The hidden files

I locked the washroom door behind me with a trembling hand. The click of the latch felt final, like shutting out everything else. I didn't want anyone barging in—not now, not while this conversation was spiraling into something darker than I imagined.

Sabrina stood across the room, arms crossed, rolling her eyes like she had done a hundred times before. That usual smugness danced around her face, unbothered, as if she lived for moments like this.

"Like, don't you ever give up?" she snapped, voice dripping with mockery and irritation.

I moved closer, positioning myself right in front of her. "Now you're stalking me too?" she scoffed, waving a finger near my face.

I batted her hand away, refusing to be intimidated. "Why would I give up?" I said, my voice sharpening with every word. "Ever since you got here, you've been pining after Dan. And now—now you're parading him around like he's some trophy?"

Sabrina let out a cold, exaggerated laugh. "Girl, please. In your delusional little dreams."

"You bitch!" The words ripped out of me before I could stop them.

She gasped, half amused, half ready to pounce. "Me?" Her smile widened wickedly. "Coming from someone who got pregnant for her brother?"

The room spun. My heart didn't just drop—it plummeted. I stepped forward, and before I knew it, I shoved her.

Sabrina stumbled slightly, but her laugh only deepened. She was amused—thrilled, even. The venom in her grin made my stomach churn.

"You've got something on Dan, don't you?" I said, my voice shaking but firm.

She stared past me, like I wasn't even there.

"You knew his parents own the school. That's why you're here. You're blackmailing him."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes again.

"Dan pursued me. He wanted me. He fell for me first."

I felt a pang in my chest—sharp and sudden. That wasn't what everyone said. That wasn't how the story went.

"That's a lie," I whispered, but even I didn't sound convinced.

"You're so damn naïve," she sneered.

"You don't even know what's really going on."

"Then tell me!" I snapped, my voice cutting through the silence.

She just shook her head slowly, the way someone does when they're looking at something pitiful.

"Are Dan's parents behind the kidnappings?" I asked, the words falling from my lips before I had time to weigh them.

Her eyes widened for a split second.

I saw it—that flicker. That break in her mask.

"That's what you're hiding, isn't it?" I pressed. "That's what you're using against him."

"What the hell are you even talking about?" she said quickly, her voice higher now, scrambling to recover her usual tone.

But I knew. I had struck something raw.

"Tell me," I yelled. "Stop acting like you're innocent in all this."

She didn't answer. Instead, she pulled her lip gloss from her purse, glossed her lips like nothing had happened, then turned sharply toward the door.

I lunged forward, blocking her path, hand pressed firmly against the door.

She tried to shove past me, but I held my ground.

"I'll go to Mrs. Edwina," I threatened.

"I'll tell her everything. Let's see how far this little game of yours goes when she finds out."

That stopped her. She froze, turned slowly, and looked straight at me, unflinching.

"And what exactly is she going to do?" she asked, her voice low, controlled, like she was daring me to answer.

I faltered. That wasn't the reaction I expected.

"She's just a fucking employee," she said, scoffing with a smugness that made my skin crawl.

My heart began to pound. Dom had said something similar….

I hadn't thought much of it then.

"You're saying... Mrs. Edwina is part of this?" I asked, the words barely leaving my throat.

Sabrina raised a brow, her smirk unwavering.

"Wow. You really thought you knew everything, didn't you?" She tilted her head, mock-sympathy in her voice.

"And here I was, thinking you'd already figured it out."

I lowered my hand from the door slowly, feeling my limbs weaken.

Everything was clicking into place—connections I had missed, signs I had ignored.

None of this was random. Not Dan. Not the school. Not Sabrina. Not even Mrs. Edwina.

Everyone and everything was tangled in this web.

Sabrina gave me one last look,

a mixture of triumph and pity—then swung the door open and sashayed out without a second glance.

I stood frozen, staring at the empty doorway.

I couldn't believe it.

I gather myself, taking in a deep breath to steady the storm swirling inside me. I push open the washroom door, stepping out with one goal—to find Selena.

My heart pounds as my eyes scan the corridor, the crowd a blur of faces and chatter. Then, I see her.

Selena is already searching, her eyes darting anxiously until they lock with mine. In that moment, I know, she found something. Something big.

I open my mouth to speak, but she beats me to it, her voice barely above a whisper.

"We need to talk."

Without another word, we move swiftly, heading back into the washroom. A few girls are in there already, touching up their makeup, giggling, oblivious to the storm about to erupt within these walls. We wait, silently.

Tension thick between us. When the last girl finally exits, we shut the door and turn the lock with a sharp click.

Silence falls.

We face each other, both waiting, both unsure who should speak first.

I give in.

"You go first," I blurt out, my voice trembling with urgency. I couldn't wait a second longer.

Selena steps closer, her voice low and cautious.

"I managed to get some records… reports from some of the kidnapped kids."

My heart skips.

She glances over her shoulder again, double-checking every corner of the room as if expecting someone to emerge from the shadows.

Once she's satisfied we're alone, she dips her hand into her bag, pulls out her phone, and swipes through her gallery before turning the screen toward me.

My breath catches.

Screenshots of Dozens,

Files, documents, police reports—all hidden records of missing students. Names, dates, locations. Some from two years ago. Some from five. Some even older.

"How the hell did you get this?" I ask, my voice now just a whisper, barely audible through my shock.

"I snuck into Mrs. Edwina's office… They were tucked away in a locked drawer, behind other files. I don't think she expected anyone to look there."

I scroll through each page in disbelief, my stomach churning.

"This is more than just a school secret. This is criminal."

Selena nods, watching my reaction carefully. I cover my mouth, trying to suppress the scream rising in my throat.

"I think Mrs. Edwina is involved," I say, voice shaky.

But Selena shakes her head quickly.

"No. She can't be. I mean, she's strict, yes—but this?"

"She is, Selena. Sabrina confirmed it. She said Edwina was just a employee. That she knew everything."

Selena blinks rapidly, her face turning pale.

"What the hell is going on here?" she murmurs.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoes on the door.

We freeze.

Another bang. Then silence.

I lean against the sink basin, pulse hammering in my ears.

Selena breaks the quiet, her voice low but firm.

"Do you think Dan and Dom are part of this too?"

I shrug, the thought too heavy to bear.

"I don't know. I want to believe Dan isn't, but everything is just so twisted now."

She sighs, frustrated.

"What do we even do with this information?"

"We can't keep it," I say.

"We take it to Mr. Adam. Maybe he can figure out how to use it on my parent case with the Bonfire's."

Selena nods.

"But how are we going to explain how we got it? Do we tell them the truth

We pause.

Selena, looks away, deep in thought, before finally meeting my gaze.

"We tell the truth. All of it. We don't have a choice now. Not when lives are at stake."

I nod slowly. She's right.

"I think we need to speak to the girl who escaped. We need to know how she got out. If she knows more." Selena chips in

I hesitate.

"I don't know if that's a good idea. Ever since that Bonfire press release, she's been silent. No interviews, no appearances, nothing. It's like she vanished again."

Selena frowns.

"I'll ask around school. See if anyone's seen her—if she came back quietly, or if she's still in hiding."

I glance at the phone again, the weight of what we've uncovered crashing down.

"I need to figure out how to tell my parents. We need the lawyers ready before the next trial begins. They can't cover this up again."

Another knock, this time louder and sharper.

We both stiffen.

Selena throws her hand over her mouth, signaling for silence.

A voice booms through the door. A male voice.

"Open the door. Now."

We exchange a panicked look.

Security.

Someone had reported us.

"Shit," Selena whispers, as she moves towards the door.