Blackstone Academy: The Rogue

31. Nova Rose

Nova P.O.V

Date: October 28, 2238

Stacy and I hurried up the stairs and through the entrance of the teacher's residential dorms, narrowly avoiding the sudden blast of frigid wind. The temperature had dropped drastically since our practice, almost making me forget it was fall. A warmth settled over us, fighting the slight chill from our short trek across campus as we stood in the lobby.

"Can I help you with something?" The tallest of the two guards behind the counter asked while tightening the lid of his traveler mug.

"Yes. We're here to see Ms. Eve," Stacy said. "Can you tell us her room number?"

"I can give you the number, but she's not there. She just went into Ms. Jacob's room."

"Oh. Which hall?"

"That one." He pointed to the right hallway. "Room two."

"Thank you." Stacy smiled, and he gave a slight nod in acknowledgment before we went the way he'd indicated.

When we reached the room, Stacy nudged me through the door first. I playfully narrowed my eyes at her before turning back to Ms. Eve, who was packing the items from the nightstand into a box on the bed.

"Ms. Eve," I softly called.

She set a notebook into the box, turning to face me. "Oh, Nova. What are you doing here?"

"Stacy and I just wanted to know if you needed help packing Ms. Jacob's stuff."

She raked her fingers through her short curls, tousling them as she looked around the small room. It shared the same design and layout as our dorm, with not even one slight differentiation. "Uh..."

"It will go a lot faster if we help," Stacy said with her chin on my shoulder.

"Yeah, sure. But there's not much left to pack. Just the clothing in the dressers and the closet. And everything on the desks as well."

"What about the furniture?" Stacy picked up two empty boxes off the floor and handed one to me. "Because if so, we asked a few friends to help."

"Well, they can still help, but the furniture stays. It all belongs to the school."

"Ah, okay. Well, where do you want us to put the boxes?"

"Just pile them up by the door. Someone should be here with carts to load everything onto so they can be transported to the truck outside. Soon, I hope." She glanced at her watch and let out a small sigh. "But while we wait for them, let's get started! You girls take care of the stuff out here while I finish the bathroom."

We nodded and went to the closet while she headed into the bathroom.

"I need you to clear something up for me," Stacy whispered, pulling the hangers off the rack.

"What?"

"What exactly did Jax mean by a target on his back if he spoke up?"

I hesitated briefly before shrugging. "I guess I can tell you now since it's all over. Troy and I overheard some guy telling another guy to do something. Then he threatened to kill anyone that asked questions about said task."

"Oh, my..." She breathed out. "What did he want him to do?"

"I don't know."

"Well..." she set an armful of clothes into the box by her feet. "Did you get a look at the guys?"

"No," I glanced over my shoulder at the bathroom, checking Ms. Eve hadn't overheard. "Troy tried to record them with Jax's camera glasses, but he didn't get a clear shot of their faces. And to make matters even worse, we also didn't even record the whole conversation."

"Damn." She crossed her arms. "Now that I understand better. I don't blame you for not wanting to speak up."

I hummed.

********

A few minutes before we finished packing Ms. Jacob's room, Jax and Troy arrived with carts. Together, they hauled everything across campus to the SUV waiting outside the gates. The car sat alone on the cracked pavement. Its paint faded to a dull black with long, thin scratches marring its frame.

How briefly crossed my mind while watching the boys, joined by Maverick, load the trunk, but I don't dwell on it too long. I was outside those walls for the first in a long time. Albeit just the parking lot, it was still outside. A single paved road split the barren plains, stretching for miles and miles on either side.

We were completely isolated. Not a building or house in sight. That was perhaps the single most important thing that ensured our safety. Besides, the guards equipped to the nines with heavy artillery, that is.

A hand reaching past me into the back seat pulled me from my thoughts. Jax set his gray hoodie down before rejoining Troy and Maverick.

"You lied to us," Troy stated, sliding a box into the trunk.

Maverick slid his own box alongside Troy's before looking over at him. "What did I lie about?"

"You told us the security team had nothing."

"Yeah. And that's the truth."

Troy stared at him, his lips pressed together in a flat line. "Is it? Because it certainly doesn't seem like it to me."

"Yes!" Maverick shouted, meeting his gaze head-on, but Troy still seemed unwilling to believe him.

"Then what about the videos Dean Winston mentioned during his announcement? He said the security team viewed them."

"I'm telling you, I never saw anything. They must have kept it between the higher-ups."

"So..." Troy's eyes briefly cut to Ms. Eve and Ross, walking towards us. "Like the Head of Security?"

"Yeah, usually. But Ross was demoted, remember?"

"He still could have seen it."

Maverick released a frustrated sigh. "Troy, don't."

"What?"

"Whatever you're thinking, okay. It's going to be a long drive as is without you stirring up drama. So just for one day," He grabbed the last box, set it in the trunk, and slammed it close. "Don't."