Elsie fell to her knees. She kept whispering Stan’s name. His last image flashed in her head—the way he held her hand, asking for help, and his painful gaze. She didn’t want to leave him in that state, but he insisted like he knew someone would take him away.
“This is all your fault, Cade. You should have believed in him when he told you it was murder.” Theo clenched his fists. He turned to Elsie. “Do you know he is Cade Robertson?”
Elsie didn’t respond.
“What is this? You told her everything, didn’t you?” he asked Cade.
He grabbed Cade’s neck and smashed him to the wall.
“What are you going to do now? Huh?” His lips were trembling.
“What are you going to do?” He punched the space next to Cade’s head. His fist bled. “If Stan dies, I will kill that bitch in front of you. Do you get me?”
“Do not touch her,” Cade said.
“Why? She is the root of all this. Lily died because of her. And now… Stan too. She deserves to get lost!”
Cade got the strength to grip Theo’s arm and punch his jaw.
“You are out of line, Burton. It’s not her fault.”
“You are defending this girl you barely know, instead of Stan who you’ve known since birth. That’s so ridiculous, Cade. I wonder if you’d shed a tear at my grave.”
“That’s enough.”
“Enough? I’ll say enough when it’s enough.”
“Please… take me to them,” Elsie said.
Cade hugged her. “Don’t say that. Everything will be alright. I won’t believe Stan is dead unless I see his lifeless body.”
“So, you will wait until they wave Stan’s dead body? Stan will not forgive you for saying that.”
Elsie was weeping in Cade’s embrace. “I’m begging you. Take me to them. This is the only way for them to stop.”
“Listen to her, Robertson.”
“No. I will think of a better way.”
“If you don’t take her, I will,” Theo said and dragged her arms.
“Burton!” Cade clung to her.
“What?” Theo raised his voice. “Stop acting merciful. It doesn’t suit you.”
“Stan sacrificed himself to protect her! Don’t make his effort to go to waste!” Cade said.
Theo looked at him with madness, analyzing the situation.
“Is that so? Fine. Keep her. I don’t care if both of you die. Just bring Stan alive.”
***
Black curtains hung on the sides of the main hall where the Senior and Junior’s Night was being held. The fabric was presented in its most grandiose form with golden flowers pierced through it. The students were amazed when the narrow and dark entrance became magical, as the lights were turned on in the form of little specks like celestial bodies. Every pair walked on the red carpet and had a glimpse of the tag ‘The Gilded Age’ glowing on stage.
“Ugh! I hate this!” Emberlynn blurted while waiting for her turn to walk on the red carpet. They were lining up at the entrance behind the folds. She wasn’t so glad about the style of her red dress that was concentrated at the back of her waist.
This era’s bustled gowns were frothy confections with layers of gathers, pleats, and ruffles. The complex design had been irritating her. Still, she displayed a beautiful smile as she walked with her partner on the red carpet.
“Wow, you’re so gorgeous.”
“That must cost a hefty amount of money.”
Emberlynn gladly entertained their praises and brushed off the annoying feeling of her fitted dress. She raised an eyebrow when she saw Elsie standing in a corner in a black dress.
“What is that ugly duckling doing here?” She asked.
“Is that Elsie? What is a 9th grader doing here?”
“You just repeated my question.”
The girls approached Elsie who was quietly sipping a glass of wine.
“How dare you intrude on this event?”
“Oh. I won’t stay here for long. I was accompanying someone from the junior,” Elsie replied.
“The nerve.”
Elsie looked at them from head to foot. “Besides, I want to see you covered in thick fabric. It feels weird, isn’t it? Like your soul is trapped. But it suits you. You look like a bunch of Christmas gifts.”
“You witch…” Emberlynn grabbed a glass of wine and spilled it on Elsie, but someone blocked her.
The wine splashed on Cade’s back as he gazed at Elsie.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Elsie nodded.
