Chapter 61: CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE | DANGEROUS

CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE | DANGEROUS

ASPEN

I was walking to class when my phone vibrated in my hand. I checked it, and it was Ronan.

I slowed my steps and answered quickly. “Hello?”

“We’re sneaking out,” he said. His voice was low. “Me and Brian. I need to meet my people.”

I stopped walking. “Out of the compound?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“That’s dangerous,” I said immediately.

“No, it’s not,” he replied too fast, like he had already decided.

I sighed. “Can I come with you?”

There was silence, and all I could hear was breathing.

“Aspen…”

“I won’t be a burden,” I said quickly. “I’ll stay quiet. I promise.” He didn’t reply. Instead, there was more silence.

“Ronan,” I pressed. “Please.”

He hesitated. I could hear it, but I waited.

“…Fine,” he finally said. “But you don’t argue with me. At all.”

I smiled without realizing it. “Okay,” I said before ending the phone call.

I slipped the phone into my pocket and looked up.

The guards had doubled. There were more of them, their boots grounded on the floor and their eyes roaming about.

My face was everywhere. On walls. On board. And of course, on people’s lips.

I adjusted my glasses and lowered my head, then whispered to myself, “Don’t rush. Don’t stare. Just walk.”

I walked past two guards arguing about something behind me. Their attention shifted, and I took it as an opportunity to move faster. I did and slipped into the class.

My chest loosened a bit when the door closed behind me.

I went straight to the back seat and sat down. I didn’t remove my glasses at all.

The class wasn’t settled, as people were talking in low tones. There were four groups, all whispering, and I was sure they were talking about me. They wanted Aspen.

I listened without trying to.

“I heard the Alpha Darius children’s murderer is in this school,” a boy said.

My fingers tightened around my pen.

“No way,” another replied. “If that was true, the whole place would be locked down.”

“I heard she’s a girl,” a voice added. “And she’s disguised.”

A girl laughed softly. “Disguised how?”

“I don’t know,” the first voice said. “But they’re checking faces.”

Another scoffed. “If it was real, they’d make everyone strip, not just check faces.”

My heart jumped hard. Strip?

My hand shook. The pen slipped and fell to the floor.

I bent quickly to pick it up. My glasses slid down my nose. I pushed them back up with trembling fingers.

What if they did? What if they ordered it?

My stomach twisted, and a memory flashed through my mind without warning.

The fire. The girl. The hands pulled me into the unknown.

I swallowed hard and sat upright.

“Did you hear?” someone whispered again. “They say she killed children too.”

“That’s sick,” another replied. “She should be dead already.”

My jaw clenched angrily.

I kept my eyes on the desk, and the door opened. Everyone went quiet.

A guard walked in, scanned the room, then walked out again.

Breathing came back slowly. I exhaled shakily as I glanced at the window and thought of Ronan. Of sneaking out. Of moving. Of not sitting here waiting to be found.

I tapped my foot against the floor. Just get through this class. Just survive this hour. That was all I needed.

The bell rang, and I stood up too fast.

My chair scraped the floor, and a few heads turned. I didn’t care. I just wanted out, immediately.

I packed my books quickly and walked toward the door.

“Aspen.”

I froze instantly.

A student stood behind me, one of the prefects. “The principal wants to see you.”

My heart dropped straight to my stomach.

“Now?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yes.”

My hands went cold. Why?

Did he know I was a woman? Did he know it was me and Ronan who saw him that night?

I swallowed hard. “Okay. Thank you.”

He walked away.

I stood there for a second, then turned and walked down the hallway. Each step felt heavier than the last. My shoes sounded too loud. Even my breathing sounded wrong.

I stopped in front of the door and knocked.

“Come in,” a voice said. I pushed it open.

The principal sat behind his desk, papers scattered everywhere. He didn’t look up immediately. He kept writing.

“Sit,” he said, and I did.

The chair felt too small. My back was stiff. My hands rested on my lap, but they wouldn’t stay still.

He finally raised his head and looked at me. His eyes were calm. Too calm for the storm in my head.

“You were released,” he said.

I blinked. “Released… sir?”

“Yes, from the prison,” he said. He leaned back. “But I said nothing about it intentionally.”

My chest tightened. “Why?”

He smiled slowly. “Because I know your secret.”

My heart skipped. “What secret, sir?” I asked, pretending. My voice sounded strange to my own ears.

He stood up and walked around the desk. He stopped close to me.

“I’ll tell you,” he said quietly. “On one condition.”

I nodded without thinking. “Okay.”

“I want you to help me find the culprit.”

“The… culprit?” I asked.

“The ones that invaded my privacy,” he said. His eyes never left my face.

My stomach twisted.

He was talking about that day. Me and Ronan hiding and watching him kill those students like they were nothing.

I forced a smile. “If you tell me the secret.”

He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “I know you’re gay.”

My body almost reacted before my brain did. I almost hissed, but I didn’t. I breathed out instead.

“The guards saw you,” he continued. “You and Ronan cuddling in the prison.”

My heart stopped.

“But don’t worry,” he added. “I won’t say a word to Rachel.”

Relief hit me so hard my shoulders dropped.

“That’s… all?” I asked carefully.

He nodded. “For now.”

I stood up slowly. “I’ll find them,” I said. “I promise.”

He smiled again. “Good girl.”

I walked out of the office with my legs shaking.

Fuck. I thought I was about to die.