Chapter 15 Chapter 15

Chapter 15 Chapter 15

Myla's POV

Blake.

My fingers went still for a second before I pulled it out and flipped it open.

The first page was simple. Just his name, age, didn't know he was that old.

Then a few more basic details. But as I flipped further, things changed.

I got to notes and observations, all in a different tone.

I read through slowly. Then faster as my chest tightened slightly.

There was a section labeled Incident. I stopped there and read through.

“There was a fire incident at young Blake's house… a fire that took down the entire building to ash,” I read through even as my grip tightened on the page.

“Young Blake had been inside with his parents when the first started, he was trapped and watched as his parents got burnt up.”

My hands shook at this point as I read the words. Could this be true? Could this be why Blake seemed distant?

Could all that just be an effect of a trauma?

I turned the pages and scanned through, but couldn't put myself together to read it all.

He just about made it out with burns and damages, but alive.

The others—

I swallowed hard.

They didn’t make it.

I pressed my fingers harder into the edge of the paper.

There was a line beneath it.

“Subject witnessed full event.”

I exhaled slowly.

That kind of thing, it doesn’t leave you. It stays.

I stared at the page for a second longer. Then flipped it closed slightly.

Something in my chest shifted and felt tight, pretty uncomfortable.

I didn’t know him. Not really.

But—

That wasn’t something you just walk away from.

I set the file aside carefully. Then reached for another, not feeling the energy.

I tossed it away and made to turn, but I saw another one a bit far off.

And this one was different, nothing like the others.

The material looked heavier, older and of a completely different standard.

There was no clear label, just a small marking on the side.

I hesitated for a second, then reached for it before opening it.

Just as I thought, it was heavier, thicker and the inside wasn’t structured the same way.

There was no particular layout, no clean sections.

Just compiled information, all detailed and layered.

My eyes moved across the page and stopped on the name.

Kendrick.

My brows pulled together slightly.

Why was his file kept aside?

And why was it different from the rest?

I flipped through it slowly and the tone was different.

It wasn't like the rest with observations, it didn't have instructions in it, it was more like reading a piece of history. Growth. Progression. Authority.

Every page detailed how he had risen. How he had been shaped. How he was refined and positioned.

He wasn't described like just another student, he was much more.

My fingers tightened slightly around the thick edges as I asked myself questions I couldn't answer.

Why was this kept separate? Why wasn’t it with the others? What makes him different?

The questions stacked up quickly and I closed the file quickly before it could get out of hand.

My mind feels too full now. Too loud.

Too many things didn’t make sense anymore.

I stepped back from the shelf, I needed to leave.

I moved quickly this time, putting everything back exactly how I found it, leaving no trace of me.

My hand rested on the handle for a second, before I creaked it open a bit, peeped out and stepped out when I was sure the coast was clear.

The hallway felt colder now as I stepped through with everything I had just seen playing over and over in mind.

I walked forward, keeping my pace steady, acting as normal as possible, like nothing had happened.

Like I hadn’t just—

A sound popped up behind me and I froze.

My heart jumped slightly as I turned quickly.

But found nothing.

The hallway was empty behind me.

I let out a slow breath.

It was nothing.

Just—

I shook it off and turned back, taking a step forward—

Blake’s POV

I saw them before and I was pretty sure they didn't see me.

It wasn’t intentional, at least, not at first.

I had been walking same as always, going through my same routine as always, blocking out the same annoying noise and pointless conversations around me.

None of it usually mattered. None of it ever actually did.

Then I saw her.

Myla.

And him, the weird kid she's always walking around with.

They weren’t walking like everyone else. They kept looking around like they didn’t want to be seen.

I should have ignored it. I almost did.

I looked away and kept walking. Yesterday was yesterday. That was how it worked. That was how it stayed.

But something didn’t sit right.

I slowed down just slightly and watched them from the corner of my eye.

Till I stopped completely and turned, following them before I could stop myself.

They moved through the quieter parts of the building, the parts with less people, less noise, more space.

I kept my distance, far enough not to be noticed, but close enough not to lose them.

They stopped at a door and I stayed back, watching them, waiting as they went inside.