“She’s my date. If you have a problem with that, I don’t care. Please excuse us.”
Cade thought it would be better to stay in a crowded place where the enemies couldn’t get in. Attending the event was the best choice.
Cade pulled her to the dance floor, and slowly, they swayed. That night, she shone splendidly in his eyes like the woman in the painting in her black dress. His mind may refuse to accept his budding feelings, but his heart knew. Love was something logic couldn’t decipher.
“If Stan is here, he would be the most handsome guy,” she whispered.
“I’m sorry you have to be here without him. I promise you, I will find him and bring him back alive.”
When the song ended, they sneaked out of the hall. Being the center of attraction didn’t feel right when everyone was still puzzled about Stan’s absence. They successfully went out of the gate and walked to the silent street paved by light posts.
Cade shivered when the icy wind blew through his nape. He removed his blazer and put it on her.
“I don’t feel that cold. This thick dress makes me warm. You should cover yourself instead,” she said.
He removed his shoes and placed her feet in it, while he walked barefoot, holding her stilettos.
“I’m fine,” he said.
“You know… this moment feels like a movie,” she said.
“Is it?”
“We’re like two strangers who happen to see each other by the road. We are both messed up, and we find solitude by walking side by side without explaining ourselves.”
Cade smiled unconsciously for the first time after a series of misfortune.
“That’s soothing,” he said.
He wished they could be locked in time.
Lights from a car made them step to the left side of the road. Cade held her hand when he recognized the plate number of the car.
“Run,” he said and dragged her in the opposite direction. The car was behind them.
“We can’t keep this up,” she said.
Another car beeped and stopped beside them. The window rolled down and revealed Luke inside.
“Get in,” Luke said.
“Why should we? We can’t trust you,” Cade said.
“Come on, silly. We have no time,” Elsie said and hopped in the car.
Cade was shaking his head as he sat beside the driver’s seat.
“Did you miss me?” Luke asked with a sly smile as he sped up the car.
“I despised you to the moon and back,” Cade said.
“That’s one good greeting after a long time, Robertson. I feel the same way.”
“Speed up!” Elsie commanded.
“Care to share what’s going on?” Luke asked.
“Don’t act foolish. Who knows? You could be one of them,” Cade said.
“Come on. Stop accusing me. You are the murderer among us.”
The car vibrated when they ran through rough humps.
“There’s one thing I need you to answer. How do you know me?”
“How could I not? You killed my cousin, Arthur.”
“Who’s Arthur?”
“Fatty squashy.”
Cade remembered the only student he used to call that.
“I didn’t kill him. He committed suicide.”
“You made his life miserable, Cade Robertson. He told me everything you did. If I were there, I could’ve made you suffer more than he did. So how was my torture? I hope it traumatized you.”
“Fair enough.”
The armed men began shooting at them. The car was moving in a zigzag. Elsie shrieked when the windows and side mirror shattered into pieces.
“I know who’s behind this,” Luke said.
“I don’t have time for your games, Luke,” Cade replied while dodging some pieces of shattered glass. He wiped the blood on his cheek.
“Elsie, are you okay?”
Elsie hid beneath the seat. “I’m fine.”
“I was there, Cade. I know a part of their plan,” Luke said.
“Who are they?”
They showered bullets at them until the wheels puffed some air. The car turned and jumped into the river.
Cade panicked underwater and hurried to open the door. He was losing his breath.
As he was plunging deeper into the car, he wondered, ‘If I disappear, would she think of me the way she thinks of him?’
With that thought, he didn’t fight for his life and allowed himself to drown.
Cade woke up as he felt the pumping of his chest and coughed some water.
“You’re back,” Elsie said.
“Where’s Luke?”
“I don’t know.”
Cade rested his back against a tree. The moon was radiant.
“What about attackers?” Cade asked.
“They left. Maybe they think we’re dead.”
“This is getting out of hand. Our parents must know about this. Stan’s parents should know that their son is missing…”