I burst out of my room, heart racing and breath shallow. Afternoon light filtered through the hall, but it felt dim, distorted—like I was seeing everything through a warped lens. I scanned the corridor.
Empty.
I rushed downstairs to the common room of the West Wing.
Still no one.
I had no idea who I was even looking for—just someone. Anyone I could show this to. Anyone who would understand what I'd just read.
The letter.
The pictures.
The missing students.
My hands were shaking. I could still feel the paper's weight, heavy with truths I hadn't been ready for. This wasn't just some cryptic student pictures. This was real.
I threw the door open and hesitated. Percy's leaflet floated into my mind, Always keep a buddy with you—Just don't be alone.
But screw it.
This was too important.
I ran.
This was my third uniform set—completely sweat-soaked already—but I didn't care. I could buy more. Heck, I might need a set every day just for the frequent wardrobe changes at this rate.
The cawing started again.
Loud. Persistent. Familiar.
I glanced up.
Crows.
I narrowed my eyes, scanning the flock. Were they watching me again? Was that the same one I fought off with a candy bar?
Were they just watching... or waiting?
Worse, were they aiming?
I kept running.
I didn't even notice when I nearly collided into her.
One second I was sprinting, the next I was skidding to a halt, nearly crashing into a Solar student. We both froze, panting, eyes wide.
Her wavy auburn hair was tousled, cheeks flushed from running, and her green eyes locked onto mine. "How are you out—wait, no, who are you?"
I blinked at her, frowning. That face… that hair… those eyes. I knew them. I saw them on one of the photos in the envelope.
"You… were you missing?" I asked, breathless.
She blinked back, confused. "What?"
"Huh?"
We just stood there, blinking at each other like idiots, until a sharp, guttural CAW split the air above us. I flinched and looked up—just in time to see a dark shape swoop low overhead.
"What the—" I almost cursed.
The girl suddenly grabbed my arm. "Shit, shit, shit—"
"Hey—wait!"
But she was already pulling me toward the edge of the school grounds—toward the forest.
I stumbled after her, tripping over roots and nearly face-planting on every exposed trunk while ducking under surprisingly low-hanging branches. These trees were massive, yet the branches were angled like they were purposely reaching down to trip us.
"Wait—where are we going?" I hissed, trying to wrestle my arm back.
"Away from the Monitors!" she shot back.
"The what now—Monitors?"
She didn't stop. Just dragged me deeper into the woods, like that single word explained everything.
She glanced back at me as our frantic pace began to slow. Our footsteps crunched over the underbrush until we finally stopped, breathless. She leaned forward, hands braced on her knees as she panted hard.
I stayed standing, though my legs wobbled. I pushed damp strands of hair out of my face, trying to breathe through the stitch in my side.
"You…" she started between breaths, "what's your name and year?"
"Careina Dione," I said, trying not to wheeze. "Y-Year One."
She frowned, straightening up and brushing leaves off her uniform. "Year One? I haven't seen you with the Lunars before." A pause. "I'm Casley Inuito, Solar Year One-B."
I blinked. Right—Kael mentioned Solar had three sections, while Lunar only had one. But that didn't explain—
"You didn't answer my question," I pressed. "Were you missing?"
Casley sighed, rolling her shoulders like the question weighed on her spine. "I'm not missing," she said finally, eyes shifting away from mine. "I'm running away."
***
I shouldn't have agreed. Seriously—I should not have agreed. But here I am.
Casley had brought me deep into what looked like a natural cave, though once inside, the tunnel opened into a wide, dimly lit room. And that room… it was full of students.
The moment we stepped in, conversations died. Faces turned. A few students rose quickly to their feet, tense and ready, like a single wrong move would send them scattering.
"Who is that?"
"A Lunar? Casley, why did you bring a Lunar here?"
"She shouldn't be out!"
"She can't be here—it's not safe!"
The questions came all at once—fast, anxious, overlapping. Casley stepped forward, raising her hands in an effort to calm them.
"Guys, wait—she's new. A transferee," she said firmly. "Her name's Careina Dione. Lunar Year One."
That detail, seemed to mean something. Like a switch had been flipped. The tension didn't disappear, but it shifted—muted. They stopped shouting, though I could see the way they kept glancing at one another, some exchanging silent questions, others narrowing their eyes at me.
I kept still, swallowing the knot in my throat. The envelope was pressed tight against my back, tucked under my blazer and held in place by the waistband of my skirt. I prayed no one noticed the stiffness in my posture or the way I was clutching the fabric too tightly.
Every face I saw in that cave—I'd already seen them before. In the photos. The ones from the envelope I found in my dorm.
The missing students.
Now, you may be asking—what am I doing here exactly? What's my grand goal sneaking into some hidden cave full of supposedly missing students?
Well… the truth is far less impressive.
I don't know the way out of the forest.
When I asked Casley to just point me back, she smiled and said something like, 'It's tricky.' And I don't trust myself not to get lost or, worse, start a forest fire trying to find my way out. So for now, I'm stuck here—awkwardly perched among people who are technically fugitives, hoping Casley might suddenly change her mind and let me go.
But the way she keeps talking, showing me things, introducing me to people—I'm starting to feel less like a guest and more like someone who's just been let in on a secret. And I don't know if that's a good thing.
As I glance around, one thing becomes painfully clear—every student who greeted me, every one who spoke or stared or sized me up… they're all wearing Solar uniforms.
I shift a little closer to Casley. "Um… where are the others?"
She blinks at me, then studies my face as if searching for something. Eventually, she smiles again—friendly, but guarded. "Asleep," she says. "Most Lunars sleep during the day or afternoon. Their class schedule makes it easier that way."
She chuckles lightly. "Honestly, I was surprised to see you running around all alone. Didn't think Lunars would be up this early."
And she's not wrong. I had slept through lunch, completely out cold after dragging my poor, soaked body all over campus. But now, sitting here among a group of supposed runaways, the exhaustion in my bones has been replaced by tension—coiled tight and buzzing under my skin.
Right now, I'd rather be mopping floors with the others in the Lunar Dining than pretending like I belong in this secret forest hideout. Because if they think I'm one of them…
I'm not sure they'll let me go.
"Hey, have you tried scaling the fence?" a voice pipes up—high, young. A Solar student, probably middle school-aged, eyes wide and hopeful.
"Idiot. That's impossible," another one snaps back, older and sharper. "They've tried it already. Even checked the perimeter—way too far out. We'd be dead before we even found the edge."
"It has to be the gate, then," says a girl beside me, voice quieter but firm. "Only the council can open it. Student leaders. That's it."
"Yeah," adds someone else from across the room, slumped on a crate like this was the hundredth time they'd gone over the plan. "That's why it's called a lockdown."
I sit there, quiet, arms folded tight, blazer still shielding the envelope tucked at my back. I don't say a word. But guilt churns in my stomach like a warning bell.
I wasn't supposed to hear all this.
Is this okay?
Because right now, I'm not just lost—I'm involved.
***
One Week Later
No one had seen the new transfer student from Lunar Year One.
She became another name in the ongoing list of missing students.