Chapter 99: Don’t Go Alone

Astrid

I stood frozen in the corridor, staring at the message, You should have told them, my heart hammering against my ribs. Criston’s words echoed right alongside it. You should tell them. I looked around again, students moving past me in every direction, none of them looking at me directly, which somehow made everything worse. The sender could be anyone. Any one of these faces walking past.

I turned around fast. I needed Reed. I needed Xander. Both of them, right now, no more excuses. I started walking quickly toward the academic building where I knew they’d be, my fingers wrapped tightly around my phone, and by the time I found them I had already decided. I was going to tell them everything. No more hiding.

Xander was mid-sentence about something when I approached, Reed looking deeply unimpressed beside him. Xander noticed me first, and his grin faded slightly. "What’s wrong?"

I stopped in front of them, the words right there on the tip of my tongue. I need to tell you something. I looked at Reed, then Xander, then down at the phone in my hand.

"Astrid?" Reed said, stepping toward me.

I took a breath. "There’s something I need to tell you—"

"Reed!"

My stomach sank before I even turned around. Estelle approached us again, and I hated the irritation that rose in me instantly, hated it even more because she didn’t seem to notice at all. She looked at Reed. "Headmaster Aldric is looking for you."

Reed frowned. "Why?"

"He didn’t say," Estelle shrugged.

"You’re in trouble," Xander said, and Reed gave him a flat look that almost made me smile despite everything. Then Estelle turned to Xander.

"And you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Me?"

"Apparently."

"What did I do?"

"I wasn’t told that either," she said, smiling, and Reed turned back to me.

"You were saying?"

I opened my mouth, and Estelle glanced between the two of us, waiting, and suddenly I felt ridiculous standing there about to announce my fears in front of her, not when I still had no idea whether she was somehow involved in any of it. So I shook my head instead. "Later."

Reed didn’t look convinced. "Astrid."

"It’s fine," I said, forcing a smile. "Go. I’ll see you later."

Xander studied me a moment longer. "You sure?"

"Yes," I said, and the two of them reluctantly left with Estelle trailing behind them. I watched them go, my fingers tightening around the phone in my hand. I had finally been ready to tell them, and I’d let the moment slip away again.

They found me later at lunch, clearly having gone looking for me first. Xander dropped into the seat beside me. "There you are."

"You found me," I said.

"Eventually," he said, and Reed sat across from me as I looked between the two of them.

"Were you actually looking?"

Xander looked offended. "No, we enjoy wandering around the academy calling your name." I laughed, and Reed slid a plate toward me. I looked down at it, then back up.

"I can get my own food."

"We know," Reed said.

"You just don’t," Xander added.

"That’s rude."

"It’s true."

Reed picked up a fork, and Xander immediately did the same, and I narrowed my eyes at both of them. "What are you doing?"

"Eating," Xander said, all innocence, and Reed said nothing at all. Then Xander held a bite toward me. "Here."

I blinked, and Reed immediately did the exact same thing, both forks hovering in front of me while a few students nearby started watching. "Absolutely not," I whispered.

"Why?" Xander asked.

"Because everyone is staring."

He glanced around theatrically, and the students immediately looked away. "No one is staring," he said, turning back to me, and I glared at him while Reed’s mouth twitched. Eventually I gave in and took the bite from Xander’s fork, and he looked thoroughly pleased with himself while Reed calmly held his own out.

"Seriously?" I asked.

"You didn’t say one," Reed said, and I gave up entirely and took it too, while somewhere behind us someone whispered that they were both feeding me. I closed my eyes. Xander looked delighted. Reed looked completely unbothered. For several minutes I just laughed, and the fear from earlier faded into something distant, and I hated how easy it was to forget everything when I was sitting between them.

After lunch I stood to head to my next class, and Reed rose immediately. "We’ll walk you."

"You both have classes," I said.

"We’ll survive," Xander shrugged.

I crossed my arms. "You don’t have to follow me everywhere."

"We’re not following you," Xander grinned. "We’re escorting you."

"Really?"

"Humor him," Reed said quietly, and something in his tone made me pause. He wasn’t joking. "Why?" I asked.

Reed hesitated. Xander looked away, and my chest tightened.

"You know something," I said.

"No," Reed said, meeting my eyes.

"Then why are you both acting like this?"

Xander tried to make it lighter. "Because we enjoy your company."

I didn’t smile. Finally Reed said, "You seemed frightened yesterday."

I looked away. The messages. The phone. Criston. "And you’ve been distracted all morning," he continued, and guilt twisted through me. I should have told them right then. Instead I said, "I’m fine."

"We know," Xander said, and when I looked at him confused, he smiled faintly. "That’s why we’re worried."

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I let them walk me to class without another word.

Afterward, they genuinely had to leave, something about senior responsibilities, or Aldric again, Xander complaining the entire way while Reed told him to stop. I watched them go, feeling strange standing there alone, and told myself I would be fine. It was only a few minutes back to the dorms. That was all.

I was crossing campus when my phone buzzed, and I froze, my heart racing before I even looked. Ivy’s name appeared on the screen, and I relaxed for half a second before I read the message.

Come to the old east wing. I need you. Don’t tell the twins yet.

I stopped walking. Why wouldn’t Ivy want me to tell them? I typed back quickly, what’s wrong, and got nothing in response. I called instead, the phone ringing once, twice, then nothing. My stomach tightened as I ended the call, and another message came through.

Astrid, please.

That didn’t sound like Ivy at all. Or maybe it did, if something was actually wrong. I typed are you okay and got no answer, only another message a moment later.

East wing. Please hurry.

I looked up. The old east wing sat far across campus, quiet, mostly unused, the kind of place students only mentioned in passing. I looked in the direction Reed and Xander had gone, but they were already out of sight. My phone sat heavy in my hand. I should call them. I knew I should. But what if Ivy was actually in trouble, what if something had happened and I wasted precious time explaining instead of just checking?

I’ll just check, I told myself.

I started walking, not running, not yet, my mind circling back again and again to that one line. Don’t tell the twins yet. It bothered me more than I wanted to admit. But Ivy could have a reason. Maybe she didn’t want them involved. Maybe.

I stopped and looked at my phone again, tried calling one more time, and got nothing. The campus grew quieter the farther I walked, the noise of students fading behind me. I looked toward the old east wing, then back down at my phone, my fingers hovering over Reed’s contact.

I should call. I knew I should.

Instead, I slipped the phone into my pocket and kept walking toward the east wing.

I’ll just check.

The thought felt wrong the moment it settled in my chest.

But I kept walking anyway.