29TH NOVEMBER.
ORION ACADEMY:
CAMPUS.

LAST night, Aphrodite slept for just two hours. Not only because Jessica was following her, but also because her step-brother was a part of the same society that made her do something unimaginable. The look on her step-brother's face--his placid skin and the lack of charm in his eyes--deciphered one thing. Josh was not involved in the murder of Jessica Patterson. Josh didn't want to be at the secret meeting. He wanted to go out there looking for Jessica but his loyalty and commitment to The Black Hole made him compromise.

She didn't get a chance to talk to him after that meeting. The Headmaster--or the High Master--of The Black Hole dismissed everyone because he had some urgent business. From the minimal attention that she paid when Issac--yes, he too was a part of this torturous club--told the workings of The Black Hole, she understood that this Black Hole was serious business. Everyone was assigned with tasks and were told to report to Issac and Mia--the same Mia who was the fake victim at the whole Vampire act that they played on Ben.

Aphrodite mentally cringed at the fact that she had asked the members of The Black Hole for a task that they had asked to complete.

The two hour sleep that she managed to catch was interrupted by a nightmare. Unlike the previous nightmares, where Jessica pointed at her with blood dripping down her forehead--last night's dream had Josh in it. Josh was holding Jessica in his arms as she took her last breaths. She whispered something to Josh while Aphrodite stood near them, tears rolling down her eyes. Josh stood up--anger flashing through his eyes. "You killed her. You murdered my girlfriend. How could you do that to me?" Josh yelled at her.

It wasn't until Yumi woke her up when she heard her scream. Yumi offered her a glass of water and they sat beside each other in darkness. The only sound that echoed in the room was their occasional breaths.

Next day, Aphrodite went for a run. She had been doing that for days now. It helped her mind off of things especially when loud metal music blasted through her headphones.

She, like the others, had trouble concentrating during lectures. But hey, her grades were fine so, no big deal.

She was in the middle of her Mr. Baker's lecture when she received a text.

Can we meet at five instead of three? Urgent Black Hole business. Josh had written. The moment that she was agitated about was postponed even more. She didn't want to face Josh. She couldn't see the look in his eyes. She couldn't sit in front of the boy whose girlfriend she had gotten rid of. She couldn't.

I lost my brother and I don't want you to lose yours.

Yumi's words echoed in her mind so she replied with Okay and stuffed her phone back into the pocket of her jeans when the bell rang. She hurried out of the class, waving goodbye to Jonah and finding her way to the cafeteria. She entered the crowded the cafeteria and sat at their usual table. She was the first one to arrive.

After a couple of minutes, Lex and West slid in the booth, followed by Karan and Yumi.

Her appetite had improved--partly because Lex's tough love was working.

"Hey, weren't you meeting Josh for lunch?" Yumi asked and the boys' attention was on her. Their eyebrows were raised, piqued with interest and curiosity.

Aphrodite sighed. "It got postponed."

"Wait, what?" Karan's mouth was agape. "For real? You're meeting him?"

"Are you sure you're ready for it?" Lex's hand slid under the table on her thigh. He squeezed her as her face layered with concern. She circumspectly kept her hand on his and stroked it gently.

"I am not," she admitted. "But Josh needs someone and I am his family. Plus, it's the least I can do after what I did."

"We." West played with the noodles on his plate. "All of us did it," he silently said. His voice was low and on edge--almost as if he was murmuring to himself. His eyes were fixed on the fork that maneuvered in the entangles of noodles. "We should do something about it."

"Right. About that..." Yumi began. "I've been researching the Orion Academy on the internet. Visited all the sketchy sites, made friends with strange people, read Historical books from the library."

"Woah," Karan gaped. "And what did you find out?"

"Nothing interesting," Yumi whispered. She looked around, making sure no one was hearing her and leaned closer. Involuntary, the others did the same. "There's a restricted section in the library. And I think we might find something there."

"And you think we'll be able to get in without getting caught?" Lex rolled his eyes. "They have surveillance cameras all around and I am pretty sure we won't get the access card or the keys to that section. Easier said than done."

Yumi shot a dagger. "I am confident that we can pull this off," She murmured. "I have a friend who can help us. He is an expert at hacking anything and everything. He will hack into the security camera for us."

"Oh goodie!" Lex feigned a high-pitched girly voice. "And how will we enter the restricted section?"

Yumi opened her mouth and began explaining her plan. She gave instructions for everyone and for once, it felt liberating to know that she wasn't holding back. Once she was done, she received a smile of assurance from Aphrodite and poof, all her worries were thrown out of the window.

"Well, it's good to know that our missions haven't ended yet." Karan chuckled.

•••

"Hey, Josh." Aphrodite towered over him. Josh, who was sitting in one of the booths at the cafeteria, looked up from his screen. The eyebags under his eyes felt heavier than the secret Aphrodite was carrying. "If you aren't hungry, we could go for a stroll. I don't wanna have an awkward conversation with you at a cramped up place."

"Uh, sure." He nodded and slid from the booth. They ordered their go-to lattes and made it out of the cafe in silence. While the students walking past them scurried past them, they didn't spare a moment to give pitiful eyes to Josh. Josh seemed oblivious to it and even if he did notice, he didn't bother to react.

"I'm sorry about Jessica." Those were shallow words but he deserved to hear them.

"She's not dead, okay?" He snapped. "The cops will find her and everything will be okay," he said but it was more like an assurance to him. He sighed and turned his head to her. "I'm sorry about the whole Black Hole thing. I wish I could tell you."

She waved him off. "It's alright. Technically, I hid it from you too." Josh chuckled and for a moment, Aphrodite was reminded how much she missed his smile--the same smile that easily made her smile on the bad days and the same smile that Aphrodite had wiped it off of his face. And then, a new splash of sorrow washed over her.

"Where could she be?" He asked no one in particular. "There is no ransom call so either she ran away willingly or..." He trailed off, not feeling the need to finish the sentence. Aphrodite sipped the warm drink from her zarf slowly.

"I am sure she'll find her way back to a safe place soon."

That felt like a good thing to say without slipping the truth.

Her nightmare from last night flashed in front of her eyes. She closed her eyes and wetted her lips. The sun had already begun to set and the temperature had started to cool down. A cold wind swished by, a shiver running down her spine. "How long have you been doing this?"

"What?" Josh's voice raised, an unexplainable look masked his face. He coughed and sipped his latte. Something was up. Aphrodite could tell but she didn't want to ask him yet.

"The being in a secret society thing," Aphrodite explained to him, pretending that she didn't just hear his voice go high and crack at the same time. It was his tell. But if he did have a tell, how did he manage to hide about The Black Hole?

"It's my fourth year. I got in with Issac, Mia, and Kyle in freshman year. We had to perform all those pranks too. And I had to pretend to be obsessed with a rumour to not blow my cover. It was hard, especially hiding it from you." He sighed and turned his head to meet Aphrodite's eyes.

"Me?"

"Yeah, mom knew so..."

Aphrodite paused dead in her tracks. The latte held tightly against her palm--the way a child hugs his mom after coming back from school with relief and a tiny, tiny bit of fear. Josh burrowed his eyebrows and bit his lips--his eyes going wider than ever. He swallowed before muttering, Shit.

"I wasn't supposed to tell you. Shit. Shit. Shit." He ran a hand through his hair frantically. "You didn't hear it from me, okay? Please. Aphy, don't tell mom."

"Why does it matter?"

"Because mom was a part of it too. So was your dad and mine."

header image by Kal Visuals

since this chapter ends on a cliffhanger, I have a double update for you! i hope you enjoyed reading this chapter:)

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