The dorm room felt smaller now, crowded with the weight of secrets and strategies. Papers, laptops, and half-empty coffee cups lay scattered across the cluttered desk and floor. Shadows danced under the flicker of a single desk lamp, casting long, sharp edges on the peeling wallpaper. Outside, the campus humed with life—oblivious to the storm gathering in this cramped sanctuary.
Archie stood by the window, looking out into the night. His breath fogged the glass. The streetlights blurred in the distance, pale halos around the silhouettes of trees and passing cars. The calm was a lie. They all knew it.
William paced slowly back and forth, restless energy in every step. He stopped abruptly, turning toward the group. "We can't just sit here. We have to move."
Amanda nodded, eyes still fixed on the phone screen, where a new message glowed: "Meet me. 10 PM. Brookhaven. Come alone."
Anne's brow furrowed. "This could be a trap."
Amanda's jaw tightened. "Or it could be our only chance."
Archie's fingers twitched nervously at his side. "What if it is a trap? What then?"
William stepped forward, voice steady but fierce. "Then we walk into it. Because hiding never saved anyone."
The room fell silent, the tension thick enough to cut through.
Anne exhaled slowly, reaching for the scattered notes on the desk. "We need a plan. Something concrete."
Amanda laid her phone down, tapping furiously on the laptop's keyboard. "First, we get proof. More than just files and rumors. We need to expose everything—doctors, therapists, security. Everyone who helped erase William's past."
They spent the next hour plotting each step with care, the room pulsing with determination. Every detail mattered—where to meet, how to communicate safely, what evidence to gather first.
-
The night deepened, thick and heavy outside the dorm windows. The quiet hum of the city felt distant, almost unreal. But inside, every heartbeat was a drum signaling the beginning of a war.
Archie sat down heavily on the edge of his bed, staring at his hands. "This is bigger than us."
William sat beside him, sliding an arm around his shoulders. "Bigger, yes. But not impossible."
Amanda packed a small bag with the photos, notes, and the evidence from the hospital. "We're walking a tightrope. But if we fall, it won't just be our lives that break. It'll be everything we've fought to protect."
Anne stood, crossing to the window. "Then we hold tight to each other."
The clock ticked closer to ten.
Amanda's phone buzzed again. Another message: "Trust no one. Come alone."
William's jaw clenched. "No one can be trusted. Not yet."
Archie took a deep breath, the cold night air filling his lungs even though the window was shut. "Then we make our own trust."
Anne nodded, turning back with fire in her eyes. "We're the ones who'll light the way."
Outside, the city slept beneath the stars, unaware that a small, fierce flame was about to ignite—and nothing would be the same again.