Of course, if I did that, I’d probably be dead within hours, and that would solve literally nothing. But maybe not. Sometimes, the unknown isn’t always the scariest thing. Sometimes, it’s the most wonderful.
I don’t suspect the unknown I’m about to walk into will be wonderful at all.
I stare down at the quickly scrawled letter in my journal, biting my lip nervously. I need to deliver the message to Jarron, which will mean going back to Elite Hall, but I need to think things through before I do it.
If Jarron figures out what I’m doing before I go through with it, he’ll stop me. I can’t let that happen. Which means, I can’t just hand it to him. I can’t just tear the page out and slip it under the door.
No one with any significant amount of power can pass through without an implicit invitation from administration. Which is why, I’m sure, they’re using Minor Hall as the location.
This means, so long as I get past those gates before he finds out what’s happening, he can’t stop me from risking myself to get answers. But it also means he won’t be able save me if I get into trouble. This is something I’m going to have to do for myself.
I need to get through the gates to Minor Hall before Jarron reads my note. It’s a long walk from Elite Hall to Minor Hall, and he is a hundred times faster than me. I need to guarantee myself a head start.
I flip through my notes about my investigation. The mentions of how I suspect Jarron. He deserves to see it all. Even the parts that may be hurtful. He already knows I’ve suspected him, and I’d be willing to bet what’s in his head is worse than reality.
Because logically, he made sense as a suspect. But in my heart, I always knew it wasn’t him.
So, Jarron gets the whole journal. That will help stall him a little. It’ll take him a while to get to the page with the incriminating information.
“Candice?” A tiny voice flutters through the air.
I spin to find a little dark-skinned pixie soaring toward me at top speed.
“Lola? What’s wrong?”
She stops right in front of my face. “You said to come find you once I found Janet. You seemed so worked up that I figured it was important.”
My heart lifts. “And you did? You found her?” Please let Janet be okay. Let her be blissfully unaware of the games and just crushing on some Major Hall boy.
“Yep!” Lola beams and motions dramatically to my half-troll bestie panting as she shuffles down the hall toward us.
I rush forward and squeeze my arms around her the moment she’s in reach. “Thank God,” I whisper.
She pulls back. “What is all this about? What’s going on?”
I take in another breath. This will be a tricky explanation. I don’t want them involved in the games. I don’t want them to feel obligated to join me in my risky mission.
“Oh, Bea told me something bad was going to happen tonight, and she implied one of you might be involved.” I grip the back of my neck. “She was just trying to get under my skin, obviously.”
Janet frowns. “Yeah, I wouldn’t trust that girl for anything.”
My laugh is bitter. “Definitely not. But it still worried me.”
“What about you?” Janet asks quietly. “Did you and Jarron break up? There are rumors everywhere.”
I look down at my feet. “Uh, yeah. I guess, kinda.”
“Oh no!” Janet pulls me back into her arms, and Lola squeezes between us, nestling against my chest. I hold on to them, my limbs trembling, and I take in every ounce of love and comfort I can get.
Friendship is the best comfort to a shattered heart.
Tears sting my eyes, and I sniff back an awkward laugh when they pull away.
“Are you okay?” Janet asks.
I nod quickly. “I am now. Could you guys do something for me, though?” Another part of my plan pops into my mind.
“Of course!” Lola asks, her purple wings fluttering.
