“Evening, sir,” Saint said, his eyes full of malice. He did not like getting detention at all. And that made it all the more gratifying to watch.
Monroe jumped down from the bench, striding toward us with no patience in his expression. He had something gripped in his hand and he reached forward, taking my arm and strapping on a black fitness watch with a square screen. He tossed the rest to the others and I felt his fingers lingering on my skin for a long moment after they were gone.
“You’re all going to do a lap of the entire campus. Your watches are set to the same route. Follow it,” he growled. “The route will finish back here at this bench where I’ll be waiting for you.” He smirked. “If you’re not back here within two hours, you can do this all over again tomorrow. Is everyone clear?”
“Yes, sir,” I said in time with the others. It might have been a long ass run, but it beat hanging out with the Night Keepers for the duration of this detention. Little mercies and all.
“Good. Your time starts…now,” Monroe announced and all of our watches beeped as the run started. I checked the map and headed back in the direction we’d come while Kyan and Blake fell into pace with me on both sides, fucking flanking me, while Saint followed right behind my back.
I gritted my jaw, ignoring them as I jogged on, waiting for them to pull ahead and leave me behind, but they just kept with me like goddamn hounds.
I tried slowing my pace, but they just fell back to match it and I huffed in annoyance.
As the map guided us off of the main path up a track to the right, we headed into the trees and Blake’s arm brushed my right while Kyan’s brushed my left.
“Now,” Saint hissed and Kyan collided with me, whirling me back against a tree, making my heart lurch into my throat. The three of them closed in on me and my breathing came faster and faster.
“What the fuck?” I spat, my heart jack-hammering as they surrounded me.
As one, they all shed their watches, grabbed my wrists and tightened the straps around my arms.
“Enjoy our run, Cinders,” Blake said with a dark laugh. “We’ll meet you before you reach Monroe again and you can tell him how much fun we all had running together.”
Kyan pushed me up the path as the others stood back then he slapped my ass. “Yah pony!”
I growled my rage, wanting smack his damn face but before I could even get my thoughts in order, the three of them turned, running back to the main path and darting out of sight in the direction of The Temple.
I clenched my jaw then started jogging again, cursing them with every name under the sun as I hurried up the dark track.
After a while, it felt good to be working out the tension in my muscles at least. And I supposed I had gotten my wish of some alone time, so there was that. In fact, apart from the chilling hoot of an owl in the distance, this was pretty damn sweet. And after living in a house with three monsters for days on end, I knew I didn’t need to fear being alone in the woods. It was having company in the woods that worried me most these days.
I soon fell into the rhythm of my feet pounding along the track and I wished I had my headphones with me to listen to music on my phone.
The track curved down towards Aspen Halls at the head of campus and my feet hit a solid path again as I followed the map around the huge gothic building towards the main gate.
I spotted the football team and the rest of the popular crowd sitting on the benches in the courtyard at the back of the building. I saw Mila amongst them and she waved as she caught sight of me, beckoning me over. I raised a hand at her, but my heart twisted as I kept running. I wasn’t going to tarnish her reputation by going over there, even though I appreciated the sentiment. I spotted the Unspeakables on their own table and frowned as Chad McCormack jumped up onto it and started throwing bread on the floor, demanding they pick it up with their mouths and make quacking noises. The worst feeling of all was when they did it.
Just as I was nearing the front corner of the halls, a figure stepped around it and I crashed into them full speed. I grabbed his arm before he hit the ground and blurted an apology.
Bait was seriously recognisable with the landing strip carved through the centre of his hair and my gut twinged with guilt for me putting it there.
“Sorry, are you alright?” I asked and he laughed nervously, patting himself down as if to check.
“I think I’m all intact, Pla – ah – Tatum.”
“It’s good to see you,” I said earnestly.
“You too.” He stepped past me, glancing around as if expecting the Night Keepers to appear at any moment. “Goodnight,” he said before hurrying off down the path toward the rest of the Unspeakables. My gut sank with disappointment as I watched him go. A conversation would have been nice, but I guessed whatever had been left of the guy’s balls had been lopped off the second my escape plan had failed us. I still felt shitty about that. But I mostly felt pissed at Sneak’s mom for abandoning us.
I headed around the building to where the gravel drive stretched out towards the gate, glancing wistfully that way as I pictured the freedom that lived beyond it. This place had become my prison. And I couldn’t imagine a time when those gates would be open and I could step out of them freely.
A foot crunching against gravel caught my attention and I slowed to a halt, a shard of ice sliding smoothly down my spine.
I looked towards the gate once more and I could have sworn there was movement in the thickness of the shadows.
My breathing came unevenly as a guy moved up to the gate, clearly unaware of me as he slid his hands around the bars and rattled it. My throat dried up as I took in the sinister expression on his face. He had dark, torn jeans on and a check shirt that didn’t marry with anyone on campus. He wasn’t a student and he definitely wasn’t a teacher.
Where are the damn guards?
“Hey!” I called out to him and he looked up in surprise before darting back into the darkness.
My heart shuddered in my chest as I stared at the gates. For a second it almost looked like the chain wasn’t in place around them. But that couldn’t be right.
I might not have been in a horror movie, but I sure as shit wasn’t gonna go over there and check all the same. The guards would be patrolling. If that asshole came back, they’d catch him.
I wet my lips then jogged on, trying to figure out if I should be worried about that guy or not. I guessed it was a good idea to alert the guards so I brought up the school app on my phone and tapped on the security alert button, shooting them a quick message. As it sent, my shoulders relaxed.
No one could get inside this school. It was a fortress with its high walls and armed security. So why did I feel so on edge?
“Look at this masterpiece,” I said with a sigh as the three of us stood before the toilet paper throne Tatum had built alongside the stained glass window in The Temple. “Seems like such a shame to destroy it.”
“Pfft,” Saint waved a hand dismissively. “We’re not destroying shit. Six packs will be more than enough to make our point.”
Kyan had that look in his eye which promised trouble. And not just detention level trouble, he was looking for someone to lay into tonight for sure. Hospital trips would be required, therapy sessions in later life, the works. I just had to wonder who his target was, because going after Headmaster Brown seemed like the perfect way to get his ass hauled off to juvie. But as far as I knew, we weren’t going to be getting close to anyone else unless he had some other trouble planned.