Coding Decoding | on going

s e v e n

Isla, in fact, did not leave.

She had been poised to slip out into the night, her heart pounding with both fear and anticipation, when the courtyard filled with faint voices, and she froze mid-step. The sound of Samantha’s lilting laughter carried through the hall, winding through Isla’s veins like a drug she wanted to shake but couldn’t. The resolve that had guided her only moments before faded, replaced by the sharpened edge of curiosity and the unsettling suspicion that she wasn’t as unnoticed here as she had once thought.

Steadying herself, Isla moved back into the shadows, pressing against the cool stone wall as Samantha’s heels clicked closer. She hadn’t seen Isla yet, too focused on the person beside her—a figure half-hidden by the shadows and speaking in low, hurried tones. Isla listened, her senses sharp, her breath silent.

Then, as Samantha turned, her eyes caught Isla’s.

“Oh,” Samantha said, her voice dripping with surprise and something else that made Isla’s skin prickle, “Isla, darling, out here alone?”

Samantha’s scent—jasmine and something metallic, something sharp—wrapped around her like a cloak. Isla’s eyes didn’t falter. “I could ask you the same question,” she replied, her voice steady despite the swirling thoughts, despite the urge to be anywhere but here, locked in conversation with the woman who knew more than she ever said.

Samantha raised a brow, the hint of a smirk playing at her lips. “The ball is coming up quickly. Everyone’s out making last-minute arrangements.” Her gaze drifted down Isla’s figure, a slow, scrutinizing look. “But I don’t suppose you’ll be taking the night off, will you?”

“No,” Isla said simply, though her mind churned with questions. What exactly did Samantha mean?

Samantha stepped forward, closing the space between them, her voice dropping to a murmur. “Isla, let me give you some advice. You may think you know what you’re doing—may even believe you’re safe. But you’re young, and you haven’t seen the world as it truly is. That kind of confidence? It’s risky.”

Isla held her gaze, her expression unmoved. “Maybe I don’t know everything,” she said, carefully, “but sometimes whispers reveal more than you’d think.”

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Samantha’s mouth, but her eyes were sharp, cold. “You’re clever, aren’t you? It’s one of the reasons I chose you.”

Chose. The word dug its way under Isla’s skin. She could feel the weight of it, like a mark pressed into her soul. “Well,” Isla said, her tone measured, “we all make choices, don’t we? It’s just a matter of living with them.”

Samantha’s face was unreadable, her eyes flashing with something Isla couldn’t name. She leaned in, her voice dropping lower, each word deliberate. “You’re too young to understand, but some choices are made for us long before we realize they’ve been decided.”

A chill ran down Isla’s spine, though she kept her face impassive, her gaze never wavering. “I understand more than you might think.”

“Is that so?” Samantha tilted her head, studying her, a glint of something almost predatory in her eyes. “Then you must understand why I’ve taken such an interest in you. So much promise, but so little experience. It’s a dangerous combination, Isla.”

“Danger,” Isla said, letting the word linger, “is only an illusion when you know what you’re dealing with.” She couldn’t keep the edge from her voice, the sharpness hinting at what lay beneath, the secrets she kept locked away.

Samantha’s gaze hardened, and for a moment, Isla thought she might have gone too far. But Samantha merely tilted her head, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “Be careful, darling. In this world, knowledge isn’t just power—it’s a liability.”

Isla felt a flicker of something dark and familiar, a sense of foreboding that nestled in her chest. “Then perhaps some knowledge is better kept hidden.” The words slipped out, a subtle jab, a veiled hint that Isla herself held secrets.

Silence stretched between them, thick and charged, as Samantha’s smile tightened, her eyes narrowing. She leaned closer, her voice a whisper against the night air. “Remember this, Isla: there’s no such thing as hidden knowledge. It always finds its way out.”

With that, Samantha pulled away, her gaze lingering on Isla for a fraction too long before she turned and slipped into the shadows, her figure merging with the night. Isla stood rooted in place, her heart pounding, her mind a whirl of thoughts and suspicions.

For a long time, she stared after Samantha, every nerve in her body thrumming with the tension of their exchange. She knew now, without a doubt, that Samantha suspected something. The game had shifted, and Isla was no longer invisible.

She took a deep breath, letting the cool night air fill her lungs, grounding herself in the present. The weight of Samantha’s words pressed down on her, a silent warning that wrapped around her like a shroud. Isla knew she couldn’t stay here. Not if she wanted to escape Samantha’s grasp. Not if she wanted freedom. But as she turned to leave, something in the distance caught her eye.

From a third-floor window, she saw the faint glow of headlights cutting through the dark, and the sound of a car door opening. Isla stilled, watching as a figure stepped out, dressed in a crisp tuxedo, blonde hair catching the light.

She blinked, her breath catching as she strained to see more. Who would arrive at this hour, so secretively, dressed for an event that had not yet begun? The silhouette moved, but the angle obscured the face, leaving only the faintest hint of familiarity.

A knot of suspicion twisted in her stomach. Was this connected to the meeting she had overheard? Was Samantha expecting someone?

Isla stayed by the window, her mind racing with questions. She would not let herself be played. Not anymore. But as she stared out into the dark, she couldn’t shake the feeling that, whatever game was unfolding here, it was much bigger—and far more dangerous—than she had ever realized.