Closing my locker door, I dropped my bag over my shoulder and turned towards the quick clashing footsteps I kept hearing. Furrowing my eyebrows, I realized it was part time for lectures. The hallway was empty too. Who could it be at this time?

I checked around for any students but I only found myself alone in this silent hallway. I could only hear Mt breath and those fuzzy footsteps ahead of me. As the crevices of my eyebrows curved, I slowly walked towards the noise. I quickly hid behind a wall when I saw two silhouettes.

  From their positions, I could tell it wasn't a friendly one. It was almost as if they were fighting. Dragging the other, the two moved quietly deeper into the hall. I turned around quickly and tiptoed following them from behind. 

It was when we got closer to the principal's office that I got the more curious. Two security guards began to walk over but I noticed them moving back when the pursuer pulled out a badge.

  "Stay back! Don't you know who I am?!" Spotting the school authority's badge in his hands, they stepped back and lowered their heads apologetically. "Sorry! We apologize Manager."

  As I stood behind the wall, my ears twitched from whatever I was hearing. Why would a manager grab someone from the school like that? Curious, I turned around to check more. The guards moved back and continued their patrols. As I tried to peep out from the wall, I saw the principal.

Before I could expose my presence from the surprise, I closed my mouth with my eyes widened. When I saw her companion, my heart sank in my chest. It was a young man though, but his hands arrested her by her neck. Dragging her to the office, he threw cautious eyes around to avoid tipping himself off.

Maintaining my posture, I moved away from the wall and followed them from behind. It was when they got to the door that I stepped back towards another wall to hide myself. "Get in!" the man yelled. My eyes started to flicker hearing his voice again. It was very familiar. Moreover, it was a croaky voice which could get you shaking in your knees. When he threw his last gaze around, I saw his face clearly.

"Wait. It's Ian!" I gasped as fear got the best of me. Getting hold of me, I was  rendered numb and immobile to neither call out for help or try to help. What was he doing in my school. Had he found out that I study her already? Or was he going to kill her? I can't let this happen!

Taking a deep breath, I rushed back to the locker room and threw my books into it hurriedly. After picking a pepper spray, I dashed back towards her office. I scuttled towards her office as he pulled her away, covering her mouth. He opened the door and banged it enclosing them for privacy.

  I quickly marched to the door and looked around for a window to pass through. But from the looks of this structure, I was sure the windows were out, probably around the garden site.

I moved to the window outside and tried to open it up. While trying to figure out how to help her, I heard a loud scream from her with a breaking glass sound. "What do you want want now?! Isn't it enough that I've given you numerous girls to feed on?" she retorted trying to move away from his grasp.

As my jaw dropped, my eyes started to flicker on shock. Did I hear her just right? She's been giving out girls to him? Did that include Amy Sparks? Was that why she tried to pin her murder on me?

With my mouth wide open in shock, my grip on the window quickly loosened up. "No! I want someone. I believe she's in your school. I'll spare you if you threaten her and make her give the items to you. About her grades, another murder suspect, anything!" he said. Staring at him in awe, she shook her head. 

"Why don't you do that yourself? Clara's too smart. She has backups, including that police officer from the other day." Grabbing her hair,he encased both her hands and threw her against the wall.

She wriggled, screeching in pain as she struggled to get back on her feet. Pulling her hair, he lowered his head over her neck. She quickly pushed him away breathing heavily. She managed to free herself with a second push from him looking away.

"This school belongs to me! I know everything about the students here. After picking you up from the streets, is this how you repay me?" Hitting his fists against the wall, he suddenly turned to get angrily.

She shook her head and squeezed herself in a corner to avoid him. After growing impatient with her attitude, he swiftly moved to her and brought his head around her neck, attempting to bite her.

  "Don't! Please spare me. I'll do what you asked." she pleaded sobbing after turning her head away. With a large smile drawing from the corner of his lips, he stepped back nodding. "Okay. That's how it's done! I'll leave you for today. Don't forget to gather more preys for me this week," he said. Hesitating, she nodded.

  He smiled and tapped her shoulder setting the table like how it was a few minutes back. After running his hand through his hair, he suddenly turned to the table in a haste. Surprised, my hand loosened its grip on the window, landing me on the floor. I quickly scurried to the back as he approached the window.

  When he threw his eyes over the area, he stepped back after a while. "Don't forget to contact him for me. We have a meeting tonight." Nodding again, he walked out of the office and banged the door.

  As she trembled, she took her seat and took heavy breaths. Standing behind the wall, I waited for him to step out of the school before rushing into the school. "Contact who? Is one of his puppets here as a student?"

