Pieces [Wattpad's Editor's Choice]

52: aDaM's ApPlE

We spent ten minutes discouraging Luna and Tyrell from coming with us; if we all left together looking as stressed and frantic as we did, too many people might want to come along or investigate. Plus, our trek across campus would be that much more noticeable.

No one was allowed to exit or enter the buildings unless they left campus entirely and didn't come back till things cleared up. It was a "safety concern," so Isaac and I had to be extra-careful since we left in broad daylight.

We snuck out the back while Phil disarmed the building.

We ditched the umbrella and endured the rain to limit our chances of being seen. It sprinkled enough to dampen my clothes and loosen my curls, though I didn't hear any thunder, thankfully.

Neither of us spoke. Tension swelled between us and felt more suffocating than the humidity. What was Isaac thinking?

We took a detour from the guy's dorm to the science building, staying close to the outside walls and scraping our legs as we pushed through the bushes that connected the buildings. We still had to cross sidewalks, though, so we darted in a crouch and prayed no one saw us.

By the time we reached the science building, our legs were scratched, muddy, bloody, and sore.

"So this is what you did Valentine's night," Isaac said, sifting through the keys for the master key. "Sneaking and fighting through shrubs."

"No, actually. I walked boldly up to this door and tried picking the lock, as you might recall, before you caught me."

"You're lucky Phil wasn't on duty that night or that someone else didn't catch you."

"Oh, you weren't much better. Took a lot of convincing from you, too." I paused. "Why'd Howard even let you fill in for Phil? Isn't that like, illegal?"

"I used to work for Howard, so he let it slide."

"You did?"

"Yeah, I worked at the security office my third year to take a break from medical stuff. I gave Phil a recommendation letter when he decided to apply. You don't have to be certified, but they give you basic training. Your goal is to patrol campus and call police if it's a more serious issue."

Wow. I really did get lucky that night.

"God, can't believe I'm helping you break and enter. Again."

"Thank you...I'm sorry I dragged you into this." The words felt like spider webs on my tongue. I should've spoke them a long time ago.

"I wouldn't have followed you inside if I didn't wanna be involved. You intrigued me." Isaac held up the master key, just a small silver key with three humps around it. "This, right here, is the real key to love." He jiggled the key in the new keyhole (thank God they replaced it) and the door clicked.

That easy.

We were in.

The science building remained intact, everything neat and ready for classes we would've had if only the electricity worked. Our footsteps squeaked on the floors as we turned heads down each open hall and classroom, moving slowly in case something jumped out at us. Nothing smelled smoky or chemically. No dead butterflies or moths covered the floors. Unlike V-day, Howard wasn't here; he left to his security office.

"Familiar, huh?" Isaac felt the wall as he walked and I held on to his arm so nothing would separate us.

"Feels like forever ago."

We rounded the corner to an isolated hallway with a dead end. On the door hung a red hazard sign that read "Authorized Personnel Only" with an emergency exit adjacent to it. An unlit camera pointed straight at the door, already unlocked and propped open by a copy of Wuthering Heights.