I didn’t move immediately, I just stared at the door for a second longer.

Then stepped closer, staying just outside, listening and looking around to see if anyone else was coming.

It was a room I had often gone into myself, but this wasn't smart.

I didn’t know how long I stayed there, but the door suddenly flung open and I stepped back immediately..

The guy came out first, but he wasn't looking happy.

I watched as he stormed off and waited for her, but she didn't come out.

I waited and waited, till I finally heard the door shift slightly before seeing her walking out.

She looked distracted, like her mind wasn’t fully here again.

I moved without thinking and lost the distance in seconds as she got close.

Before she could react—

I grabbed her arm and pulled her into the corner.

Myla's POV

The moment I was pulled, everything snapped inside me.

My back hit the wall before I could react and a sharp breath left my chest as panic shot through me instantly.

My heart slammed hard against my ribs.

My first instinct was to fight.

My hands came up immediately, pushing against whatever had grabbed me, my body tensing, ready to break free—

“Stop.”

The voice cut through in a low and sharp tone. But that wasn't all, it was familiar, one I had heard just a few hours ago.

I froze with my breathing coming out heavily and painfully as I struggled to calm the nerves that had spiked just seconds ago.

I lifted my head slowly to those familiar dark eyes, to Blake.

For a second, my body didn’t register anything, my heart still stayed on edge, still ready to react, cause nothing about this felt normal.

Nothing about him felt… steady. Seeing him so soon after what I'd just read about him made my heart bleed for him.

It made everything about him make sense, why he was always clouded, why he stayed to himself.

No one should ever be allowed to go through what he did.

A part of me wished I could take it away.

His grip on my arm loosened slightly till he let go.

I didn’t move, didn’t step away immediately. I just stared at him.

I pulled my brows together instantly, waving my hands in the air as I regained myself.

“What are you doing?” I asked with my voice coming out lower than I expected, but still edged with the fear that hadn’t fully left yet.

He didn’t answer that, didn’t even look at my eyes fully.

He turned away from me, looking around and checking everything else around us.

After checking what he wanted, he turned back to me sharply. “You went in there,” he said.

I gulped. That wasn't a question.

My chest tightened slightly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied quickly. Too quickly even for me.

His expression didn’t change. “I saw you.”

Silence followed as the words sat between us heavily.

I held his gaze for a second longer, then looked away briefly, flexing my jaw. Shit.

“I wasn’t doing anything,” I said, accepting defeat. “I just—”

“Don’t,” he cut in and I stopped immediately.

His tone dropped slightly. “Don’t say that to me.”

I frowned faintly. “Say what?”

“That you weren’t doing anything,” he said. “We both know what you were looking for.”

My fingers curled slightly at my sides. More shit.

“And what does it matter to you?” I asked.

And his eyes didn’t waver a bit “I’m not here to question you,” he said flatly.

“Then what are you here for?” I pushed.

He didn’t answer immediately, he just stared at me, flexing his jaw and twitching his arms.

I shook my head and scoffed. “Exactly.”

He let out a light breath, like he was already done with the conversation. “You shouldn’t be doing it like that,” he whispered.

I blinked. “Doing what?”

“Whatever it is you think you’re doing,” he replied. “That way? It’s careless.”

My irritation flared slightly. “Careless?”

“Yes.”

I let out a quiet, disbelieving breath. “I wasn’t even—”

“I saw you, anyone else did and you are in big trouble,” he repeated.

My jaw tightened and for a second, I considered denying it again.

But there was no point. Not when he was standing here like this, not when he already knew.

“I was just checking something,” I said instead.

And his gaze sharpened slightly. “What?”

I hesitated. Then shrugged faintly. “Nothing important.”

He stared at me silently without making a move.

He didn’t believe that. I could see it.

“Don’t give me that,” he said.

“Give you what?”

“Give me this little show that you didn’t find anything,” he replied.

I held his gaze and said nothing. I wasn’t going to tell him anything.

Not like that. Not when I didn’t even understand it myself yet.

His eyes narrowed slightly. Then he stepped back just a little.

“Fine,” he muttered. “Keep it.”