Zara hadn't spoken to Theo since the photo.
She wanted to. Needed to. But every time she picked up her phone to text or call, her fingers froze.
They were watching.
Everything.
Jaxon had warned her not to trust anyone. But Theo? He was different. Wasn't he?
Still… that picture.
It hadn't just been proof they were being followed it was a warning. And warnings like that didn't come unless someone was getting close to the truth.
Or unless someone was playing both sides.
In the dead silence of her dorm, Zara plugged in the USB drive and waited.
Her laptop screen flickered to life, showing a single folder labeled:
"Buried Names."
She clicked it open.
Photos. Newspaper clippings. Redacted student records. A list of missing girls not two, but six. All different years. All labeled "Transferred" by the school.
And in one file ripped from a 2016 student report she found something that made her stomach drop.
A grainy photo of a school assembly. In the front row, young Jaxon.
And seated beside him?
Isla.
The missing girl.
Her head tilted toward him like she was laughing. His hand almost brushing hers. They looked like… friends. Maybe more.
And standing behind them, in the blurred background, was a man in a tailored suit
Victor Blackthorne.
Jaxon's father.
Zara's pulse quickened.
She picked up her phone and called Jaxon.
He answered on the second ring, his voice low. "You okay?"
"You didn't tell me your dad knew Isla," she said, barely above a whisper.
Silence.
Then, "I didn't know he did."
They met in the art wing empty after hours, the smell of turpentine thick in the air. The walls were covered in student paintings, but it felt like they were the ones being watched.
Zara showed him the photo.
Jaxon stared for a long time.
"That's his ring," he said suddenly. "On his finger. The Blackthorne crest. He never wore it outside of family events."
"Then what was he doing there?" she asked. "And why was Isla with you?"
He shook his head. "We weren't dating. I mean, not officially. But she was close. And she asked questions. About my family. My father. Then she disappeared."
Zara's voice cracked. "What if your dad"
"No," Jaxon cut in. "I know my father. He's a liar, a manipulator, and a monster in a silk tie. But he wouldn't kill a teenage girl."
"Are you sure?" she whispered.
He looked at her, jaw set. "No."
Outside, they parted ways but Zara didn't go straight back to her dorm.
She needed to clear her head.
She took the long way around, cutting through the sports field, hugging her jacket tighter against the wind.
That's when she noticed the figure standing at the far end of the bleachers.
Motionless.
Watching.
Her steps slowed. "Hello?"
The figure didn't move.
Zara's heart thundered. She turned to run but a hand grabbed her wrist from behind.
She screamed
"Zara, it's me!"
It was Theo.
Breathless. Wide-eyed.
"I've been looking for you someone's after me."
She backed away. "Then why are you sneaking around in the dark?"
He swallowed hard. "Because I think I know who's next."
Zara's chest tightened. "Who?"
Theo looked straight at her.
"You."