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The edge to his voice made Ariana cringe. She brushed the snow from Thomas's curls, peering into his eyes.
"Thomas," she began, "I'm really-"
"Not your fault," he said, a small smile playing across his lips. "I was stupid enough to stand under a window
with a girl jumping out of it. I deserve what I got." He slid down the trunk of the tree, settling onto the ground
with a weak laugh. "Now go on, before you get us both expelled."
She hurried along the back of the building and dropped to her knees in the snow, smoothing the spot below
Thomas's window where their bodies had landed. She moved backward, running her hands haphazardly over
her two footprints and Thomas's single footprint that traced their path to the tree. It wasn't perfect, but it
would have to do.
"What the hell was that?" she whispered, collapsing next to him. "Who
tripped the alarm? Who would have-"
Thomas reached up and covered her mouth with his hand, shaking his head slowly. Someone was coming.
She froze at the faint sound of snow crunching underneath someone's feet.
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"Hello?" A familiar voice echoed in the darkness. "Is anyone there?"
The footsteps paused by the back door, not far from their hiding place. Sweat dripped from Ariana's temples
and trickled down her flushed cheeks, despite the cold. She turned her head, peeking out from behind the
thick trunk.
The slight figure of Dean Marcus, the dean of students, was huddled underneath a full-length gray wool coat.
A plaid scarf was wrapped around his neck and a hat was pulled low over his ears, but Ariana recognized his
stooped posture and his slow, shuffling walk. Dean Marcus was Headmaster Cox's henchman. The man who
was solely responsible for her future at Easton was standing just a few feet away.
Any student who is found to be in violation of these rules will face immediate expulsion. There are no
exceptions. None.
It seemed like years ago that she'd heard those words during morning assembly, but now they came rushing
back to her, threatening her all over again. If he turned around, he'd see them. But it was too late to move.
Ariana closed her eyes, crossed her fingers, and hoped that a man as ancient as Dean Marcus had cataracts.
Just as the dean was about to turn in her direction, the lamps around Ketlar went out with a hissing pop.
Everything went dark. The campus suddenly seemed colder. Deserted. Dead.
Ariana clutched Thomas's arm.