 I moved behind quickly before he left out. I sighed and screened the hall in desperation. My breath rate increased to the mere thought. Everything made sense now. She knows him and she's selling out girls from our school to save her butt.

Really, now I get why they insisted that I killed Amy Sparks. I would have been sent to him to get myself released from jail. That was his bait! If it weren't for the police officer, his plans would have fallen through.

  A chill run down my spine when I saw Catherine stepping out if a taxi. Her eyes wavered in fear seeing the hoodie man exiting from the school. Stopping by her, he lifted his head and chuckled.

  "Good academic performance. Keep it up!" With this, he placed his hands in his pocket and walked out on her. He was praising her? Why does it feel like she didn't see it as such?

As I threw my back to the wall closing my eyes, I heard someone calling out to me in echoes. Swiftly tracing the direction of the voice, I saw Jess waving at me."Clara! What are you doing here? It's time for Biology," Jess alluded, waving her hands at my face to draw me back from thoughts.

I widened my eyes nodding continuously. "I thought you're skipping class today." Shaking my head, I saw Catherine walking in. She didn't stop to say any hi and just marched to the locker room. "Let her be. Let's go."

  I followed her to class telling her to walkahead. I hit my head softly with my fingers shaking it continuously. After finding this out, what should I do? Will the students believe me at all? I thought while looking at the cheerful class full of students.

"There she is! It's only Adrian missing now," Patrick exclaimed glaring at the teacher. Hearing about his absence today too was quite a shock to me. I don't know what to expect anymore. I lowered my eyes when everyone began glaring at me.

  "Take your seats now. Is anyone here Adrian Morrison's friend or relative?" The class turned silent. Two of his friends raised their hand to catch his attention. "Alright. Make sure you check up on him."

Just when I proceeded to walk to my seat, I heard someone yell. "There's another one too! She, his girlfriend or should I say his girlfriend," he accentuated pointing to Nathan next. Murmurs began to leak from where he sat to the teacher.

  "It's alright now. That discussion is over. Let's get together for the lecture?" Sighing, they moved their gaze from me to the teacher. He opened his laptop and passed a copy to the screen before lecturing.

"You're late. Nathan's been looking for you. And what's actually going on? Everyone's talking about you double dating," Tricia accentuated, turning to me.

  "They're just rumors. I'm not dating any of them. Can I pay attention?" I asked pointing to the lecturer. She nodded and turned to him to silently. Taking some books from my bag to settle, lectures ended soon. After the lectures, those two boys walked up to me.

Nonetheless, I saw Catherine stepping in before they could talk to me. "Have you heard from him?" They shook their heads making her eyes fall in silence. She nodded and stepped out.  Turning to me, I blinked my eyes holding my bag.

  Why? What was wrong with him? I wonder how they're connected? Is he actually dating her?

"Sorry for the interruption. But could you check up on him in our place. We have a project work out of the city," they asked. Looking at them curiously, Jess retorted, "Don't you know why he's absent too?" Shaking their heads, I folded my lips with a nod. "He's not called us for days now."

"Do you know where he stays?" I added folding my lips. With a sharp nod, Arthur wrote his address on this notebook and tore a part of it for me. "Here." I thanked them and scuttled to the place using my map.

 "What is it," I debated on the call after his several calls. "Can we meet?", he requested. As I run my hand in my hair, I refused his request. "I can't. Stop calling me." I shrugged following the address until I got to a walkway. Why would his house be situated in the woods?

Then I realized the address number on a postal stand close to Max house. I cross checked the description and called Arthur again to confirm.

"It's Clara. Are you sure it's his house address?" I asked. "Yeah, I've never been there.. but it's the same." I cut the call looking at the stand by direction at the other curve. It was the same direction and of Max's here. How is this possible?

Remembering correctly, he came in b-ball practice shorts on time. His absence also coincided with Max. He had the same surname too! Could I be right? After dropping my phone in my bag and marched towards the cottage in the description.

I barged into the cottage shouting out his name but he wasn't in the house. There were books on his table with the same bag he uses, plus a set of basketball and snickers laid under the table. I came out and noticed he was coming from the back hanging some tools.

Stopping by the door after walking in,  surprise drew across his face. To see me and noticing that I had seen everything on his table, his eyes wavered.

  "That,' he stammered trying to explain. I passed my hands in my hair angrily moving back with a short laugh. I was right after all?

"I was such a fool. You're Adrian too? You were using me and made me fall for the same person?!" I screamed. Fuming with anger, I scattered everything on the table on the floor.

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