I smile to myself. Asch is looking for me! I was letting him stew in anticipation, but if he wants to move the schedule up a bit, that’s fine by me.
I position myself directly next to the door and turn the flashlight off. I reach into my zip-up hoodie pocket and grip the knife. It’s new, not the karambit Uncle Slayer had given me. It doesn’t feel as familiar in my hand, but a sharp blade is a sharp blade.
“I don’t see her,” River’s voice says. “You sure she’s here?”
Oh, AschandRiver?
I bite my lip, my body buzzing with anticipation. Maybe that means?—
“Yeah. I’ve got a camera on the building. Look, see? She walked in about half an hour ago,” Blaze responds.
All three of them? Maybe I’m lucky after all.
I wonder if I should let them find me in here. Maybe it would be smarter to stay hidden, so they don’t get suspicious about my snooping.
On the other hand, how much more suspicious of me can they get? Ididdeliver a head to them. If they don’t already suspect me of something, they’re extremely naive.
Their footsteps go past the door.
“Maybe she left already,” Asch says.
“No, there’s no footage of her leaving,” Blaze says. “She has to be here…”
He trails off. There’s a long pause, and I wonder what he sees.
“She’s not in the bathroom either,” River calls out. “We’ve checked everywhere, Blaze.”
Everywhere, except in here.
Asch and River don’t know about this room… but I think Blaze does.
Blaze knows, and he obviously isn’t sure if he wants to tell them about it. If he says something, he has to reveal that he’s in on whatever shady shit this frat is doing.
What will you do, Blaze?I ask silently. Either way, the result is good for me.
Something slams on the other side of the wall.
“Asch. The bookshelf. Check the… fuck. Look,” Blaze says, like he only just discovered it.
There’s a brief hesitation.
“Where’s that door lead to?” Asch asks. A second later, the doorknob turns, and the door pushes open. “What the fuck?”
“What does Kappa Alpha need a hidden room for?” River chimes in.
“What does anyone need a hidden room for?” Blaze counters. “River, you go in first.”
I suppress a laugh. Sending River in as the sacrifice? Smooth, Blaze.
Not that it matters to me which of them enters the room first.
“Dick,” I hear River mutter, but he takes a cautious step inside.
The only light is from somebody’s phone on the other side of the doorway.
“Pandora?” I can’t tell if River’s seen me or if he’s only calling out for me. “If you stab me, I’ll stab you right back.”
I stay quiet, and River walks farther into the room. He must spot the camera in the corner, because he goes over to it stops in front of it.
