Chapter 47 – Midnight Trespass
Sam's POV
The air in Dorm 9 felt heavier after Declan’s little stunt in the hallway. Mason hadn’t looked me in the eye all day, and Elias… well, Elias had been watching me closer than ever, like he was waiting for me to trip.
But none of that mattered. Not tonight.
Tonight, I was going hunting.
Mason had slipped more than he realized. “Not in plain sight.” That was all I needed. I’d been mapping out the dorm in my head for weeks, memorizing locked doors, cameras, and routines. And there was one spot that kept nagging at me—an old archive room on the basement level, labeled “Restricted – Authorized Staff Only.”
Of course, that label only made me want to get in more.
I waited until the clock struck past two in the morning. The dorm was silent except for the occasional creak of pipes and the low hum of the boiler. Elias was out cold—or at least, pretending to be. Either way, I slipped from my bed, pulling on my hoodie, and crept toward the hall.
“Where the hell are you going?”
I jumped so hard I almost knocked over the chair. Elias’s voice was low, rough from sleep. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching me.
“Bathroom,” I lied quickly.
He arched an eyebrow. “With a flashlight and your shoes on?”
I cursed under my breath. “None of your business.”
“It is if you’re sneaking off at two in the morning,” Elias shot back. He pushed off the wall and stepped closer. “Sam. Where?”
I hesitated. If I told him the truth, he’d either stop me or follow me. And both options were bad.
“I need air,” I muttered.
“At this hour?”
“Yes,” I snapped, then softened my voice. “Look, I can’t sleep. That’s all.”
Elias studied me for a long, heavy moment, then sighed. “Fine. But I’m coming with you.”
My stomach dropped. “No. Stay here.”
He smirked. “Not a chance.”
And just like that, I had an unwanted shadow.
We moved through the silent dorm, every footstep sounding like a gunshot to me. Elias was annoyingly calm, hands in his pockets, while I kept glancing over my shoulder like we’d be caught any second.
Finally, we reached the basement. The air was colder here, stale with dust and something metallic. My flashlight beam skimmed over cracked tiles and old pipes.
“Sam,” Elias whispered. “What the hell are we doing down here?”
“Exploring.”
He gave me a flat look. “Exploring my ass. You’ve got that face again.”
“What face?”
“The face you get when you’re lying.”
I scowled. “You don’t know my faces.”
“Don’t I?” He leaned closer, his voice dropping. “Because lately, it feels like all I do is watch them.”
My heart thudded harder than it should’ve. I tore my gaze away, shining the flashlight down the hall until I found the door I was looking for.
Restricted.
Bingo.
Elias followed my line of sight. “Oh no. Nope. No way.”
“Stay here,” I whispered.
“Like hell,” he hissed. “Sam, that’s staff-only. You’ll get expelled—”
“Then don’t follow me.”
I moved fast before he could stop me, crouching at the door. The lock was old—rusted, with a keyhole big enough to pick if you had the patience. Lucky for me, I’d been practicing.
“Sam,” Elias whispered urgently, glancing around. “Do you have any idea what’s in there?”
“Hopefully the truth,” I muttered, working the paperclip I’d bent earlier into the lock.
“The truth about what?”
I froze for half a second, then kept picking. “Nothing.”
“Bullshit,” Elias said softly. “You’re chasing something, and it’s going to get you killed.”
Click. The lock gave way.
My pulse spiked as I pushed the door open. Dust rushed out, thick and choking. Inside, the room was lined with old filing cabinets, shelves stacked with boxes, and a single desk covered in folders.
Elias swore under his breath. “Jesus. What even is this?”
I stepped inside, heart racing. “Exactly what I need.”
We searched in silence, or at least, I pretended to search while Elias muttered about rules and consequences. My hands shook as I rifled through folders, half-expecting to find my sister’s name on every page.
Then—something.
A slim, black binder, tucked in the bottom drawer of the desk. Different from the dusty files around it. Newer. Cleaner.
My fingers trembled as I pulled it out.
“What’s that?” Elias asked sharply.
I swallowed. “I don’t know.”
“Sam—”
I ignored him, flipping the binder open. My breath hitched.
Inside were photos. Pages of them. Students. Some I recognized from the dorm, some I didn’t. Each had notes scribbled underneath—dates, times, details. Things no one should know.
“This is it,” I whispered.
Elias leaned over my shoulder, his breath warm against my ear. “Holy shit.”
One page in particular made my stomach drop. A girl’s face stared back at me, her smile frozen in time. My sister.
No notes. Just her photo.
I couldn’t breathe.
“Sam…” Elias’s voice softened. “What is this?”
I snapped the binder shut, my voice shaking. “We need to get out of here.”
“Wait—”
“No, now,” I hissed, shoving the binder back where I found it. My heart was hammering so loud I was sure it would wake the whole dorm.
But as I turned, I froze.
The door was open.
And someone was standing there.
Declan Ward.
His shadow filled the doorway, a slow grin spreading across his face.
“Well, well,” he drawled, his voice soft and dangerous. “Looks like Dorm 9 has a couple of night owls.”
Elias swore under his breath. My stomach dropped to my knees.
Trapped.