The dorm was quieter than usual. The air felt thick, heavy—like the calm after a storm, except this storm had left wounds instead of rain. The girls sat in their usual circle, but none of them seemed interested in gossip, jokes, or even snacks. The recent events had drained them more than they realized.
Evelyn finally broke the silence. Her voice was soft, hesitant, like she wasn't sure if she should even say what she was thinking.
"Why do I feel like it's not the end?"
Riley leaned back on her palms, eyes staring up at the ceiling. "But the group is dead. Those six girls… all of them are gone now. There's no one left. Right?" She looked around, half-expecting someone to contradict her.
Lemon's gaze was fixed on the board where they had pinned all the pictures and clues. Her fingers drummed lightly on her thigh, mind spinning in circles.
"No," she said at last, her voice sharper than expected. "It's not the end. It doesn't feel like the end."
She stood up, walked toward the board, and stared at Laven's photo for a moment longer.
"It feels like the beginning of something darker."
The others didn't reply, but their silence said enough. No one truly believed it was over. There were still too many unanswered questions. And the most important one—who?—remained a mystery.
Later that day, the girls made their way to the university lab. They had some pending work that needed submission, and the lab was the only place quiet enough to allow their thoughts to float freely.
Lemon sat by her assigned station, eyes glued to the screen, but her mind was elsewhere. She typed in a few commands, then stopped. Her fingers froze midair. Her eyes zoned out completely.
Scarlett noticed first.
"Uh-oh," she smirked. "Somebody's gone again."
Hazel leaned in from the next seat. "Lemon? You good?"
Riley grinned and nudged her gently. "Thinking about someone? Maybe a certain boy who checks in on you like a worried dad?"
Autumn chimed in without looking up. "Leon."
The name snapped Lemon out of her thoughts. She blinked rapidly and turned to face them, flustered.
"What? No! I was just… thinking about the case!"
"Sure." Evelyn drawled, dragging the word. "Thinking about how well his hair looked on that video call?"
Lemon rolled her eyes, but the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her. She shook her head and returned to her work, but her thoughts had already drifted away again. And they weren't wrong.
Leon's POV
I sat in my car, parked just outside the small grocery store he had stopped at. A half-empty cup of coffee rested in the holder. The windows fogged slightly, but my mind was a bigger storm than the weather outside.
Lemon.
I had been thinking about her constantly these past few days. The way her brows furrowed when she was focused. The way her voice trembled when she got emotional but still tried to act strong. The way she pushed everyone away just enough to keep them safe, but not far enough to feel alone.
She was a mystery. A confident, clever, bold mystery.
My heart wanted to tell her everything. How I admired her courage. How I wanted to protect her from all the horrors they were uncovering.
But then came the hesitation.
She's strong. She doesn't need anyone. What if I just embarrass myself? What if she laughs it off?
I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the car seat. His fingers tapped on the steering wheel nervously.
What if I'm just a temporary character in her life while she's solving something way bigger than me?
My brain kept throwing logic at me, walls built on fear of rejection. But my heart… it didn't care. It only said one thing:
Tell her before it's too late.
Back at the lab, Lemon stared at her laptop. Her screen was blank again. Not because she was distracted, but because a message notification popped up.
[Leon]: Did you eat anything today? Or are you still living on coffee and crackers?
She smiled. A soft, genuine one. Not many people checked on her like that anymore.
[Lemon]: Crackers are a food group. But fine. I'll eat something.
She didn't notice the eyes watching her from across the room, but Scarlett did.
"She's smiling at her screen again."
"Yep. That's Leon," Autumn chuckled.
"At this point, they're a drama couple," Riley added, half-laughing. "When are they gonna kiss under the rain or something?"
Lemon shook her head with a laugh, cheeks faintly pink.
"You guys are impossible."
But even as she said it, she couldn't stop the little flutter in her chest. Something about Leon's texts felt like a pause in the madness. Like a secret corner where the world was still kind.