Abigail's POV
The dorm was dead quiet. I could hear the soft, steady breathing of Nathalie as she slept, her back turned to me. She was out cold, just like I needed her to be. I made sure of that. Every movement I made felt exaggerated in the silence, like the creak of the bed or the faint rustle of my bag as I packed what I needed.
Flashlight, check. Gloves, check. I slid the stolen Blue Elite ID into my pocket, the plastic cool against my fingertips. A smirk played on my lips as I thought about the poor girl it belonged to. She probably didn’t even realize it was gone yet. Too bad for her. “Thanks for the help,” I muttered under my breath, “Guess it'll be your name, not mine, if anyone catches on.” I shook my head, amused by how lucky I'd gotten.
The Academy was a maze, especially at night. But there was something…off about this place. I could feel it in my bones. Every hallway, every corner seemed to be hiding something. And I was determined to piece it all together before the big event tomorrow. This whole Midnight Scavenger thing... there was more to it than just a game. I just knew it. I could feel it in the pit of my stomach.
As I stood, ready to leave, something clattered to the floor behind me. I spun around, my heart skipping a beat. A letter, lying just near the edge of the bed. My dad’s letter. How did that fall? I bent down and scooped it up, turning it over in my hands. Just a poem, I thought. He always sent me these, random pieces of his thoughts wrapped in poetic nonsense. But as I held it, something felt… off.
It was thicker than usual. My dad wasn’t one for fancy paper or bulky envelopes, so this didn’t make sense.
A thought sparked in my head. Back when I was a kid, Dad would sometimes send secret messages to his business partners. He’d always laugh about it, saying, “The best secrets are the ones hidden in plain sight.” And he always had this trick, using water to reveal hidden writing. Childish? Sure. But effective.
My fingers trembled as I rushed to the sink in our small dorm bathroom. I turned on the tap, wetting the edge of the envelope, and then watched as, slowly, letters began to appear, as if by magic. I couldn’t help but laugh softly. “Dad… you always were a little extra, weren’t you?”
The message was cryptic, written like a poem:  
"At the hour of night, when October’s moon is bright,  
Seek the place that holds the light,  
There you’ll meet who I told,  
And the secret will unfold."
I blinked, reading it again. October. Tonight was the 17th of October. I checked my watch, midnight wasn’t far off. 
This was it.
Whatever my dad had been hinting at all this time, it was happening tonight. My mind raced back to everything I’d pieced together over the past few weeks. All the clues, all the information I’d dug up. Everything pointed to something bigger. And then there was James. His name kept popping up in the files my dad had collected. His family. Their business. Was it him? Was he the one my dad had been trying to tell me about?
I stuffed the letter into my bag, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Nathalie shifted in her sleep, and I froze, my heart pounding. But she didn’t wake. Good. I couldn’t afford to have her tagging along tonight. This was something I needed to do alone.
I tiptoed to the door, slipping out into the hallway, the chill of the night air wrapping around me like a cold embrace. The Academy was eerily quiet, the only sound my footsteps echoing against the marble floor. The halls were dimly lit, shadows dancing along the walls as I made my way toward the lower levels. The place my dad’s poem hinted at wasn’t just any room. I had a gut feeling it was somewhere hidden, somewhere important.
I passed through corridors that were usually crowded during the day, but now? It was like walking through a ghost town. No students. No staff. Just me and the quiet. Every now and then, I’d hear the faint sound of someone moving around, but I kept my head down, avoiding any encounters.
Finally, I reached a door at the end of a narrow hallway. The lock was ancient, but the ID card I’d swiped from that clueless Blue Elite would do the trick. I swiped it through the reader, and the door clicked open. “Perfect,” I whispered, stepping inside.
The room was dark, but my flashlight flickered to life, revealing what looked like an old office. Dust covered the shelves, and papers were strewn across a desk in the corner. I moved carefully, scanning the room for anything out of the ordinary.
And then I saw it.
A small plaque on the wall, half-hidden behind a stack of books. It was engraved with a date, October 17th. My pulse quickened. This had to be it. This was the place.
I felt a sense of unease wash over me. My mind flashed back to the letter, the poem, the hidden message. Who was I supposed to meet here? Was it James? It had to be, right? I couldn’t think of anyone else. His name had come up so many times in my dad’s files. And yet… something didn’t feel right.
I stepped closer to the plaque, my hand reaching out to touch it. But before I could, I heard a noise behind me. A soft creak, like someone stepping on a loose floorboard.
I spun around, my flashlight cutting through the darkness.
“Who's there?” I called out, my voice barely above a whisper. My heart pounded in my chest, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end.
But no one answered.
For a moment, I stood frozen, my mind racing. Had I imagined it? Or was someone really there, watching me?
I turned back to the plaque, my fingers brushing against the cool metal. Whatever was about to happen, I had a feeling it was going to change everything. But as much as I wanted to believe it was James, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was wrong.
And that scared me more than anything.
