Chapter 10 Online Webs and Whispers
Mia opened her laptop the next morning, the decision from last night firm in her mind. The forum was her only real lead, so she started to search. She typed in Silas’s name and began to read, scrolling through gossip and old threads, looking for anything useful.
But after an hour, all she had was a headache. The posts were just a flood of useless rumors. She found silly debates about whether his silence was mysterious or just arrogant, speculations about his family's supposed "old money," and gossip about which girls he might have dated. It was all surface-level noise that told her nothing about what he was truly capable of. She knew this wouldn't be enough to force his hand.
The truth was, actually setting the trap was proving harder than she’d thought. She couldn’t just walk up to Silas and accuse him—she needed something solid, something that would make him reveal himself without realizing what he was doing.
Later that day, she'd been watching him at rehearsals, searching for any crack in that icy exterior, but he was the same as always—cold, precise, completely unreadable. It was like their confrontation in the library had never happened. The stillness was more unnerving than anger would have been.
She needed to understand him better. Know his world, his connections, the people around him. But his circle was tight, exclusive, the kind of group that looked at her like she was an intruder even when she was standing right there. Her casual questions were met with blank stares or smooth deflections.
She was in the theater’s cramped backstage office, staring at a wall covered in rehearsal schedules and prop lists, when Elara found her.
“Mia, thank god.” Elara looked unusually frazzled, a small frown creasing her normally perfect face. She dropped into the chair across from Mia and ran her hands through her honey-blonde hair. “I’m drowning in director duties. Could you help me with something? It’s about Silas.”
Mia’s entire body went on alert. “What about him?”
“It’s the school forum,” Elara said, her tone mixing annoyance with genuine concern. “There’s this whole thread about him that’s just… awful. People saying terrible things. That he gets into fights with townies at bars, that he’s been disciplined by the school before.” She leaned forward, her eyes earnest. “I know he’s not like that. He’s just intense, you know? But people love drama.”
She slid her laptop across the desk. “I have moderator access for the drama club section, but the main posts are in general chat. Could you help me find the worst ones and report them? Get them taken down? I just don’t have time to go through everything.”
Mia’s mind raced. This was perfect—direct access to everything people were saying about Silas, handed to her on a silver platter. She could play a helpful friend while actually investigating.
“Of course,” Mia said, pulling the laptop toward her. “It's horrible that people spread rumors like that. I’ll take care of it.”
Elara’s smile was pure relief. “You’re a lifesaver. I knew I could count on you.” She stood to leave, then paused, touching Mia’s shoulder. “He’s a good person, Mia. People just don’t understand him.”
The moment the door clicked shut, Mia’s fingers flew across the keyboard. She navigated to the St. Augustine’s forum and typed “Silas Voss” into the search bar.
The results flooded the screen. There were posts about bar fights at a place called The Grotto, complete with blurry photos of Silas being held back by bouncers. Rumors about academic probation. Whispers about his family’s money problems. It was a complete catalog of his worst moments.
She started reporting the most inflammatory posts…her cover story, while actually reading everything. She scrolled through page after page, her eyes scanning for anything useful, any detail that connected to Ethan.
Then she found it.
A post from months ago, buried deep in the thread. The subject line was simple: “Does anyone know what happened between Voss and Sullivan?”
Her heart stopped. She clicked.
The original poster, anonymous, had written: Heard Voss and that bio major Ethan Sullivan got into it again outside the science building. Sullivan was always trying to give Voss advice he clearly didn’t want. Someone said Sullivan told him to stop the late-night ‘research’ or he’d get himself expelled. Voss did NOT take it well.
The comment below it made her blood run cold: “Yeah, Sullivan was always on his case. They were roommates freshman year. Sullivan probably knew where all the bodies were buried. Too bad he’s not around to talk about it anymore.”
Mia sat back, the air rushing out of her lungs. Late-night research. The secret biology books. Ethan hadn’t just known Silas—he’d been close enough to be worried about him, to know about his secret activities. He’d tried to intervene.
And for that, he’d become a threat.
This wasn’t random violence. This was calculated. Ethan knew too much, so Silas had eliminated him.
When Elara returned an hour later, Mia was still staring at the screen, her mind spinning.
“Any luck?” Elara asked, looking over her shoulder.
Mia quickly minimized the browser window, keeping her face neutral. “I reported most of the bad ones. Should help.”
She turned in her chair to face Elara directly. “Some of those posts were pretty specific though. About the fights, the discipline… Are you sure you know everything about him?” She chose her words carefully. “I just worry about you. Maybe don’t trust him completely?”
Elara’s response was a light laugh. She waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, Mia, you’re so sweet to worry. But it’s just gossip. People are jealous.” She leaned in with a conspiratorial whisper. “Besides, every girl loves a bad boy with a mysterious past. It’s part of his charm.”
She winked, effectively ending the conversation. “You’re a sweetheart for helping. I owe you!”
As Elara swept out humming to herself, Mia was left with a cold knot in her stomach. Elara’s willful blindness was frustrating, but it was also dangerous. She refused to see what was right in front of her.
But Mia had seen it. In the library, in the toxicology books, and now in forgotten forum posts. Ethan had probably tried to stop Silas’s dangerous research. He’d known too much.
And now he was dead.
She turned back to the laptop, scrolling through more posts, searching for anything else useful. The forum was a goldmine of information if you knew what to look for. People said things online they’d never say to someone’s face.
As she continued reading, one more post caught her attention—newer than the others, posted just a week ago, and something about it made her pause, made her lean closer to the screen to read every single word.