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. And when he moves, his jacket shifts just enough that I catch a glimpse of something dark at his hip.
A gun.
Security at Shark Bay University carries guns.
“We were just exploring,” Belle says smoothly, turning on her polished charm. “We didn’t realize this was restricted.”
“No harm done.” The guard’s smile never wavers.
“But the northern shore is dangerous. The currents here are unpredictable, and the cliffs are unstable. Several students have been injured over the years trying to access the beaches. For your own safety, Mrs. Harpsons requests that all students remain in the designated areas.”
Requests. As if we have a choice.
“Of course,” I hear myself say. “We’ll head back.”
The guard doesn’t move, clearly intending to escort us. We have no choice but to walk back the way we came, the security guard maintaining a careful distance behind us—close enough to watch, far enough to seem non-threatening.
No one speaks. What is there to say? We found a potential escape route, and within minutes, we were intercepted. Either someone was watching our trajectory and sent the guard, or the northern shore is monitored so carefully that any approach triggers an alert.
Either way, the message is clear: we can’t leave.
When we reach the main campus area, the guard finally stops. “Have a good day,” he says pleasantly. “And remember—stay in the safe zones. Wouldn’t want anyone getting hurt.”
He walks away, one hand resting casually near his hip. Near his gun.
“Did you see—” Max starts.
“Yes,” Erik cuts him off. “We all saw.”
We stand there in silence, four students who just learned that our school employs armed security to keep us from leaving campus. That the fence and warning signs aren’t just about safety—they’re about control.
The maintenance worker I saw earlier rounds the corner, tool belt jangling, heading toward the science building. He doesn’t look at us, but I know he’s aware of exactly where we are, what we just tried to do, how quickly we were stopped.
Selena’s eyes are everywhere.
And we’re running out of time to find our blind spots before she decides we’re more trouble than we’re worth.
“Thursday,” I say quietly, remembering my overheard conversation. “Whatever Selena has planned, it’s happening Thursday. That gives us two days to figure out how to either escape or gather enough evidence to—”
“To what?” Belle’s voice is sharp. “Austin’s files deleted themselves. We have no proof except our own memories, and we’ve already established that those can’t be trusted. Detective Harper is working for her. The authorities either don’t know or don’t care. Who exactly are we going to tell?”
“Then we expose her publicly,” Max says. “Social media, news outlets, something that can’t be suppressed.”
“From an island where she controls all the communications?” Erik shakes his head. “She’d shut it down before we finished typing.”
The reality of our situation settles over us like a weight.
We’re trapped on an island run by a woman who’s been orchestrating criminal conspiracies for decades.
We’re surrounded by watchers, blocked from leaving, cut off from outside help.
And in two days, something is going to happen that involves all of us.
“We need a new plan,” I say. “Something Selena won’t see coming.”
“First rule of surviving a predator,” Belle says, and there’s something dark in her eyes now, something that reminds me of the girl who used secrets and manipulation as weapons. “Make them think you’re not a threat. Make them think you’ve given up.”
“You want us to stop trying to leave?” Max looks horrified.
“I want us to appear to stop trying.” Belle’s smile is sharp.
“We go to classes, we attend the Halloween planning meetings, we smile at Leyla and chat with maintenance workers, and act like perfect students who’ve accepted their lot.
Meanwhile, we gather real intelligence. We find the actual blind spots, not the obvious ones.
We figure out what Thursday is really about. ”
“And then?” Erik asks.
“And then we either escape with enough evidence to burn this place to the ground, or we go down fighting.” She looks at each of us in turn. “But we don’t give up. And we don’t let Selena think for one second that we’ve figured out her game.”
I think about my parents in prison. About how I survived their abuse by pretending to be compliant while secretly gathering evidence. About how the key to bringing down monsters is making them believe they’ve already won.
“Okay,” I agree. “We play along. Perfect students, grateful for Selena’s protection, slowly healing from our trauma. Nothing suspicious.”
“While secretly looking for any crack in her system,” Max adds.
“Exactly.” Belle starts walking back toward the academic buildings. “Starting now. We have class in twenty minutes, and we’re going to be the most attentive, unremarkable students Selena has ever monitored.”
We follow her, four prisoners who just decided to become spies in their own cage.
Behind us, I catch a glimpse of the maintenance worker watching from a second-story window.
I give him a small wave, playing the role.
He doesn’t wave back.
But somewhere in Selena’s office, I imagine her watching the same footage, seeing four students apparently accepting their boundaries, apparently settling into their roles.
Perfect.
Let her think she’s won.
It’ll make the fall so much more satisfying when we finally push her off that cliff.