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I’m almost certain something has genuinely changed, that this isn’t some act intended to get me to lower my guard with him, because I can’t see what the advantage would be. He wants answers as much as I do, but he’s prepared to never get them if it means I leave.
He’d give that up? For me?
I wouldn’t call him a friend, exactly, but he doesn’t hold my hand like a professor should touch a student, either.
“Tori, I mean it. Get out if you need to.” He finally lets go of my hand but still doesn’t take his gaze from mine.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine,” I tell him. I gather up the wire and battery and put them into a small pocket in my bag, along with the camera. “I’m starting to accept that I’m going to leave here without any answers or leads, but if I just give up, I’m going to spend the rest of my life tormented by the what ifs.”
He doesn’t say anything as I leave. Maybe I’m crazy. Crazy for doing this. Crazy to imagine things that aren’t there.
Some days, everything feels so overwhelming that if I try to stop and think things through, I end up shutting down. If there was a way to spend a few days away from this place and really think, I might be able to put some pieces together. Or maybe discover there’s nothing to put together…
But the one thing I know for certain is when I do leave, I won’t be coming back.
The meeting with Payne has ran late, but I’m supposed to be in the dining hall in ten minutes. If I run, I can make it back to Denali House, change, and get to the dining hall, but since Syn is still M.I.A., and even if he is here, it’s unlikely he’ll eat this early, I don’t rush.
Just as I reach the back door of Denali House, my phone vibrates. Pulling it out as I walk into the kitchen, I nearly drop it as I read Royal’s message.
Royal: Where are you? The dinner service just started, and the table isn’t even set up!
Tori: Meeting with Dr. Wright ran late.
For half a moment, I consider taking my time. What exactly is Syn going to do? He keeps talking about punishment, but he doesn’t do anything.
He doesn’t do anything?
Syn had the Elite hunting me down like an animal. And I was lucky the only thing that resulted were a few cuts, bruises, and a couple of days with the sniffles. I’ve been worrying about not dropping my guard with Royal, when I should’ve been worried about Syn.
Royal: I’ll try to cover, but he’s pissed AF. I don’t think he had a great TG. Hurry up!
Tori: I’ll be right there!!!
Even though I’m already late, I race through the house, changing as quickly as I can, before running over to the dining hall. When I burst through the door, everything seems to go quiet, and the only sounds come from muffled voices from behind the kitchen doors.
For the dinner service, all the students are served by wait staff—not just Syn, Royal, and Gemini, so the serving area isn’t providing a buffer of distraction tonight. Everyone’s eyes are on me as I slow my run to a less obvious hurried walk.
Penny’s already in her usual spot, and as I see her start to move, I shake my head. I’m grateful she’s here, and that she has my back, but this atmosphere means something is up, and I will not drag her any further into this than she already is.
When I was just another student, it was usually Syn and Royal eating in the evening. A few times a week, Gemini might make an appearance, but there had never seemed to be a pattern.
Becoming an initiate coincided with the basketball season starting up, and mostly, it has just been Syn at mealtimes. My instructions were to arrive before the start of the meal service to be prepared in case he walked through the door when it started, and I wasn’t allowed to eat until he left. Syn would always wait until the last possible moment to arrive. Doing so would make me stand around, doing nothing for a couple of hours, and then I’d have to rush through my own meal before I had to run back to the house to change.
Of course, today has to be the day he decides to change this.
Despite the table not being set, he’s sitting in his usual center chair, Royal to his right, and Gemini, on his left. Gemini, instead of being engrossed with something on his phone like usual, is instead staring at me with wide eyes like a child who’s come down on Christmas morning to find piles of presents under the tree.
Royal’s eyes are wide too, but it’s not from excitement. He’s staring at the table in front of him, like he thinks someone is going to start shouting if he makes eye contact with the wrong person.
And Syn…
As usual, he’s wearing a shirt and jacket, like he’s dining at some exclusive restaurant on a date, but today, there’s a small band aid above his eyebrow. It’s one of those flesh-colored ones, and quite discreet, but it looks so out of place on his face, that somehow, I notice it before I see the bright white bandage wrapped around his right hand.
Something clearly happened while he was gone, but Syn’s poker face is giving nothing away.
XXXII
Tori
