“Whose?”
“Soren’s, of course.”
The night dies out soon after, with Grace and Lila leaving. Avalon’s out for the night, and her excuse is that her older brother came to see her. I fail to understand why anyone would willingly come to the middle of nowhere, inside of this forest that’s all around us, to see anyone this late.
But I brush it all off and walk out of the dorm.
My heels click against the floor as I walk, not a single other sound to be heard. Except my heartbeat, which is beating infuriatingly fast. It’s the dead of the night, just after midnight on a Tuesday.
I received an email from the Dean thirty minutes ago, asking to meet him in his office. It’s strange on its own for him to ‘summon’ me so late, but the curiosity inside me won easily, and I threw on the first piece of clothing I was able to find.
A pair of baby pink dress pants, with a white shirt tucked inside. My face is bare of any makeup, since I spent thirty minutes onmy skin care routine, I wasn’t about to take all of that off, put on makeup, only to take it off again for a second time tonight.
My mind wanders off to the possibilities of why the Dean would be calling me. I’m still keeping the secret about spotting Avalon’s earring inside his office, and maybe I’m just overreacting. Maybe she’s not actually banging him, and it just fell there — somehow.
Even if my suspicion is correct, I haven’t told a single soul what I’ve seen. Not to Grace, and I definitely didn’t confront Avalon. I have a lot on my plate as it is, and dealing with Avalon’s romantic drama isn’t on my priority list right now.
What’s even stranger is that I left the dorm building with ease. Not a single dorm supervisor. Usually, they’re all over the place this late, since there’s been a lot of students sneaking in and out. Some have even brought people who don’t attend the academy within the oh-so-sacred walls of the Saint Valley, and that became an issue that is truly not that serious.
With a deep breath, I knock on the wooden door. The sound echoes around me, and a chill runs down my spine. I can’t quite explain it, but it’s as though my gut feeling is telling me to run as far as possible.
I knock another two times, and no answer comes. It starts to grate on my nerves, and I become more irritated by the passing second. Why’d he call for me here if he wasn’t in his office in the first place?
With a sigh, I push the door open and step inside. It’s unlocked — and it’s almost never unlocked. In fact, I’ve tried seeing him to discuss the date when I’d be taking exams, and since I didn’t have an appointment, I kissed the door — figuratively speaking.
The office is dark, the lights off. The only source of lighting iscoming from the hallway behind me, and a little of the moonlight that snuck through the thick curtains. However, the questions of why I’m here are not answered, and I’m startled when the room erupts in darkness.
The door slams behind me, and I scream out, turning around.
My heart sinks to my feet, and I hear the door lock.
Then, the lights are turned on, and I’m face-to-face with the bastard I’ve prayed to never see again.
Soren’s standing between the door and me, and I have no way of escaping. He’s dressed casually, his hair messy, but the look of anger is on his face. Oh, fucking hell.
“Ford,” I drawl out, feigning ignorance and innocence. “What the hell do you want?”
“What do I want?” He chuckles. For some reason, his voice is deeper than I remember it being. Goosebumps rise on my arms, and I take a small step back. “What I want for you is to admit it.”
“Admit what?” My voice cracks a little.
Soren can be seen as intimidating. He’s towering over me, with the height difference forcing me to look up to meet his gaze. His broad shoulders are wide, and if he were to hug me, I bet he’d crush the bones inside my body.
“Oh, Sloane,” he mocks, voice dripping with condescension. “Playing dumb was never really your thing, was it? Admit it was you who leaked the tape.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Is that so?”
“It is.”
He hums, then approaches me. My heart stops beating for a moment, and I don’t dare to breathe. He walks past me, opens the window, and tosses the key of the office out of it.
My eyes widen. “What the fuck?”
He turns to face me, with a sadistic smile tugging on the corners of his lips. Slowly, he pulls out something from his pocket, and I freeze in my spot when I realize it’s a knife.
It’s long, thin, and very, very sharp. Soren fiddles with it, tossing it from one hand to another, all while looking me dead in the eyes. His smile doesn’t falter, but the danger that’s written in those eyes makes fear slowly rise in my chest.
