Chapter 13
768words
Outside, the air still crackled with whispers and dread, but inside, it was silent. Heavy.
Zee stood by the window, arms folded, eyes sharp like she was watching something none of them could see. Lucas leaned against the far wall, arms crossed, jaw tense. Ben sat on the edge of the lower bunk, hands steepled beneath his chin. Alex paced.
The security had just left—off to “search the area” or “gather evidence” or whatever excuse they needed to look busy while being totally useless.
Jarred was dead.
Slaughtered.
And Lucas was still a suspect in more than a few eyes.
They had no time to waste.
Alex finally stopped pacing. “This is insane. Someone did that to Jarred and just—what? Disappeared? You don’t carve someone open like a fruit and vanish into thin air.”
Lucas scoffed. “Whoever it was didn’t just vanish. They planned this. It’s a setup.”
Ben nodded slowly. “I believe that. It was too clean. Too theatrical.”
Alex turned toward Zee now. “You’ve been too quiet. What are you thinking?”
Zee’s eyes flicked to Lucas, then Ben. Both of them gave her the tiniest nods—go on.
She let out a slow breath. “I’m going to tell you something... that stays in this room. No one else. Ever.”
Alex raised a brow, suspicious, but intrigued. “Okay…”
“I can read minds,” Zee said calmly.
Not a twitch. Not a breath.
Alex blinked. “I’m sorry. You—what?”
Zee didn’t flinch. “Thoughts. Intentions. Emotions. If someone’s near enough and their thoughts are loud enough, I hear them.”
Alex looked to Ben. “She’s serious?”
Ben nodded once. “Dead serious. She’s saved my ass more than once with it.”
“And mine,” Lucas added quietly. “She told me the headmistress was lying before she even spoke.”
Alex took a step back, jaw tightening. “That’s… insane.”
Zee met his eyes. “Is it?”
Before he could speak, she whispered, “You’re thinking about that time you stole food during lights-out week and blamed it on your bunkmate… and you still feel guilty.”
Alex froze. His eyes widened. “No one—how the hell—?”
Lucas smirked. “Told you.”
Zee leaned in. “I don’t read minds for fun. I do it when I need to. And right now, I need to.”
Alex ran a hand through his hair. “Damn… okay. I believe you.”
Zee took a step forward. “I’ve been listening since Jarred died. No one in that crowd knew what really happened. No one was thinking I did it. They were guessing. Assuming. Parroting each other.”
Ben’s voice was low. “So whoever killed him… wasn’t in the crowd.”
“Exactly,” Zee nodded. “And that means two things: they’re smart, and they’re hiding close.”
Lucas looked at her now, his voice a near growl. “So what’s the plan, Zee?”
Zee walked to the table in the center of the room and tapped the surface. “We trap them.”
Ben raised an eyebrow. “How?”
Zee’s eyes gleamed. “We bait them. We dangle something they can’t resist.”
Alex crossed his arms. “Like?”
She turned to Lucas. “You.”
Lucas frowned. “Me?”
“They want you framed. You’re the perfect scapegoat: angry, dangerous, mysterious. If they think people are turning against you, they’ll feel safe.”
Ben caught on. “So we act like you’re spiraling.”
“Exactly,” Zee nodded. “You get more aggressive. Maybe even pick a fight or two. Act like you're falling apart. Meanwhile, I keep scanning the crowd, catching the cracks. People always think things they won’t say.”
Alex scratched his chin. “And what about us?”
“You and Ben play the peacekeepers. You try to calm Lucas down in public. Say things like we’re watching him or we’re worried he might lose it. We make it look real.”
Lucas smirked. “You just want an excuse to slap me in front of people, huh?”
Zee shrugged with a sly grin. “Don’t tempt me.”
Ben chuckled, but then his tone shifted. “And when we find them? When you hear their thoughts?”
Zee’s eyes turned cold. “We finish it. Quietly.”
The room went still.
Alex exhaled. “Damn. You’re… scary.”
Zee smiled darkly. “No, Alex. I’m prepared.”
Lucas stepped closer to her, his voice low and meant for her alone. “And you’re mine.”
She glanced at him, her voice even lower. “Damn right I am.”
Ben stood. “Then we start tonight. Split up. Play our roles.”
Alex opened the door, pausing. If this goes wrong, it won’t just be Lucas that takes the fall.
Zee nodded. I know. But if we don’t do this… we’ll be picking up another head in the dirt.
They all exchanged a look. No more fear.
Only fire.
