Lucas POV 
The room was too quiet.
I sat beside the bed, my eyes drifting to Abigail, still lying down, her breathing steady but her face so pale. I didn’t know what to do. My hands fidgeted on my lap, wanting to reach out but unsure how to. The weight of everything that happened was pressing down on both of us. I could feel it—heavy, suffocating.
‘What can I say?’ I thought, my chest tight with worry. ‘What can I do to make this better?’
I glanced at her again, my mind racing. She was always so strong. But today, something broke inside her, and it scared me. I wanted to protect her, to shield her from whatever this was, but I didn’t know how. The silence was making it worse. It was like we were both waiting for something, anything to change. But nothing did.
Without thinking, I moved closer, pulling her gently into a tight hug. My arms wrapped around her, and I felt her body tense at first, but then she gave in. She melted into me, burying her face in my shoulder, and that’s when I felt it—the soft tremble. She was crying.
It wasn’t loud, no dramatic sobs. Just quiet, painful tears. The kind that hit you deep inside, where words can’t reach. My heart broke for her, but I didn’t say anything. I just held her tighter, hoping that somehow it could help, even a little.
“I’m so tired, Lucas,” she whispered, her voice cracking. “I don’t… I don’t know anymore.”
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t sure anything I said would make a difference. But she kept going, her words spilling out, broken and full of hurt.
“My dad… your parents… they keep everything from us. The past… I don’t know anything anymore. It’s like we’re stuck, and I’m so tired of pretending like I’m okay. I’m not okay.”
Her fingers gripped the fabric of my shirt as if holding on to me would stop her from breaking apart completely. I closed my eyes, trying to stay calm for her, but it was hard. Seeing her like this… it was harder than I ever thought it would be.
“Why does it have to be like this? Why did everything go wrong?” she asked, her voice muffled against my shoulder. “I don’t even know where to start, Lucas. I’m so lost.”
I kept holding her, listening to every word, every cry, every frustration she let out. This was something she’d been carrying alone for so long. It was weighing her down, and now it was all coming to the surface.
“I’m here,” I whispered, finally finding my voice. “I’m here, Abby. I won’t let you go through this alone, I promise.”
Her sobs quieted down a little, but I could still feel the tremors in her body. She took a shaky breath, pulling back slightly to look at me. Her eyes were red, her face streaked with tears, but she wasn’t done yet.
“Lucas…” she started, her voice weak. “Noah’s bracelet. I knew him.”
I froze, my mind racing. ‘Noah?’
“I knew him… since we were kids,” she continued, her words coming out slowly, like it was hard for her to say. “We used to play together… at this playground. I gave him a bracelet. He… he told me things back then…”
My grip on her loosened as I tried to process what she was saying. “Abby, slow down,” I said softly, reaching for the glass of water on the bedside table. “Here, drink this.”
She took the glass with shaky hands, taking a few sips before setting it down. Her breathing was still uneven, but she seemed a little calmer now. I watched her closely, trying to understand what was going on. *What did she mean she knew Noah?*
“Tell me everything,” I said, my voice gentle. “What did Noah tell you?”
Abigail’s eyes glazed over like she was getting lost in her memories again. She took another deep breath, her voice still trembling as she spoke.
“He told me his mom was sick. She’s been asleep for years. And his dad… he’s been trying to find a cure. He’s been doing experiments… searching for something to wake her up.” Her eyes darted around, like she was trying to piece together the fragments in her head. “Noah was just a kid, but he knew so much. And he told me about Emery. His little sister. She hated him… but he knew she cared.”
I sat there, stunned. This was so much, too much. Noah’s mom, experiments, Emery… I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Abigail was trembling again, her hands clutching her head as if it was all too much to bear.
“I don’t understand,” she whispered. “None of this makes sense. How could I know Noah? How did I forget all this?”
Her voice was filled with pain, with confusion. She was unraveling right in front of me, and I felt helpless. I didn’t have the answers she needed. But I couldn’t let her fall apart.
I reached out, taking her hand in mine again. “It’s okay, Abby. We’ll figure it out. We’ll figure all of this out together.”
She looked at me, her eyes filled with doubt, but she didn’t say anything. She just nodded, leaning into me again, her head resting against my chest. 
I held her close, not sure how to comfort her. But one thing I knew for sure, I wasn’t going to leave her alone in this mess.
I stared at my phone as Finn’s message popped up on the screen: “We need to get going. Mr. Aurorium’s celebration starts in a minute. Get ready.”
I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already evening, the sky outside the window slowly darkening. ‘Damn.’ I had lost track of time sitting here with Abigail. Her crying, her memories about Noah—it had me completely focused on her. But now… now things were moving, and fast. 
I checked the time again. There was still something I needed to grab from my office before the night began. No time to waste.
Quickly, I pulled out my phone and texted Nathalie. “Come get Abigail. Make sure she’s ready for the celebration.”
I turned to Abigail, who was sitting up now, looking much better. Her face wasn’t as pale as before, and the tears had dried up. She was fragile, but she was stronger than she looked. She had just gone through a lot in such a short time.
“Hey,” I said, walking over to her. “The celebration’s starting soon. Nathalie’s gonna come and help you get ready. You good?”
She blinked up at me, her eyes still a little red but more aware now. “Wait, where are you going?” she asked, her voice sounding unsure. There was this look in her eyes—like fear mixed with confusion, and it hit me hard.
Damn, she needed me right now. But I couldn’t stay. Not now.