I continue running my hands along the dusty shelves, my fingers brushing across old documents, but nothing felt right. Where is it? My frustration grew with each passing second. That one file... I needed it, but it was nowhere to be found. It’s like someone knew I’d be back for it and took it. 
I dug deeper through piles of old papers, shifting boxes around. Nothing. Empty. Gone. “Damn it!” I muttered under my breath, kicking the bottom of a shelf. I was about to scream when—
“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
The voice cut through the silence like a blade, freezing me in place. My heart pounded in my chest as I spun around, too late to hide. The voice was cold, sharp, filled with authority that made the hair on my neck stand up. I knew that tone. It was meant to intimidate, to make you feel small, and it worked. I shivered, not just from the chill in the air but from the fear creeping up inside me. 
“I asked you a question,” the voice repeated, colder this time. “What are you doing, Abigail Amora Golleger?”
I turned slowly, forcing myself to face her, every step heavy with the weight of being caught. My eyes flickered up, and there he stood. Lucas. He was standing right in front of me, his posture rigid, eyes cold, almost glaring at me. 
"Lucas..." I breathed out, my mind racing. I had no words ready. I should’ve had an excuse prepared. Something. Anything. But my brain just froze. He’d caught me, and I had no idea what to say.
He didn’t flinch. “Answer me. What are you doing here?”
I swallowed hard. Should I tell him the truth? Should I lie? But before I could even make a decision, something in his posture shifted. He moved slightly, as if trying to hide something behind his back. My eyes darted to his hands, and I saw it. A letter. He was holding a letter.
That’s when it hit me. That’s why he was here. He wasn’t supposed to be here either.
I stepped forward, trying to regain my composure. “So, Lucas…” I tilted my head, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Did ‘you’ get permission from Emery to be here at this hour? Or is it only me that needs her permission?”
For the first time, Lucas broke eye contact. His gaze flicked to the side, avoiding me. He shifted on his feet, the letter still hidden behind him, but it was too late. I’d already seen it.
He cleared his throat, straightening his posture, trying to regain control. “Students who aren’t Black Elites are prohibited from entering this room without the highest authority’s permission. You know that, Abigail. You’ve violated the rules, and that means you’ll be reported to Emery. And when she finds out…” His voice trailed off, leaving the threat hanging in the air.
I took another step toward him, narrowing the gap between us. “And what, Lucas? What happens when Emery finds out? Do I get locked away somewhere? Thrown into a cell, maybe?”
He stepped back, avoiding my gaze again. “Abigail, this isn’t a joke.”
“No, it’s not,” I shot back. “But let me ask you something. Are you really going to report me? You think that’s the smart move here? After all, we both know why we’re here. Our parents sent us to this Academy for something bigger than these stupid rules. Or did you forget that?”
Lucas froze, his hand gripping the letter tighter. I could see it now, plain as day, he was hiding something. And it was big.
I stepped even closer, my voice low but firm. “I get it now, Lucas. It was you, wasn’t it? You’re the one my father was talking about.” My voice wavered slightly, but I pushed through, refusing to back down. “You’ve been in on this the whole time, haven’t you? That’s why you’ve climbed the ranks so fast. Gathering all that information, getting closer to Emery, collecting secrets…”
Lucas didn’t respond. His face was stone, but I saw the flicker of doubt in his eyes. He looked away, his jaw tightening. He didn’t want to admit it, but I was right. He was in deeper than he let on.
“You’ve been playing this game for a long time, haven’t you?” I pressed, stepping even closer. “But now what, Lucas? You’re going to throw it all away because I stepped into the wrong room?”
He still didn’t answer, but I could see his defenses crumbling. He didn’t want to report me. He knew I was right, but admitting it was another story.
I took a deep breath, letting the tension settle between us. “Look, if you really want to report me, go ahead. But if you do, everything we’ve been working for is gone. This whole scrambled stupid mission, everything our parents planned. It will ll be for nothing. And when this place comes crashing down, you’ll have nothing to show for it. Just another stupid Elite, following the rules.”
His eyes finally met mine, filled with a mixture of anger and hesitation. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was trapped, just like I was.
I glanced down at his hand again, where the letter was crumpled in his grip. “And whatever you’re hiding there? That’s part of it, isn’t it? The bigger picture.”
Lucas stayed silent, his hand shaking slightly as he tightened his grip on the letter. He didn’t need to say anything. I already knew the answer.
I sighed, the frustration boiling inside me. “Fine. If you’re not going to talk, then do what you have to. But just remember, Lucas. Once you make that call, there’s no turning back. You’ll be throwing everything away.”
With that, I turned on my heel, ready to leave him standing there with his guilt and his secrets. There was nothing more I could do here. The file I needed was gone, probably already in someone else’s hands. And Lucas… well, he had his own demons to deal with.
But just as I reached the door, I glanced back at him one last time. “Think about it, Lucas. If we don’t work together, this place is going to destroy both of us.”
And with that, I walked out, leaving him alone in the darkness.