Chapter 21 Chapter 21
Hailey’s POV
The sun had already begun its descent, casting long orange shadows across the classroom as Benita and I searched frantically through stacks of papers.
“This is taking forever,” Benita groaned, rifling through another pile. “If we don’t find this last piece of the attendance sheet, I’m going to miss my date.”
I glanced at her, noting the anxiety written all over her face. “Just go. I can finish this myself.”
“No way,” she said firmly, shaking her head. “I’m not leaving you here alone to deal with this mess. It’s not fair.”
“Benita, seriously, it’s fine,” I insisted, even though part of me didn’t want her to leave. “You’ve been looking forward to this date all week.”
“And I’ve been your friend longer than that,” she shot back, her tone leaving no room for argument.
We continued searching in tense silence, our fingers growing cramped from sorting through endless papers. The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, making everything feel sterile and oppressive.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I spotted it wedged between two assignment folders.
“Found it!” I exclaimed, holding up the missing attendance sheet triumphantly.
“Thank God,” Benita breathed, practically sagging with relief. “Let’s get out of here.”
We gathered everything, submitted it to Professor Mendez’s office, and practically ran back to the dorm.
The moment we burst through the door, Benita made a beeline for her closet, tossing clothes everywhere in her frantic search for the perfect outfit.
“What do you think?” she asked, holding up a red dress. “Too much?”
“It’s perfect,” I said, sitting on my bed and watching her with a small smile despite everything that had happened today.
She changed quickly, applied her makeup with practiced precision, and was just finishing her hair when the doorbell rang.
“He’s here!” she squealed, checking herself one last time in the mirror.
I followed her to the door, curious to see who had managed to capture Benita’s notoriously picky attention.
When she opened it, a tall man stood there dressed casually but expensively. He had dark hair, sharp features, and an air of quiet confidence that immediately struck me as familiar, though I couldn’t place why.
“Hailey, this is Marco,” Benita said, beaming. “Marco, this is my best friend and roommate, Hailey.”
Marco extended his hand with a polite smile. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too,” I said, shaking his hand. Something about him made me uneasy, though I couldn’t put my finger on what.
“Marco works in security,” Benita explained. “For a really rich person, apparently.”
“It pays the bills,” Marco said with a modest shrug, though his expensive watch suggested it paid much more than that.
They headed out, and I was left alone in the suddenly too-quiet dorm room.
My stomach growled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. I grabbed my jacket and decided to treat myself to dinner at the small restaurant a few blocks away.
The evening air was cool and refreshing as I walked, trying to clear my head of everything that had happened. Sophia’s cruelty, Damien’s protective intensity, the mysterious shadow watching us, it was all too much.
The restaurant was cozy and warm, the smell of fresh bread and herbs greeting me as I walked in. I found a corner booth and ordered without really paying attention to what I was choosing.
I was waiting for my food when someone approached my table.
“Hailey?”
I looked up, and my blood ran cold.
Detective Sarah stood there, looking professional in dark jeans and a blazer, a slight smile on her face.
“Detective,” I said, my voice coming out higher than I intended. “What a… surprise.”
“May I?” she asked, gesturing to the seat across from me.
I wanted to say no, wanted to tell her I was waiting for someone or that I preferred to eat alone. But refusing would look suspicious.
“Sure,” I said weakly.
She slid into the booth, studying me with those sharp, observant eyes that made me feel like she could see right through every lie I’d ever told.
“Quite a coincidence, running into you here,” she said pleasantly.
Was it though? Deep down, I felt like this wasn’t just a chance. Like maybe she’d been following me or waiting for an opportunity to talk to me alone. But I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. Maybe I was just being paranoid.
“Yeah,” I said, forcing a smile. “Small world.”
“Let me buy your dinner,” she offered. “Consider it an apology for startling you the other day.”
“You don’t have to….”
“I insist,” she said, her tone friendly but firm.
My food arrived, and she ordered coffee for herself. We made small talk for a few minutes, surface-level conversation about school but I could feel her building up to something.
Finally, she leaned forward slightly, her expression growing more serious.
“Hailey, I wanted to talk to you about something,” she said quietly. “The men who attacked you, the Fanged Bandits. We found them.”
My fork froze halfway to my mouth. “You… found them?”
“Yes,” she said, watching my reaction carefully. “They’re dead. All of them. Executed, from what we can tell.”
The restaurant suddenly felt too hot, too close. My heart was hammering so hard I was sure she could hear it.
“That’s… terrible,” I managed to say, setting down my fork because my hands were shaking too much to hold it steady.
“You don’t seem surprised,” Detective Morrison observed, her eyes never leaving my face.
“I’m shocked,” I said quickly, maybe too quickly. “I just… I don’t know what to say.”
“Hailey,” she said gently, leaning even closer. “If you know something, anything about what happened to those men, you need to tell me. This is a murder investigation now.”
“I don’t know anything,” I said, my voice cracking slightly. The lie tasted bitter on my tongue. “I already told you everything. There was a shootout, and I ran. That’s all.”
She studied me for a long moment, and I could see the doubt in her eyes. My nervous energy, my shaking hands, the way I couldn’t quite meet her gaze, it was all giving me away.
“Hailey….”
“I need some air,” I said abruptly, sliding out of the booth. “I’m sorry, I just… I need to go.”
“Wait,” Detective Morrison said, standing as well. “Hailey, if you’re in danger…..”
“I’m not,” I said, backing toward the door. “I’m fine. I just… please. Stay away from me.”
I turned and practically ran out of the restaurant, gulping in the cool night air as panic clawed at my chest.
They were dead. All of them.
And Damien had done it.
I walked quickly back toward my dorm, my mind racing. I needed to get home, lock the door, and figure out what to do.
But as I approached my building, something made me stop.
The door to my dorm was slightly ajar.
I always locked it. Always.
My heart dropped into my stomach as I moved closer, dread pooling in my gut.
The doorknob had been tampered with, scratches around the lock suggesting someone had forced it open. And when I looked down, I saw muddy footprints leading from the door to the window, which was now open, curtains billowing in the breeze.