A Single Rose (a Valentine's Story)

Chapter 16

I walked as quickly as I dared towards the drama room. Chemistry had finished at last and I had grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading off to find the fifth clue.

In a matter of minutes I was in front of the drama room, gazing thoughtfully at the statue of Bentley the Beagle, school mascot to the class of '98. No obvious paper placed around it, nor underneath. After a moment more, I bent down to peer more closely at his head. There! A note, carefully folded and tucked in the statue's mouth. Quickly extracting it, I excitedly opened it, my eyes sweeping over the single line.

Hint 5: The first thing Will Treaty climbs to escape Horace Altman.

Oh. That's it? My heart sunk a tiny bit as I turned the note over, only to reveal blank paper. Maybe they ran out of good things to say about me... and honestly, I don't blame them.
I tried to focus back on the hint, but my mind was snagged on the absence of a reason. As I absent-mindedly stared at the note, I slowly realised the bottom was uneven, as though a peice had been gently ripped off. Hmm, I wonder...

Perhaps my so-called admirer was more informed than I thought. Clutching the hint in my hand, I strode towards the Art room before halting in front of Charlie the Cavelier's mural. I hurriedly looked over the painted lines and colours. Nothing.

I could feel my hopes beginning to sink. Who was I kidding? I'm probably just wasting my time. I let out a small sigh before lifting my my chin. No.
I took a deep breathe, then tried again.
Taking my time, I scanned the artwork until I noticed a difference in texture on one of the white sections. Stepping closer, I felt a spike of satisfaction as I gently pulled off the piece of paper which had been stuck to the wall with white tack.

With a smile, I held up the two pieces of paper together.
Hint 5: The first thing Will Treaty climbs to escape Horace Altman.
Reason 5: Your perseverance.

My mind working furiously, I had almost settled on a potential destination when the five-minute warning bell rung. Darn it.
Looking for this clue had taken longer than anticipated, and now I didn't have time to hunt for the next one nor greatly ponder this 'reason'. With a sigh I gently folded the two notes and tucked them into my pocket before beginning to make my way to my locker. The hunt would have to continue after a double session of English...

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Author's Note:
Hey there! Thanks for reading my story, it means a lot to me ^_^.

Just wanted to say sorry for the late and update, the hectic busyness of my life has continued and the time/energy/motivation to write remains in short supply. Also my apologies for the rather short chapter, I figure something was better than nothing. Hopefully in the future if I ever end up rewriting this story I'll expand it a bit more, but for now this is all I have the capacity to write. Hope you enjoyed it despite the conciseness!)