The Hollows Of Hiraeth (✔️) | 'Hollows' Book I

Chapter Forty

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T h e H o l l o w s   O f
H I R A E    T    H
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"Woah, that's a lot of followers," Toby exclaimed from behind me and I winced as the loud noise hit my ears. "Are you, like, a celebrity—or something?" He then continued to ask and I rolled my eyes, deciding to ignore him.

We had walked a long way down a corridor—of which I never knew existed—and came to a stop by a door. I had logged into my old Instagram account, still not being able to shake the habit of doing so or the memories of my old life.

I half followed Toby down a dimly lit corridor and half scrolled through the pictures on my feed. The corridor that we were making our way down reminded me of the one that Jameson and I had walked down last night—the night of the most recent attack. I shivered at the remembrance and decided instead to look at the pictures.

Toby stopped and opened another door, leading to a staircase that was also similar to the one Jameson and I had walked down and up.

"You sure you aren't going to murder me?" I asked him for the twentieth time, just to be sure, and Toby laughed.

"Pretty sure." He responded. Suddenly, something whacked me in the arm and I stumbled back at the impact. The door.

I looked up to see Toby cackling his head off. I wish I could decapitate that head. I was fuming as I pushed the door off me and shimmied through. I cradled my injured arm as Toby continued to laugh.

"First you don't have the manners to hold the door for me, then you have the decency to laugh?" I exclaimed, throwing my arms in the air. Toby stopped laughing eventually, but a smirk was left on his face. He walked away, an almost inaudible apology trailing after him. I rolled my eyes but followed him down the stairs.

I returned to my Instagram feed to see–

"Toby!" I shrieked as I realised what I had done. Toby jumped at the shriek and looked up to face me. I walked down the steps so that I was one higher than he was, giving me extra height to be slightly taller than he was, and more intimidating.

"You made me like someone's picture!" I shouted at him and stuck out my phone for him to see in front of his face. Toby rolled his eyes and started to descend the stairs again.

"Isn't that what Instagram is for?" He commented and I groaned whilst I face-palmed.

"Not when you're supposed to be kidnapped somewhere!" My voice shrilled and Toby stopped in his tracks. When I had gone missing off the face of the earth, the police had 'suspected' that I had gone missing, but some people here in the academy were just claimed as dead right from the start. For example, Avery, born and raised in Brighton, was recorded as dead, the police having had a 'witness'—probably a fake one who worked for the academy—that she had been taken under by a ripping current in the sea.

This was big. The whole outside world believed I was missing. Part of the police force may know the truth, but to an everyday person on my feed, most probably someone I knew? My account liking their picture could sell me out—after it freaks the person out.

I used the moment of which Toby was actually dead silent to scold him even more. "I obviously accidentally liked it when you couldn't be bothered to hold open the door!" I shouted down the stairs at him, hoping he could see my fuming facial expression in my words.