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I wondered if any of my thoughts had filtered through to him since I’d been feeling a lot of very intense things in the last few minutes. He didn’t mention anything, but perhaps he was keeping it to himself, just as I was. Self-consciousness nipped at me as we left the room. If Peter had heard any of my thoughts, I wanted to know what they were. He closed the door and pushed the shelves back in front of it.
We made the walk back to the teachers’ lounge in quiet. Through the windows, I saw that the storm had finally started to abate.
“There you both are,” Rebecca exclaimed in relief as we stepped into the lounge. “Where have you been? We were worried sick.”
“We just went for a walk around the school to stretch our legs,” Peter replied, and my sister seemed satisfied enough with that answer.
“The storm has passed, and the Guard is working to clear the roads,” Mrs Kanumba informed us. “It should be safe for us to leave soon.”
“Oh, good,” I replied.
I glanced at Peter, and his eyes held mine. There was a new heat there, and I wondered if he was still thinking about our kiss because I certainly was. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to get it out of my head. When I managed to drag my attention away from Peter, I spotted Nic sitting with Sophia. The two of them had resumed their game of chess. His eyes flicked up, meeting mine for a moment. A soft smile shaped his lips as he dipped his head at me. An uneasy feeling swept my stomach. I’d known Nic for years, so it was certainly weird that we’d kissed.
What was even weirder was that it was a pretty great kiss. It didn’t hold a candle to Peter’s, but still, Nic was a dark horse. I wondered how long he’d been attracted to me. Did he have a crush, or was it merely a mild, passing attraction?
I went to sit by the window, my stomach still full of butterflies every time I glanced Peter’s way. Those few moments we shared in the small storage room were branded into my memory. I’d never experienced something that made my body come alive quite like having his mouth and hands on me.
My phone started to buzz, distracting me from my dreamy thoughts. I pulled it out and saw my dad’s name on the screen.
“Hello?”
“Darya, are you still at the school?” he replied, sounding a small bit stressed. Immediately, I became alert. It took a lot to stress out my father.
“Yes, why?”
“Okay, good. They’re clearing the roads, so I’ll be on my way to you soon, but first, I have some unfortunate news.”
My throat tightened. “Oh?”
“It’s Angela,” he replied grimly, and just like that, I felt like I was falling into a dark, bottomless pit. Angela. I’d been checking in with her every day, making sure Dad’s people were still keeping watch over her, but it hadn’t been enough, and I hated myself for it. I closed my eyes, a part of me not wanting to hear what my dad had to say next. “She was found along the road while the Guard was working to clear away the fallen debris from the storm. Someone attacked her,” Dad said soberly.
At this, a pained noise escaped my throat. Fear and anxiety and self-recrimination swarmed my belly. “Where is she now? Is she okay?”
“She’s at the hospital receiving treatment. As far as I know, she’s unconscious but stable.”
“Who attacked her? What were her injuries?” I demanded, overwhelmed by the shame of not having prevented this from happening. It was my responsibility to keep Angela safe, and I’d failed.
Suddenly, Peter was in front of me, his face full of concern. He must’ve been listening in. My dad exhaled heavily down the line. “It appears she was attacked much in the same way your teacher was. Someone drained her blood and left her for dead. Luckily, she was found in time to save her life.”
“You need to take me to see her. I can’t believe I let this happen.”
“You didn’t let anything happen, Darya. This isn’t on you. We do our best to protect our blood donors, but we can’t watch them twenty-four-seven.”
Tears filled my eyes. Poor Angela. She was the last person who deserved something like this. “The good news is that whoever did this wasn’t as careful this time around. They left evidence. I was able to pick up a scent, and the Guard is out tracking it as we speak.”
“Good. That’s good. How much longer will you be?”
“Not long. The road is almost clear.”
“Okay. Can we go straight to the hospital to see Angela?”
“Yes, of course. See you soon,” Dad replied, ending the call.
What happened? Peter asked, and I realised everyone had gathered around, having overheard my traumatic phone call. I glanced at Peter then at the others.
