AllFreeNovel
Share Us
With that, the hall erupted into a flurry of activity again. Some of the girls were asking me questions, ranging from where I grew up to if I had a boyfriend. Some were friendly, their faces warm and welcoming, while others merely glanced at me before returning to their meals. As the meal wound down, Lily leaned over to me.
“You know, it wasn’t always this nice here. Before the new fathers arrived a couple of months ago, this place was super strict, and we’d be punished with more scrubbing and gardening duties. Everyone’s so much happier now. Between us, Father Michael was a mean son of a bitch.”
“I guess I came at the right time.” When everyone started leaving the dining hall, we kept chatting about stories of when she first arrived.
The three Fathers also excused themselves, walking out without another word.
I watched as they left the hall, their robes trailing behind them. Despite the warmth and camaraderie of the evening, their departure left a strange void in the room, like the calm before the storm.
I had no doubt those three men were hiding a secret.
CHAPTERFOUR
KAT
The pillow beneath my head and the quilt wrapped around me did nothing to soothe the storm in my mind. Officer Garcia’s words lingered, keeping me stirring. She’d mentioned having spoken with Father Michael, yet Lily had casually noted over dinner that he’d been absent from the institute for the past two months.
So, who was Officer Garcia talking to when she arranged for me to come to the Shadow Hill Institute?
Was Father Michael perhaps coordinating with the officer from afar during his training? The idea seemed strange. And if that wasn’t the case, who had she really been talking to?
My throat dried, and I slid out of bed. I’d never fall asleep again at this rate. On bare feet, I padded silently to the door and slipped out of the room, dying of thirst. I crossed the cold stone floor toward the kitchen, hoping to distract myself and stop reading too much into the whole Father Michael thing. There had to be a reasonable explanation.
The Institute at night was an entirely different beast. It hummed with an eerie silence, with only the dim emergency lights guiding my path. Total horror movie vibes, giving me the shivers.
As I entered the large kitchen, I approached the double-door refrigerator, pulling out a bottle of water. My gaze found a platter of pink frosted cupcakes nestled at the back. Unable to resist, I snatched one, carefully adjusting the rest on the plate to avoid detection, then took a bite. Strawberry-flavored icing with the fluffy sponge melted on my tongue, and I moaned at how incredible it tasted.
Just then, a voice cleared behind me.
I practically choked on the cupcake, my heart skipping a beat. Turning, I found Louise standing in the doorway, hands on her hips, glaring at me, her usual intimidating air pulsing through the kitchen. Dark hair fell freely from a messy bun. Despite the disheveled style, there was a natural beauty about her, even in the dim kitchen lighting. Grey sweatpants and a fitted white tee hugged her curves perfectly with a slim waist.
“I knew you’d be trouble,” she chided. “The cupcakes were for tomorrow’s morning tea, and you’ve gone and eaten one.” She rolled her eyes at me.
My surge of guilt was quickly replaced with a dash of annoyance. Yet I also felt horrible for stealing a cupcake.
“Yeah, well, they’re delicious, and you did an amazing job with them. But don’t worry, I just won’t have one tomorrow, and no one will know,” I retorted, wiping the crumbs from my mouth as I noticed the tiny grin appearing at the corners of her mouth.
“What are you doing wandering around at this hour?” she quipped, curiosity replacing her earlier disdain.
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“I bake when I can’t sleep,” she huffed. “It’s four in the morning, and the institute needs its daily bread,” she said, a hint of warmth seeping into her tone. “I want to be a baker one day, but that’s a dream down the drain after I burned my father’s bakery.” She shuffled her feet as if she hadn’t meant to slip that last part out about her past.
“Hey, listen, Louise—”
“No,” she blurted. “I don’t need your pity, friendship, or anything. Just leave, okay?”
Sucking in a long breath, I figured she wasn’t going to be convinced in her mood, so I made my way out of the kitchen.
“Watch out for Father Logan. He’s not as pure as you may think,” she murmured.
Pausing, I glanced at her, curious as hell.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, let’s just say,”—she scrunched up her lips to one side, looking nonchalant—“there are strange circumstances around him and his friends being here.”
I stood there, staring at her, silence pulsing between us, and when she didn’t elaborate, I asked, “So, are you going to tell me what they are?”
