Professor Onim's gaze moved between them like a predator assessing prey.
"When was the last time either of you saw Celeste Moreau?" he asked, his voice cold and precise.
Auriella's mouth went dry. Beside her, Penny shifted in her seat.
"Um," Penny started, her voice wavering slightly. "We saw her on Saturday.
"Saturday." Onim repeated, writing something down. "And what were the circumstances of this encounter?"
"She... met us in the park and we spoke for a while ," Auriella said carefully. "
"And after that?"
"We didn't see her again," Penny lied.
Onim's eyes narrowed slightly. "Did Miss Moreau mention anything unusual? Any plans she had? Anywhere she intended to go?"
"Yes," Auriella said. "She spoke about attending the party.
"And you haven't heard from her since?"
"No, sir," Penny said.
Onim leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled in front of him.
"Mr. Lincoln reported that Miss Moreau has been missing for four days. Yet neither of you thought to report this to the administration?"
Auriella's stomach twisted. "We... we thought she was just exploring. Lincoln said she does that sometimes. Disappears for a while."
"And you didn't think her prolonged absence warranted concern?"
"We were concerned," Penny said quickly. "But we didn't think... we didn't know it was serious until today."
Onim studied them for a long, uncomfortable moment.
Auriella could feel sweat forming at the back of her neck. Her heart pounded so loudly she was sure he could hear it.
But then something else caught her attention.
A strange sensation.
Like she was being watched .
Not by Onim. Not by Officer Martinez standing by the door.
By something else.
Her eyes flickered to the side, toward the large glass that stretched along the wall of Onim's office.
But all she could see was her own reflection staring back at her.
And yet...
The feeling persisted. Stronger now. Like invisible eyes boring into her from beyond the glass.
Her pulse quickened.
She forced herself to look away, back at Onim, trying to steady her breathing.
"Miss Thorne," Onim said sharply.
Auriella's head snapped up. "Yes, sir?"
"Are you paying attention?"
"Yes, sir. I'm sorry."
Onim's gaze lingered on her for a moment, then he looked back at his notes.
"If either of you hears from Miss Moreau, or learns anything about her whereabouts, you are to report it to me immediately. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir," they said in unison.
"You're dismissed."
Auriella and Penny stood quickly, relief flooding through them.
Officer Martinez opened the door, and they practically fled from the office.
They didn't speak until they were outside, the cold night air hitting their faces.
"Oh my god," Penny breathed, her hands shaking. "I thought we were done for."
"Me too," Auriella whispered.
"He didn't mention the party," Penny said, looking at Auriella with wide eyes. "Lincoln didn't tell him we went."
Auriella felt a wave of guilt crash over her. "He protected us."
"Yeah," Penny said quietly. "He did."
They walked back to Ravenwood Hall in silence, both of them processing what had just happened.
When they reached the second floor, they saw Lincoln sitting on the floor outside Penny's door, his head in his hands.
He looked up when he heard them approaching.
His eyes were red. His jaw tight.
"Lincoln—" Penny started.
"Don't," he said, his voice low and strained.
He stood up slowly, and Auriella could see the barely contained anger simmering beneath the surface.
"You lied to me," Lincoln said, his voice shaking. "For four days, you knew she was missing and you didn't say anything."
"We thought—" Auriella began.
"I don't care what you thought," Lincoln snapped. "She's my cousin. My family. And you kept it from me."
"We're sorry," Penny said, tears welling in her eyes. "Lincoln, we didn't think—"
"That's the problem," Lincoln said, his voice rising. "You didn't think. You were so worried about getting in trouble that you didn't think about her."
"That's not fair," Auriella said, her own voice breaking. "We were scared. We didn't know what to do."
"You could have told me," Lincoln said, his voice cracking. "You should have told me."
The silence hung heavy between them.
Finally, Lincoln ran a hand through his hair and let out a shaky breath.
"I didn't tell Onim about the party," he said quietly. "I told him I was looking for Celeste because her mom couldn't reach her. That's it."
"Thank you," Penny whispered.
"I didn't do it for you," Lincoln said coldly. "I did it because getting you two expelled won't help find her."
He turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.
Auriella and Penny stood there, guilt and fear twisting in their chests.
"He hates us," Penny said quietly.
"He has every right to," Auriella said, her voice hollow.
They went into Penny's room and closed the door.
Neither of them spoke.
They just sat on the bed, side by side, staring at the wall.
Celeste was missing.
And it was their fault.
Auriella lay awake that night, staring at the ceiling of Penny's room.
Penny had fallen asleep beside her, exhausted from the stress of the day.
But Auriella couldn't sleep.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Celeste's trashed room. The overturned chair. The scattered books.
The signs of a struggle.
And that feeling in Onim's office.
The sensation of being watched through the glass.
She'd looked, and there had been nothing there.
Just her reflection.
But the feeling had been so real.
Auriella turned onto her side, pulling the blanket tighter around herself.
Where are you, Celeste?
What happened to you?
The questions circled in her mind, relentless and unanswered.
And beneath it all, a deeper fear.
A fear she didn't want to acknowledge.
What if she's not okay?
What if something terrible happened to her?
What if it's too late?
Auriella squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push the thoughts away.
But they wouldn't leave.
And neither would the feeling.
The feeling that something was very, very wrong