Secrets of Veil High: The Awakening (BOOK 2)

Chapter 4: The Growing Rift

Ava could feel the tension hanging thick in the air between her and her friends as they gathered in the cafeteria, sitting in a quiet corner away from the other students. Ethan and Lila sat across from her, exchanging worried glances as they looked at her, their expressions filled with concern that only made her feel more defensive. Since they had returned from the basement, things hadn’t felt right. Her mind was still buzzing with the strange energy she had felt when she touched the founders’ symbol. And then, there was Kael, who had been her guide through everything she was learning. The intensity of what she’d seen and felt in his presence was something she couldn’t shake.

“So,” Ethan finally broke the silence, pushing his tray aside, “are we gonna talk about how much time you’re spending with Kael?”

Ava looked up from her food, taken aback by the directness of his question. “What do you mean? Kael’s just helping me figure things out. He knows more about Veil High’s history than any of us do.”

Lila sighed, leaning closer to Ava, her voice a soft murmur. “It’s just… Ava, we’ve all been involved in this together, right? The three of us? But now, you’re leaving us out. You’re just… running to him every time you find something out.”

Ava felt the sting of Lila’s words, though she tried to shake it off. “That’s not true. I’m just trying to get answers. I mean, don’t you guys want to understand what’s going on here?”

Ethan exchanged a look with Lila before turning back to Ava. “Of course we do. But the way you’re going about it feels… different. Kael has a lot of influence over you, and it seems like you trust him more than us lately. We’re worried he’s… manipulating you.”

Ava’s face flushed. “He’s not manipulating me, Ethan. He’s just helping me. I’m the one who chose to go with him and figure things out.”

Ethan’s jaw tightened. “Do you even know why he’s here, Ava? He just shows up, warns you, and drops hints like he knows something we don’t. I don’t trust him.”

Ava felt herself bristle. “Maybe it’s not him you don’t trust. Maybe it’s me.”

The words hit like a slap, and Ava regretted them almost as soon as she’d said them. But instead of taking it back, she stood up, grabbing her bag.

“Fine. If you don’t trust me, then I don’t need to explain myself. I’ll figure things out on my own.”

Without looking back, she turned and left the cafeteria, her footsteps echoing in the silence left by her departure.

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That evening, Ava found herself standing outside Kael’s room. She hesitated before knocking, feeling the weight of what had just happened with Ethan and Lila. Her friends didn’t understand. They hadn’t seen what she’d seen, felt the strange energy coursing through her when she touched the symbol. And only Kael seemed to understand how deeply it affected her.

The door opened, and Kael appeared, his face shadowed in the dim light of the hallway. His gaze softened when he saw her.

“Ava,” he greeted her quietly, stepping back to let her in.

She entered, taking in the sparsely decorated room. A single candle burned on a desk near the window, casting flickering shadows across the walls. She sat down on the edge of his bed, not quite meeting his gaze.

“It’s my friends,” she said after a moment. “They don’t understand. They think… they think I’m being manipulated.”

Kael sat beside her, his expression one of quiet empathy. “It’s natural for them to feel that way, especially with how much you’re discovering. People fear what they don’t understand, Ava. And when secrets begin to unravel, it makes others feel vulnerable.”