The following three days were a masterclass in psychological attrition. Everywhere I went, I felt the phantom vibration of my phone. Every time I turned a corner in the East Wing, I expected to see Luke's skeletal smile. But he was never there. To everyone else, I was the elite Sadie Sterling finally cracking under the pressure of being number two.
I needed Carl. We met that night in the basement of the auditorium, a place smelling of mothballs and old velvet.
"He is doing it, Carl," I whispered, burying my face in the crisp cotton of his shirt. "He is making me look crazy. He sent another text today while I was in the cafeteria. He was sitting right there, laughing with Arnold. He didn't even have his phone out."
Carl's arms tightened around me, his heartbeat a steady thrum against my cheek. "He is using a timed sender, Sadie. He wants to isolate you. My father is breathing down my neck about the Q3 projections, but I am tracking the pings from the Junior hostel. I just need a little more time."
"Arnold looks at me differently too," I murmured. "He looks... guilty."
"Arnold is a distraction," Carl said, his voice dropping to a low growl. "He's the guy who tried to slide in weeks before Valentine's Day and got rejected. Don't waste your energy on him. He is not the threat. Luke is."
But as I walked back to the girl's dormitory, the feeling of safety evaporated.
In the Junior hostel, the atmosphere was far from silent. Arnold stood in front of Luke's desk, his face pale. He was watching Luke polish a small, silver-tipped blade with a silk cloth. Luke was smiling, not the boyish smile he used in the halls, but something sharp and fixed.
"You said you just wanted to rattle her, Luke," Arnold whispered. "You told me to work on my feelings, to push for that confession back then, even when I wasn't sure. You manipulated me. And now the texts... this isn't right."
Luke didn't look up. "You are so small-minded, Arnold. I am thinking in terms of eternity."
"I am going to tell them," Arnold said, his voice gaining a sudden strength. "I am going to tell Carl Sinclair how you've been using me as a test to see if she's vulnerable."
Luke stopped polishing. He slowly turned his head, his eyes locking onto Arnold with a soul-chilling stillness. "You think the Shark will listen to you? You are the guy who got turned down by his woman. To Carl, you are just a jealous loser. Do you really think he'll believe you over me?"
Arnold froze. The logic was cruel. Luke stood up, tucking the blade into his blazer. "But you're right. I'm done with the games, Arnold. I just need to find a way to apologize to her. Properly."
"Luke.."
"I'm going for a walk," Luke said, his voice returning to a warm, friendly tone. "I'll see you at curfew."
Luke exited, leaving the door swinging. Arnold stood in the silence, but the air felt heavy. The "apology" didn't sit right. He waited two minutes before slipping out. He went to the Senior wing first, but the classrooms were empty. Panic began to bubble.
He found Carl near the fountain, looking at his tablet.
"Carl!" Arnold breathed, running up to him.
Carl looked up, his expression hardening into a sneer. He stepped forward, closing the distance aggressively. "What do you want, Arnold? If this is about Sadie, I'll break your jaw before you finish the sentence."
"Listen to me!" Arnold gasped, ignoring the threat. "Something is wrong with Luke. He has a knife, Carl. He said he was going to 'apologize,' but the way he was looking... he's gone dark."
Carl's eyes narrowed. He wanted to dismiss him, but the raw terror in the Junior's eyes was impossible to ignore. It mirrored Sadie's fear.
"Where is she?" Carl demanded, his voice a lethal command.
"I don't know! I'll check the gardens. You check the Senior halls!"
"If you find her, you call me instantly," Carl threatened, already sprinting. "If you're lying, I'll have you expelled by morning!"
Arnold ran toward the East Wing. He reached the base of the Observatory tower. He was about to turn back, when a sharp, violent 'smash' of glass echoed from high above, followed by a muffled, terrified yell.
Arnold's blood turned to ice. He pulled out his phone, his fingers trembling.
"Carl! The Observatory!" Arnold hissed as soon as Carl picked up. "I heard a scream. Glass breaking. I think they're up there. I'm going in to stall him. Just get here! Hurry!"
He shoved the phone away and raced up the spiral stairs, the sound of his own breathing drowned out by the looming silence of the tower.