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❝When five students with secrets of their own are chosen for a secret society, they have to move past their d...
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28TH NOVEMBER. ORION ACADEMY: APHRODITE AND YUMI'S DORM ROOM.
THE ceiling was painted white but after staring at it for the last three nights--Aphrodite could find the ripped off paint, the hidden cracks and a bug even if there was no light. Neither her friends nor her could catch a sleep. The horrors of facing the nightmares were worse than not sleeping at all.
After that horrifying night, everyone thought it was for the best to spend Thanksgiving with their family. No one texted each other during those four days. But Aphrodite couldn't take it. She had lost her appetite. She almost threw up during the Thanksgiving dinner when she saw Josh's sad face because Jessica wasn't answering his texts.
Jessica's eyes followed Aphrodite everywhere. She could see them everywhere--in everyone. But her friends' eyes--Jessica wasn't in them.
When they returned on Monday, Aphrodite made her way to the cafeteria to find all of her friends sitting at their usual places. Their placid faces told her that she wasn't alone. And for a while, she managed to plaster a weak smile.
The students at the academy, however, were troublesome. The news about a missing girl on the campus amused them. It was all they talked about. Her disappearance wasn't noticed until three days ago when Joshua and his friends were going door to door asking where Jessica is. Her parents were called and they informed that she didn't come for Thanksgiving because she had a project. They showed the text to the cops but when none of her friends saw her, an official missing case report was filed. The cops came in and interviewed her parents, Joshua, Jessica's friends and almost everyone she knew.
None of Aphrodite's friends was on the radar. They were safe--at least for now.
The six a.m. alarm rang like every morning. Aphrodite switched it off and sat up on her bed. She turned her head to look at Yumi's bed. Yumi had kept her eyes closed and it was hard to tell if she was asleep or not. She looked peaceful and Aphrodite didn't wish to take that away.
She hopped out of her bed and began with her usual morning routine--starting from going for a quick run, followed by a shower, hair and makeup. She wore a black crop top, paired with white mom jeans and simple sneakers. She walked out of her bathroom to find Yumi waiting at the door.
Aphrodite began to make her bed and throw her books into her bag when she heard a knock on the door. She furrowed her eyebrows and opened the door to find Lex awkwardly running a hand through his hair. He met her eyes and spoke for the first time in the last few days.
"Hey." It was the first time they were alone after that night. The date they were so excited for never happened.
"Hi." She opened the door for him to enter. "Everything all right?"
"Yeah, I just need your help," he said. "Could you maybe use your makeup to hide the eye bags? I'm face timing my mom today and I don't want her to see me like this."
