Secrets Are For Keeping

Chapter Thirty-Five

She fell backwards into the table behind her barely putting her hands out to prevent her hips from hitting it. Metal trays and utensils clattered to the ground, catching the attention of some surrounding tables who immediately quieted down and looked over at the circle that had formed around the two people.

And then my feet were moving. My body was shoving angrily between the crowd, my mind seeing how the inspectors weren't moving, weren't looking, and seething over the fact that this boy actually thought it was okay to push people around just to get what he wanted.

I propelled myself into the middle of the circle and regretted my rash decision. But I couldn't change it now, I was already there and walking out at this point or even looking afraid would ruin the situation and end up hurting the girl who now stood behind me even more.

"Hey!" I shouted, crossing my arms and standing between the two.

The boy only looked amused by my valiant attempt of interrupting his interrogation of the other girl. He stared at me, and then began to chuckle softly, which turned into louder guffaws. The rest of the cafeteria had quieted down by this point, not anyone daring to talk. It was the boy's stage now, and he seemed to be oozing confidence that he was about to humiliate me in front of everyone.

And he should be, because he was. My face burned with embarrassment and I felt extremely awkward where I stood with everyone looking at me like I was an idiot. I could barely make out Kain, Pepper, and Zander farther away in the cafeteria staring at me, but I couldn't see their expressions.

After the boy was done laughing, he looked up at me with an expression of complete humor. "What? You're standing up for her?" he asked, smiling a teeth filled grin as he finished his question, like this was the funniest thing he'd heard all week. "Wow, I'm just dying of fear right now."

I continued to stand my ground and didn't respond.

He started to walk towards me slowly, like a tiger waiting to pounce on its prey. "You're weak. You probably are peeing your pants right now. I doubt you could even throw a punch," he said, his voice turning darker as he came closer and noticed how I wasn't moving away. How I wasn't afraid of him.

Soon he was only a foot in front of me, his eyes staring at mine from above me because of his height. I stared back rebelliously, refusing to give in to his attempt of scaring me away. I wanted to move away because he was way too close for comfort. But doing so would let him win and I couldn't allow that to happen.

"You actually think you deserve to fight someone as good as me? You're nothing. Leave," he growled, emphasizing the last word loud enough for the rest of the circle to hear it.

It was like some demonic other side of me rearing up from a corner I'd never known existed. My mind erased all thoughts of the inspection, of the inspectors surrounding me, of even the few friends I'd made in the past days. My fist rose up from my side and then I felt skin, hard flesh bending beneath it. The sound of a loud crack as bone connected with bone. And then pain. Sharp pain coming from my fist which had risen up and slammed into the boy's jaw.

And somehow it had worked. Somehow he was now falling into the other table across from me, a hand clutching his jaw which was dark red, and I realized belatedly that it was blood coming from his jaw. Adrenaline was rushing through my entire body, turning my limbs cold and making it hard for me to think. Even the pain that was quickly disappearing from my fist couldn't overcome the confusion running up and down my body.

I stumbled away, trying to walk, but my legs not cooperating. Blood. My eyes focused on the blood and I felt like I was going to throw up.

It was my fault. The blood on his face was my fault. It leaked out of his fingers onto the ground. It brought back memories. Memories that came in waves that I couldn't suppress.

I stumbled again, falling into the table. The girl was gone and not a single noise came out of the rest of the students in the room. Then I noticed that nobody was even moving forward to help. My eyes found the inspectors spread out around the room and then saw the clipboards, the pens moving across them.

They weren't helping. They were taking notes.

Pens moving faster than my thoughts could run through my mind.

Run.

That's what my body was screaming at me to do. Run. Run away before anyone could notice. Run away so people weren't staring anymore, run from the dread that filled my bones as everything came crashing down. My actions had pushed me over the edge, had been a suicide mission that I hadn't come to terms with until it was too late. I was going to lose everything, my life, my family and friends, everything I'd worked hard to create after...

After it happened...

And then the memories were dumped down on top of me and I had no choice. I had to run. So I did.

I ran, pushing people aside carelessly, and sprinting out the cafeteria doors. My legs flew down the hallway, taking me somewhere, somewhere I couldn't really decide on. Where. Where could I even go. They'd find me.

They'd always find me.

But still I tried, and I ran.

Without realizing it, when my breath ran out and my legs refused against my brains orders to continue, I'd ended up in the alcove. The same alcove that I'd been near nights before when I'd seen the girl get taken away. When I'd first found evidence about the extent of the inspector's plans.

I fell down to my knees in the alcove, and then pushed my body as far as possible into the corner farthest away from the hallway I'd come down. The hallway that I was now on was extremely thin, and I knew very few people ever came down it. I was temporarily safe. I didn't know how long I'd be able to hide out here, but I was here now, and it was too late to risk moving to a different hiding place.

Silence fell open me, a key opening the way to my memories. I pulled my knees up to my chest and hid my head in my hands, my eyes no longer used to see reality, but turning inside to bring me back to a time not long ago.

The gun pointing...going off.

Feeling myself drop to the ground next to the body of the one person I'd fallen in love with. His laughs, the way a tiny dimple appeared whenever he smiled.

But now covered in red. Now never to laugh again, never to smile again, just...gone.

And then the man who had caused it all the one who was the real reason behind the entire situation even existing, just walking away without a care in the world, slightly disappointed, but only barely. Because he'd always find new recruits. Even if Beckam had been the perfect person to join into his stupid organization with their stupid plans, he'd find somebody else's life to ruin. And then his smile. The smile of the man as he'd exited through the metal door, leaving it open for me to find my own way out, but carefully turning around at just the right time to smile at me, the smile of a demon.

And then he was gone.

And I'd been left alone with all of the blood and all of my emotions.

And silence.

Just like I was now. The silence clinging to my flesh like it never planned on letting go.

And then a whisper of fear. The soft tapping of feet against tile, and they were coming in my direction.

I pressed further against the wall, like doing so would help me in any way if the person decided to check out the alcove.

The footsteps were increasing in decibel, and then they froze. Somehow I knew when I looked up I'd see who they belonged to. Who had finally found me in my not so hidden hiding place.

I gave up trying to hide my face and looked up.

It was Kain.