Chapter 121 Taken Back

Chapter 121 Taken Back
Aleli’s POV
THE BRIGHT fluorescent lights inside the school administrative office felt harsh against my swollen eyes. The room was unnaturally quiet, except for the muffled clicking of cameras outside the frosted glass windows.
I sat stiffly in an armchair with my knees pulled close to my chest. My body was still trembling from what had happened in the hallway.
Every time I closed my eyes, the flashes returned.
A tiny hand covered in dark red.
The metallic glint of something sharp striking a wooden floor.
A woman screaming.
Sirens in the distance.
I didn't know whether they were memories or fragments of a nightmare, but they felt real enough to make my head ache.
My mind felt shattered, like a mirror that had been broken so completely that none of the pieces could ever fit together again.
“We have reached a decision,” Principal Reyes announced.
I forced myself to look up.
He sat behind his large wooden desk, his expression solemn. Aunt Grace was seated beside me, one hand resting neatly in her lap.
“Given the severity of Aleli’s panic attack, the public attention surrounding the incident, and the continuing safety concerns involving her family, the school board has agreed that she should be temporarily suspended from classes.”
Aunt Grace sighed softly and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.
“I understand completely, Principal Reyes,” she said. “It breaks my heart to see my niece suffering like this, but her mental health must come first. She clearly isn't stable enough to live independently right now.”
I stared at her hand.
It felt less like comfort and more like a restraint.
“The local authorities have reviewed the circumstances as well,” a police officer standing near the doorway added. “For her safety and proper care, she will be temporarily placed under the custody of her legal guardian, Mrs. Grace.”
The words barely registered.
Custody. Guardian. Suspended.
Everything seemed to float around me without meaning.
I didn't have the strength to argue.
My throat felt raw, my head throbbed, and my body was still exhausted from the panic attack. Even Aunt Grace’s hand on my shoulder felt too heavy to push away.
Then the office door opened.
I lifted my eyes.
Kristoff stood near the doorway.
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
He looked nothing like the confident boy everyone at school knew. His face was pale, his dark blue blazer damp from the rain, and his hands were clenched tightly at his sides.
His eyes found mine. There was pain in them.
So much pain that I almost stood.
Almost called his name.
But he didn't move.
He remained near the door, trapped behind whatever had forced him to walk away from me in the first place.
I didn't know about his father's ultimatum.
I didn't know what Kristoff was sacrificing.
All I knew was that he was standing there while they took me away.
Malcolm was beside him.
Unlike Kristoff, he didn't hesitate.
He stepped past the officer despite the principal's warning and crossed the room. Then he knelt directly in front of my chair.
“Aleli.”
His voice was low and unsteady. He reached for my hands.
“Look at me.”
I slowly raised my eyes.
Tears immediately spilled down my cheeks.
“Malcolm,” I whispered. “My head hurts so much. I don't know what's real anymore.”
His fingers closed around mine. “I know.” He squeezed gently. “I know everything feels terrifying right now, but you need to listen to me.”
I stared at him through my tears.
“I am not giving up on you. I don't care about the rumors. I don't care about the reporters, the school, or whoever is trying to destroy you.”
His eyes briefly shifted toward Aunt Grace before returning to me.
“I won't abandon you.”
His voice hardened with determination.
“No matter where they take you, no matter how difficult they make it, I will find you. If they try to hide you, I'll find a way to reach you. I promise.”
Something inside my chest cracked.
I wanted to believe him.
I wanted to hold on to those words because they were the only thing that still felt real.
I looked past him toward the doorway.
“Where's Bea?”
Malcolm's expression changed. “She isn't here.”
I knew why.
After someone had broken into her hidden server and left that terrifying message, Bea had shut everything down. She had disappeared because she was afraid for herself and her family.
She couldn't help me anymore.
None of us could.
“Aleli needs to rest,” Aunt Grace said.
Her voice was calm, almost gentle.
She stood and reached for my arm.
“That is enough, young man.”
Malcolm looked up at her. “She needs people who actually care about her.”
Aunt Grace's expression remained composed. “And she needs peace.”
She pulled me carefully to my feet.
My legs felt weak beneath me.
Malcolm stood as well, but the officer stepped between us.
“Please,” Malcolm said, looking at me. “Remember what I told you.”
I nodded faintly. But I didn't know if I could.
Aunt Grace guided me toward the private side exit.
I walked beside her like a sleepwalker, my feet dragging across the floor.
Before we left, I looked back.
Kristoff was still standing near the doorway.
Our eyes met again. He didn't say anything.
Neither did I.
But something in his expression made my chest ache. He looked like he wanted to run toward me.
Instead, he stayed where he was.
The door slowly began to close.
For one final second, I saw him standing alone beneath the harsh office lights.
Then the door shut between us.
Outside, the rain had weakened to a light drizzle.
Aunt Grace guided me down the narrow side driveway, keeping her hand around my arm.
There was no waiting luxury car.
Instead, an old hired vehicle sat near the curb, its engine running beneath the gray afternoon sky.
The driver opened the back door.
“Get inside,” Aunt Grace said softly.
I climbed into the backseat.
She followed and shut the door behind us.
The vehicle pulled away from the school.
I pressed my forehead against the cold window and watched the familiar streets disappear behind curtains of rain.
The buildings blurred together.
The school vanished.
Then the streets I knew disappeared as well.
I didn't ask where we were going.
I was too tired. Too frightened. Too confused.
Aunt Grace sat silently beside me.
Every few minutes, I felt her glance in my direction.
I looked down at my hands.
They were still trembling.
The memory fragments were still hiding somewhere inside my head, waiting to return.
I didn't know what they meant.
And now I was being taken somewhere without even knowing where I would sleep that night.
I thought about Malcolm promising to find me.
I thought about Kristoff standing behind that closing door.
I thought about Bea disappearing.
One by one, everyone who had been helping me was being pulled away.
The car turned onto an unfamiliar road.
The buildings became fewer.
Trees replaced houses.
My stomach tightened.
“Aunt Grace,” I whispered. “Where are we going?”
She looked at me and gave me a small smile. “Somewhere quiet.”
I turned back toward the window.
The road ahead was almost empty. I understood that I wasn't simply leaving school. I was being taken away from everyone who knew me.
I looked down at my trembling hands and felt the silence of the car closing around me.
I didn't know whether they were trying to protect me… or bury me.