“I’ve got to grab something from my office,” I said quickly, trying to sound calm. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
But she still looked worried, almost panicking. “Lucas… don’t go. Please.”
It tugged at me, harder than I expected. I didn’t want to leave her like this, but I had to. I leaned down, brushing a kiss against her forehead before I could stop myself. 
“I’ll be fast, I promise,” I muttered, standing back up, noticing the shock in her eyes as she stared at me, confused and a little hurt. ‘What the hell did you just do, Lucas?’
I shook it off, stepping back. “Nathalie will be here soon. Just hold tight.” Without waiting for more questions, I walked out of the room, shutting the door behind me.
As soon as I was in the hallway, I cursed under my breath. What was I doing? Kissing her like that, leaving her all worried—it wasn’t like me to be so… reckless. But something in the way she had looked at me, something in the way she needed me at that moment, had thrown me off completely.
Still, I couldn’t let myself get distracted. Not now. I hurried down the hallway towards my office, the dim lights casting long shadows on the walls. My mind was racing, not just about Abigail, but about everything. The celebration. Mr. Aurorium. And the way Emery had been watching us, watching ‘me’ the whole time. 
It didn’t feel right. None of it did.
There was something more going on here. Something big. I could feel it in my gut. This wasn’t just some party for the Elites. There was a plan, a deeper agenda behind it all. And I needed to be ready for whatever was coming.
I quickened my pace, my heart pounding. Tonight was going to change everything.
I rushed into my office, my hands shaking as I went straight for the hidden drawer beneath my desk. My fingers flew over the small keypad, punching in the code I’d memorized long ago. The drawer slid open with a soft click, revealing what I was looking for—a pair of guns, fully loaded, with extra rounds of bullets neatly lined up beside them.
I grabbed two of them, shoving the extra ammo into my jacket. My mind was racing, my heart pounding against my chest. This was it. Emery wanted to play with death? Fine. I’d join her damn game. 
“You want to play with death, Emery?” I muttered under my breath. “I’ll gladly play.”
I was about to turn and leave when a voice from behind me made me freeze in my spot.
“That’s a lot of firepower for the academy’s secretary,” Finn said, sarcasm dripping from every word. 
I turned around slowly, my eyes landing on Finn standing at the door. Damn it. I had been so rushed that I didn’t even notice I’d left the door wide open. Of all the times to be sloppy.
Finn stood there, arms crossed, a knowing smirk on his face. He wasn’t surprised by what he saw. No, he had expected it.
Without thinking, I pointed one of the guns at him, my hand steady. “Stay out of this, Finn. This isn’t your fight.”
But Finn didn’t even flinch. He kept his gaze on me, calm as ever, like he saw this coming a mile away. “Is that right?” he said, his voice low. “And what about Emery, Lucas? You really think you’re the only one who knows what’s going on?”
His words made me pause. I kept the gun up, but my grip tightened, my knuckles turning white.
Finn took a step closer, eyes never leaving mine. “You think you’ve got it all figured out, don’t you? You think you know what Emery’s really up to?”
I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head. “How much do you really know, Finn? How much do you and Nathalie really understand about your ‘friend from the past’? Because from where I’m standing, Emery’s real plan is way beyond what any of you can comprehend.”
Finn raised an eyebrow, unconvinced, but I wasn’t done. “Emery’s plan isn’t about shaping students into some perfect model of strength or skill,” I spat, stepping forward. “She's trying to wake her mother from a coma, Finn. Her mother’s been lying in a bed somewhere, in some deep sleep for years! And Emery’s been doing whatever it takes to bring her back.”
Finn shook his head, still not buying it. “Stop spreading these ridiculous lies. Emery’s plan is clear—to shape the students, to make them stronger. To prepare them.”
“Is that what you really believe?” I scoffed, stepping back and grabbing a folder from my desk. I tossed it to him, the papers inside spilling out onto the floor. “Explain this, Finn. Explain all the files I’ve been gathering for years. The real plan—forced by Emery’s father. You think Emery is just shaping students? No, she's using them. Experimenting on them. Every student who’s ever violated Emery’s rules—they’re part of her twisted experiment to find the cure. To find the cure for her mother!”
Finn’s face hardened, his jaw clenched tight. He stared down at the scattered papers but didn’t move to pick them up. “What are you talking about?”
I took a step closer, my voice bitter and sharp. “Your brother, Finn. He’s one of Emery’s targets. Every student who’s been injected with that deadly liquid—it’s all been part of the plan. Emery’s been looking for a cure for years, and she's been using students as her lab rats.”
Finn’s calm demeanor cracked for a moment. I could see it in his eyes, the shock, the anger. But he stayed quiet, gripping the edge of the papers tightly, not wanting to admit it.
“And what the hell do you think I’ve been doing here all these years, Finn? Playing secretary? No, I’ve been trying to stop this madness!”
Finn finally spoke, his voice cold but steady. “Stop pointing that gun at me, Lucas. It’s not going to change anything. We’re going to be late for the celebration. Mr. Aurorium’s waiting.”
I lowered the gun slightly but kept my eyes locked on him. Finn didn’t flinch, didn’t back down. Instead, he took a step closer, right up to my desk. But instead of grabbing me, he reached into the drawer where I had pulled the guns from earlier. He grabbed one of the guns I hadn’t taken yet.
He looked at me, his expression cold and determined. “I’m not letting you have all the fun tonight, Lucas. Not if my brother’s life is on the line.”
I stared at him, my mind spinning. This was going to be a long night, and everything was about to explode.
We’d find the answers. No matter how hard it got.