Life Within The Halls

Chapter 12: "Ship House"

LIFE WITHIN THE HALLS

Sandra

Thursday, 12th February, 10:15 a.m.

"Do any of you have someone in mind?" I asked Gideon, Victoria, and Jayden, after we came to a realization that there was someone else Daniel's look-alike, Matthew Clark, feared to mention to us.

"What if there's no one else? We have zero clues to point to anyone," Jayden mused.

"Well, actually, I have someone in mind," Victoria said, eyeing Jayden. "Jayden, please don't take this the wrong way. I suspect Ella."

Jayden's cousin certainly seemed like a potential suspect. After all, she had the nerve to ask Jayden to harass me. What other horrible things was she capable of?

"What!?" Jayden exclaimed. "Are you kidding me? You think my cousin has something to do with the head cheerleader's death and the real Daniel's disappearance?"

"Ella doesn't have the heart to be involved in such," Gideon came through. "She may act tough, but she's actually very soft-hearted."

"See?" Jayden turned to Victoria. "Ella would never do such a thing. Never!"

"What's giving you that impression about Ella?" I asked Victoria, sensing that her accusation was based on something specific.

She let out a deep sigh. "Ella is the new head cheerleader," she explained. "Isn't that weird? The old one died three days ago, and now Ella steps in. Couldn't she have waited for a week or more? It's almost like she was just waiting for the opportunity to become the head—"

"Shut up!" Jayden's voice reverberated through the empty halls. "Ella told me yesterday that the coach insisted she take the role as head cheerleader. She didn't even like it. Gosh!" With that, he stormed out, leaving us behind.

Everything didn't sit quite right with me. It felt as if we were characters in a video game, and someone was pulling the strings. From the video we saw on Mr. Bennett's computer to Matthew's confession and swift escape in the waiting car, it all seemed too orchestrated, as if someone had planned every move for us.

"Don't worry about Jayden, he surely has his own problems," Gideon said. "I'm off to the cafeteria. I won't mind if you girls join me. I know you're hungry too."

"Why not?" I replied eagerly. I was starving. I hadn't eaten much since morning, just the burger I had bought from Wendy's on my way to school.

Victoria nodded, though she appeared to be lost in thought, and the three of us headed to the cafeteria.

Gideon requested fresh fruit platter with crackers from the food dispenser tube, while Victoria opted for scrambled eggs with truffle oil. When it was my turn, I chose smoked salmon with cream cheese.

"Should I apologize to Jayden?" Victoria asked me as we made our way to a table, trays in hand.

"Yeah, you should," I replied, settling into a seat opposite Gideon, who looked somewhat disturbed.

The cafeteria was quiet as we ate, with only the three of us present. The only sounds were the humming of the ceiling air conditioner and the crisp crunch of Gideon's crackers as he chewed.

"I found something," Jayden's voice echoed in the cafeteria.

I turned to see him approaching us, holding a white paper between his middle and index finger.

"I found this where the waiting car took Matthew Clark," he said, placing a white paper on the table. "It might have fallen from his pocket."

The paper was a receipt showing an amount withdrawal from a bank, totaling $55,000—the exact amount Matthew had claimed Mr. Bennett paid him to carry out the impersonation.