Chapter 37 It was supposed to be about posters...

Chapter 37 It was supposed to be about posters...
Zeke’s POV
Lila and I needed supplies to design the posters for our master plan so we hit the art department like criminals on a time limit. 
Lila went straight for the shelves while I played lookout, pretending to be deeply fascinated by a half-finished papier-mâché giraffe. The teacher barely looked up as Lila and I grabbed whatever we could get our hands on; poster boards stacked under a table, black and red markers markers, paint bottles, glue sticks that were already half dead, scissors that barely cut, rolls of twine for reasons I didn’t question, a box of stencils someone had clearly abandoned, and a handful of brushes that still smelled faintly of turpentine. 

I half expected someone to stop us. No one did. Teachers at Hollowbridge had a talent for minding their business when they really shouldn’t. We bolted into an empty classroom down the hall. I shut the door behind us, heart thudding, while Lila dumped everything onto a desk like she was unloading contraband. I leaned against another desk, catching my breath. 

“So,” I said, nodding at the mess. “Where do we start?”
Lila picked up a marker, twirled it between her fingers. “Message first. If the message sucks, the design won’t save it.”
“Harsh,” I said. “But fair.” She crouched over the poster board, sketching light guidelines. I watched her for a second, she always looked calmer when she was working, like her thoughts finally lined up. “The orphanage,” I said quietly. “You were there again yesterday, right?”

Her hands stopped. Just… stopped. “Yeah,” she said. There was something in her voice tight, like a thread pulled too far.
“How’s it going?” I asked.
She laughed once, short and humorless. “Depends what you mean by going.” She leaned back against the desk, crossing her arms like she was cold. “We’re running out of space. Again. Three new kids this week.”
I frowned. “Three?”
She nodded. “A toddler. Two siblings. Someone left them behind the grocery store. Said they couldn’t afford food anymore, so at least the kids might eat if they were abandoned.”
My stomach dropped.

“They didn’t even come inside,” she continued. “Just… left them. Like you’d leave a box you couldn’t carry.” Her eyes flicked away from mine. “There’s a boy there,” she said after a moment. “Six years old. He sleeps with his shoes on because he thinks his parents are coming back for him. He doesn’t want to be ‘unready.’” Her voice cracked on the last word.
I opened my mouth. Closed it again. “People think parents abandon their kids because they don’t care,” she said. “But most of them are just… desperate. Jobs don’t exist here. Food’s expensive. Rent’s a joke. So they make the worst choice because it feels like the only one.” She swallowed hard, pressing her thumb into her palm. “We don’t have enough beds. Or blankets. Or medicine. Some nights I just sit there counting breaths, hoping no one gets sick because we can’t afford another clinic visit.” Silence filled the room.

“Lila…” I said softly. “Isn’t there something I can do to help”
She looked at me then. Her eyes were red, but she was smiling anyway. “I’ll figure it out,” she said, even though her voice wavered. “I always do.”
I grinned back to cheer her up. “Y’know, you’re a really great person－”
A loud ruckus cut me off. Footsteps. Shouting. Someone laughing way too loudly. Lila’s head snapped up. We locked eyes. Without a word, we scrambled. She swept the poster boards under a desk while I shoved the paint and markers into a cabinet, slamming it shut just as the noise got closer. I straightened, heart pounding.
“You think Zerran found out?” I asked under my breath.
Lila swallowed. “Only one way to know.”

I hesitated, then opened the door. A group of students rushed past us, buzzing with excitement . “What are you guys doing here?” one of them called over her shoulder. “You’re missing all the fun.”
Lila frowned. “What fun?”
The girl snorted. “The two-eyed freak’s at it again. He’s got some girl hanging off the roof. Principal Dane should’ve kicked that psycho out ages ago.” And just like that, they were gone. I sighed. “There’s always drama in this school. At least it’s not what we were expecting, so let’s just get back to－”

Lila grabbed my sleeve. Hard. “We have to stop him,” she said, fear sharp in her eyes. “Ilyas, before he kills someone.” Before I could respond, she was already pulling me toward Building C. The crowd was massive. I shoved past another student, barely registering the curses thrown my way, my eyes fixed on the terrace above. Two figures stood there; one tall, rigid, the other barely moving. Lila let out a shaky breath and looked up. So did I.
“Zeke…” Lila whispered. Her voice cracked. I followed her gaze properly this time. Ginger hair. Small frame. Air snagged in my chest. “No,” I muttered. “No－”
Lila’s fingers trembled around mine. “That’s Hazel,” she said, fear cracked her voice. “That’s Hazel.”
The world tilted. Lila’s voice broke. “Hazel oh no…” Panic flooded her face as she started screaming. “ILLY! ILYAS, PLEASE! DON’T DROP HER! PLEASE CALM DOWN!”
The crowd swallowed her voice whole. Phones were raised. People were laughing. Some were chanting like this was a show. I felt sick. I shouted too, my throat burning. “HEY! DON’T YOU DARE DROP HER!”
Nothing. He didn’t react. Not even a flicker. Lila was shaking now, tears streaming as she kept begging him to stop, to listen, to come back to himself. I couldn’t stand there. 

“I’m getting help,” I said, already running. I sprinted to Principal Dane’s office. Empty. My heart sank. Blood drops stained the tiles leading inside. “Are you kidding me?” I breathed. “Where the hell are you－ where’s Evie?”
I ran back, heart hammering. Lila was still screaming his name, her hands clenched into fists like that alone could hold Hazel up. I stared at the terrace again. Hazel wasn’t moving. Neither was Ilyas. My chest tightened painfully. 

I wondered if I should just go up there myself and stop him, but if he’s really as crazy as the rumors claim him to be, he might just push both Hazel and I down. I whispered, scanning the crowd, the halls, the doors. “Evie… Principal Dane… where the fck are you guys when someone’s about to die?”.
Because that’s exactly what this felt like. Not drama. Not rumors. 
A countdown.