The sound of chaos faded behind us as we sprinted down the marble hallway, our footsteps muffled by thick carpets and echoing tension.
Ryker pulled ahead, his long strides leading us toward a hidden stairwell behind the east wing—a place only a few knew existed.
"You've been here before," I muttered, following him down the spiral steps.
"I spent my first year learning how to escape this school more than I studied in it," he replied, flashing that signature crooked grin.
We reached a hidden hallway dimly lit by crimson wall sconces. The air was colder here. The walls tighter. It felt like we had stepped into the belly of the university—into its secrets.
---
"You really think you were the target?" Ryker asked, voice steady but low.
"No. I think we are," I replied, slowing as we passed an abandoned surveillance room. Inside, cracked monitors flickered, showing masked students still searching, attacking one another blindly.
Ryker stepped inside and scanned the screens. "They've locked all exits. This isn't just a test. It's a trap."
I walked to a far screen that showed the ballroom from above. My breath caught.
There, in the corner—Professor Vale. His mask gone. Watching. Waiting.
"What game is he playing?" I whispered.
"Not sure," Ryker said, stepping closer. "But I have a feeling he knows exactly who you are."
---
Suddenly, a door creaked open behind us. We both turned, on guard.
Lucian stepped in, hands raised in mock surrender. "Relax, lovebirds. I'm not here to shoot anyone. Yet."
I raised a brow. "You're following us?"
Lucian grinned. "More like... tailing the most interesting spy in the school."
Ryker rolled his eyes. "Of course you are."
Lucian walked over to the monitors. "You're both thinking too small. This isn't about you. This is about the King cleaning house. There's been a breach. Someone's been leaking data to outsiders."
I went still.
He knew.
Not everything... but enough.
Lucian leaned against the console, gaze fixed on me. "Don't worry. I haven't told anyone. Yet."
---
I stepped forward. "What do you want?"
"Two things," he replied. "Your real name. And a dance at graduation."
I blinked.
Ryker stared at him like he'd grown two heads. "Seriously?"
Lucian shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for mysteries with pretty eyes."
I narrowed mine. "Keep my secret, Lucian. And maybe I won't kill you."
He smiled wider. "Deal."
---
Suddenly, all the screens went black. A loud alarm blared through the corridor. The emergency system.
Then came the voice.
"You've been compromised."
It wasn't the King's voice. It was... distorted. Robotic. Artificial.
The air chilled. All three of us looked at each other.
"What the hell is this?" Ryker hissed.
"Someone's hacked the system," Lucian muttered. "And they know who you are."
I didn't need to ask who they meant.
Me.
---
We ran.
The lower tunnels twisted like a maze. Lucian led us through an old maintenance shaft while Ryker kept checking over his shoulder like a guard dog.
My heart thudded hard. Not from fear—but from anger.
Someone was trying to out me. And it wasn't one of the boys.
It was Vale.
I could feel it.
---
We burst out of the shaft into a deserted armory—one of the restricted zones. Weapons lined the walls, most locked in glass cases. But one rack was open.
Lucian grabbed two handguns. Tossed one to Ryker.
"Looks like prom night got interesting," he said.
I picked up a dagger instead. Sleek. Balanced. Silent.
Perfect.
Then came the sound of boots.
Three figures in black suits, faces masked with mirrored visors, appeared at the entrance.
Security? No. Assassins.
They opened fire.
---
We dove for cover.
Bullets ricocheted off steel, glass shattered. I rolled beneath a metal table, dagger in hand.
Ryker fired back with sharp precision while Lucian kicked over a cabinet for cover.
"You good, sweetheart?" Lucian yelled.
I didn't respond.
Instead, I slid beneath another table, came up behind one of the masked attackers, and drove my dagger through the gap in his armor.
He dropped without a sound.
---
"Damn," Ryker muttered, watching me wipe blood from my fingers. "Remind me not to piss you off."
"Too late," I muttered.
The second attacker lunged at Lucian with a blade. Lucian dodged, twisted, and shot him point-blank in the chest.
The third one turned and bolted.
I chased.
He led me down another tunnel—but I was faster.
I tackled him halfway down the corridor, yanked off his visor—and froze.
It was one of our classmates.
I knew his face. Slade. He was quiet. Kept to himself. Always in the tech lab.
His eyes were wild. "I didn't know it was you! I was just following orders!"
"From who?" I demanded.
"Professor Vale," he choked. "He said to find the girl who didn't belong. Said she was the real enemy."
My blood turned to ice.
I knocked him out cold.
---
Back in the armory, Ryker and Lucian stood surrounded by wreckage.
Lucian raised a brow. "You catch him?"
"Yeah," I said quietly. "And now I know who I need to kill."
Ryker's expression darkened. "Vale?"
I nodded. "He knows I'm not who I say I am. He's turning the whole school into a hunting ground."
Lucian crossed his arms. "Then we better get to him first."
Ryker looked at me. "You ready to do this?"
I took a breath.
"No. But let's do it anyway."
---
End of Chapter 22