Something was off about June.
Dana had come to that conclusion long before she allowed the thought to fully form. There were gaps in her explanations, small ones, almost unnoticeable to anyone else, but to Dana, they were glaring. The details tangled around each other, one not quite corresponding with the other. It wasn't obvious, not enough to accuse her of anything, but enough to make Dana certain.
And she would find out.
She could already see how this would play out in the future, like chess pieces slowly aligning for a checkmate. Things would not remain the same by the time she was done. Someone would crack under pressure.
Gwen, to be precise.
All throughout her noisy, lighthearted chatter with June, Dana's face held nothing but delight. She laughed at the right moments, nodded where necessary, even leaned in as though fully invested. Not a single hint of her inner calculations showed.
"Ahh," June groaned in exaggerated delight, stretching slightly in her chair. "We should leave now. The dining hall is almost empty, we're the last few remaining."
Dana glanced around lazily. The once-busy hall had thinned out to only scattered figures. The morning chatter had dulled into distant echoes.
"Oh, I hadn't noticed," Dana replied casually. "But let's stay slightly longer. It's better here."
Better here meant fewer wandering ears.
June complied easily, settling back down. "I can't wait for the break to be over," she said, pouting slightly.
"Why?" Dana asked unceremoniously, tilting her head.
"I miss Elaine so much. Gwen isn't around so often and neither are you."
"Well, sorry missy," Dana said dramatically, waving her hand through the air, her dark hair swaying slightly with the motion. "Some of us are busy with other things."
"Yh yh," June replied as though defeated, rolling her eyes playfully.
Dana watched her carefully.
"Anyways," Dana continued smoothly, "why didn't you go home too? I mean, I'm sure every normal person in this school wants to leave and…" She trailed off deliberately, noticing the thoughtful expression crossing June's face.
For a split second, just a second, June looked like she had stepped somewhere far away. Then it vanished.
"Nothing," June answered quickly. "I just didn't feel like going home. Plus, I live really, really far from here."
There was emphasis on the really.
Dana smiled lightly, but internally, something tightened.
Distance wasn't just physical.
-------
"Whatcha doing?"
Horace's voice came from behind, sudden and too close, making Gwen almost yelp before she caught herself. She turned sharply, shooting him a death glare.
It wasn't easy to sneak up on her. She was usually hyper-aware of her surroundings. But right now, she was busy. What she was doing required every ounce of her concentration.
They were in the school storeroom, located far from the regular buildings. It was built inside another structure, same pale white exterior as the rest of the campus, but the inside was darker. The air was stale, heavy with dust and forgotten things. Shelves lined the walls, stacked with boxes, old equipment, unused furniture. It felt abandoned.
Horace stepped further inside, hands in his pockets, surveying the scene. As Gwen didn't answer him, he stared at the things laid out before her.
Then he sighed.
It wasn't a normal sigh.
It was almost pitiful.
Gwen noticed and scowled, though she didn't have the energy to snap at him yet.
He sat on the dusty floor, completely unbothered by the dirt, looking up at her without saying anything. His gaze followed her hands as she worked, deliberate and careful.
The silence stretched.
Eventually, Gwen stopped what she was doing and stared back at him, her eyes practically screaming at him to just speak and get it over with.
"You know we never really talked this through properly," he started, pausing for a heartbeat.
She already knew.
She knew exactly what he was going to say, and she didn't want to hear it.
He was going to judge her. He was going to simplify everything she had done into something shallow and reckless, without ever trying to understand her point of view.
"If it's about what I'm doing, just stop," she cut in. "I'm not in need of advice."
"It's just pathetic," Horace said.
The word landed heavier than she expected.
"Heartless. And selfish, not to add," he continued, his voice louder now, carrying an emotion unfamiliar on him. Anger? Frustration? Disappointment?
"You're just tweaking the truth with different words."
Gwen stiffened.
Probably because what she was doing now went against everything the Gwen he knew stood for. The Gwen who was calculating. Controlled. Detached.
She was none of those things right now.
She was desperate.
"Pathetic?" she repeated internally, anger simmering beneath her skin. He would never understand.
"When you're done, you can leave," she said coldly, averting her gaze. Her hands hovered over her work but didn't move.
Horace stood up.
And then, unexpectedly, he smiled.
That was something about the Revenant, they were worse than fickle. Their emotions shifted quickly, but the genuine ones? Those were rare.
He had been serious just moments ago.
"Anyways," he said lightly, "Gwendolyn."
He deliberately used her full name.
She scowled at him.
"I'm certain this will be one of those times when I'm right and you're wrong," he continued. "It'd be epic."
She scoffed.
He didn't understand.
If he turned out to be right, it would cost her someone dear.
"Don't you have something else to do?" she asked, voice detached.
"Well, yes," he replied seriously, making her look at him again. "I'm talking with you." He smiled as usual. "That's what I'm doing."
Gwen sighed.
"Let's meet Allan," Horace said suddenly, as casually as if suggesting they visit the library and not travel miles away in an instant.
Gwen glared at him.
Now the positions were reversed.
He was the one pushing to go.
She didn't want to, perhaps because she feared of something.
"I'm just saying we go to find out if he had met with the soul leech," Horace clarified.
She studied him carefully.
He wasn't lying.
At least… she didn't think so.
"No worry," he added with a shrug. "I promise I'm not telling Allan on you. Though, you know he already knows."
Rolling her eyes, Gwen finally muttered,
"We'll go once I'm done."
But her hands had stopped moving long ago. He knew yes that's one thing but another witnessing it first hand.