Chapter 14 – Locked-Door Mystery
Sam's POV
Secrets don’t like to stay buried.
No matter how deep you shove them, no matter how carefully you lock them away, sooner or later they find a crack. They leak out, like water under a door.
Tonight, I find a crack.
The common area is usually chaos. Boys shouting over video games, chips crunching, music blaring through someone’s speaker. But at two in the morning, it’s different.
Silent. Empty.
The flickering light above the pool table buzzes like a trapped fly, casting long shadows across the couches and abandoned soda cans.
It feels like trespassing, even though technically anyone can be here. Maybe because I’m not here for a game or a snack. I’m here to dig.
Declan and his crew own this space. They drink here. They plan here. I’ve watched them huddle close, whispering, laughing at secrets only they know.
If they were stupid enough to leave something behind, I’ll find it.
I start with the obvious—trash.
Crumpled papers. Empty wrappers. Nothing but grease and crumbs.
Next, the bookshelf in the corner. Nobody here actually reads, but there’s always the chance someone stuffed something inside. I tug books out one by one, flipping pages fast. Nothing.
Frustration prickles at my skin. I’m about to give up when my fingers graze something different.
The back panel of the bottom shelf.
Loose.
My heart kicks. I press harder, and the panel shifts with a faint scrape.
Behind it, a small envelope.
I glance over my shoulder. The room is still empty.
With shaking hands, I slide the envelope free and rip it open.
Inside is a folded piece of paper, worn from handling.
At first it looks like gibberish—just letters and numbers scrawled in sharp ink. But then I notice the header: “Locker 7C.”
My pulse spikes.
It’s a code. A combination.
To what?
And why hide it here, in the dorm’s common room?
I stuff the paper into my pocket, adrenaline buzzing under my skin. This is it. This could be the kind of lead I’ve been waiting for.
But before I can move, a noise cuts through the quiet.
A click.
The sound of a door unlocking.
I whirl around, heart in my throat.
The far door—one I’ve never seen open before—swings inward.
It’s not a bathroom. Not another hallway. It’s a locked room, tucked into the corner of the common area. I always assumed it was storage.
But now…
The door creaks wider, and a shadow moves inside.
I drop into a crouch, hiding behind the pool table. My breath catches, body tense.
Declan steps out, barefoot, hair mussed like he just woke up. He doesn’t notice me.
He crosses the room, glances around once, then ducks back into the locked room.
The door clicks shut.
And locks.
My brain spins.
What the hell is in there?
Why would Declan need a secret room in a place that already belongs to him?
The paper in my pocket burns hot. Locker 7C. Combination code. A key, maybe, to whatever is hidden behind that door.
I wait, crouched, until Declan finally leaves. His footsteps fade down the hall.
Only then do I move.
I rush to the door, press my ear against it. Silence.
The knob doesn’t budge. Locked tight again.
I drop to my knees, peering at the lock. It’s heavier than the dorm doors, industrial. My cheap card trick won’t cut it here.
But the paper in my pocket might.
I unfold it, staring at the numbers scrawled across the page.
7C. Could it be a locker in the gym? The basement? Maybe whatever’s inside connects to this room.
My gut twists. I need to find it.
I need to know what they’re hiding.
A floorboard creaks behind me.
I spin, shoving the paper into my hoodie pocket.
Elias stands there, leaning against the wall like he’s been watching me this whole time.
My blood turns to ice.
He raises a brow, lighter flicking in his hand. “You’re up late, Hale.”
I force a shrug, hoping my voice doesn’t shake. “Couldn’t sleep.”
His eyes flick to the locked door, then back to me. Too sharp. Too knowing.
“Funny,” he says softly. “Neither could I.”
The silence stretches, heavy, suffocating.
I step past him, desperate to get away, but his hand shoots out, brushing my pocket for just a second.
Not enough to grab. Just enough to feel.
The paper.
My pulse roars in my ears.
He doesn’t push. Doesn’t demand.
He just flicks his lighter open, the flame catching in his eyes, and says, “Careful, Hale. Some doors aren’t meant to be opened.”
I don’t breathe until I’m back in our room, door locked behind me.
My fingers shake as I clutch the paper tighter.
Locker 7C.
What’s inside that secret room.
What Elias knows.
It’s all piling up, too fast, too close.
And for the first time, I wonder if I’m the one being hunted.