The dawn light struggled to break through the grime-streaked windows of Betrayal High. It painted the ruined walls in pale hues of gold, making the bloodstains and shattered glass look almost beautiful. Almost.
Selena stood in the principal's office, which was now their de facto war room. The chaos of last night still hung heavy in the air. She could feel it in her bones, in the way her muscles ached from the fight, in the coppery taste of dried blood at the corner of her lips.
Luna paced the room like a caged animal, while Xavier stood by the door, a perpetual sentinel.
"I saw him," Xavier finally said, breaking the thick silence. "That picture wasn't fake. Ronan was in that cell, in a police uniform. And whoever was lying dead on the floor… wasn't him."
Selena clenched her fists. "We buried him once. Shot him. Had him taken away. How the hell is he still doing this?"
"It's Ronan," Luna muttered. "He doesn't die like normal people."
Selena leaned against the desk, her mind racing. The students who'd survived the Crimson Room ambush were scattered and terrified. Half of them had already packed up and left campus. Those who stayed barely spoke above whispers.
"Have we heard from the cops?" she asked.
Xavier shook his head. "Officially, Ronan's dead. No one's talking about any corpse switch. It's like they're covering it up."
"Or someone on the inside's helping him," Luna suggested darkly.
Selena's phone buzzed.
An unknown number.
She hesitated, then answered.
"Selena," came a voice she hadn't heard in months.
Damon.
Her pulse surged. She hadn't seen Damon since the night he'd betrayed them all, leaving her and Ronan to rot in the theater. The last she'd heard, he'd gone underground, running with some cartel connected to the old headmaster's crime ring.
"Why are you calling me?" she snapped.
"Because you're in over your head," Damon replied. "And because if you don't listen, you're not going to make it out alive."
Luna stiffened at the mention of his name.
"Where the hell have you been?" Selena demanded.
"Watching," Damon said quietly. "Ronan's not acting alone. He's got backing. Old blood. People who ran this school before we ever stepped foot here. The Crimson Society."
Selena felt the blood drain from her face.
"I thought that was a myth," Xavier said, stepping closer to the phone.
"It's real," Damon hissed. "And it's bigger than Ronan. He's just the face. There are others. You've already met one."
"Who?" Selena demanded.
The line went dead.
Selena cursed, slamming the phone down.
"Someone in this school is feeding Ronan intel," she said. "And we need to find out who."
Luna's face darkened. "I can shake some trees."
"No," Selena said. "Not this time. If there's a traitor, they'll see you coming. I'll do it myself."
---
The cafeteria was eerily quiet as Selena moved through it. Tables overturned, bloodstains still dark against the tile. She scanned the faces of the remaining students. Everyone looked broken. Hunted.
Then she saw her.
Cleo.
Once one of Damon's top lieutenants, Cleo had vanished after Ronan's supposed death. Now she sat alone, picking at a bowl of gray cereal, her eyes hollow.
Selena slid into the seat across from her.
"Talk," she ordered.
Cleo blinked, then laughed bitterly. "I wondered how long it'd take you."
"Who's feeding Ronan information?"
"I don't know," Cleo shrugged. "But I know who can tell you."
Selena leaned in. "Who?"
"Your precious Xavier."
The words hit her like a slap.
"No," she snapped. "He's been with me since day one."
"And yet," Cleo said, a cruel smile playing at her lips, "who let Ronan escape custody? Who conveniently disappeared during every critical moment? Who's always one step ahead?"
Selena's stomach twisted.
"You're lying."
"Am I?" Cleo's gaze held hers. "Check his room. Top drawer."
Selena stood abruptly, her pulse hammering.
If she was wrong, she'd kill Cleo herself.
---
Xavier's dorm room was immaculate, almost too clean. As if he'd been expecting someone to search it. Selena hesitated, then yanked open the top drawer.
Inside was a crimson ring.
The insignia of the Crimson Society.
She felt the ground shift beneath her.
A floorboard creaked behind her. She spun, finding Xavier standing in the doorway.
"I can explain," he began.
"Save it," Selena growled, her heart breaking. "How long?"
"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Xavier said, stepping forward. "I joined them to protect you. I knew Ronan was coming back, and I thought… if I was close, I could stop it."
"You lied to me," Selena spat. "All this time."
"I didn't have a choice."
"There's always a choice."
Tears burned at the corners of her eyes, but she forced them down.
"Who else?" she demanded.
Xavier hesitated.
"Who else, Xavier!"
"Luna," he whispered.
Selena's world shattered.
"No," she breathed. "No, not her."
"I'm sorry," Xavier said.
Selena grabbed the ring, shoving past him.
She had to find Luna.
---
The roof was where she found her. Same spot as the night before. Staring out at the horizon, like she could outrun the dawn.
"Luna," Selena called.
Luna turned, a tired smile on her face. "Hey. You okay?"
Selena held up the ring. "You want to tell me what this is?"
Luna's expression didn't even flicker.
"I was going to tell you," she said softly. "After last night. But then everything happened."
"You were one of them."
"I was," Luna admitted. "And then I wasn't. I left when I realized what Ronan was planning. But they don't let you leave, Selena. I've been dead since the moment I turned my back on them."
Selena's chest felt tight. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I was scared," Luna said. "And because if you knew… you wouldn't have trusted me."
"You're right," Selena whispered.
Luna's eyes glistened. "I swear to you, Selena, I haven't helped him. Not since I left. I've fought for you every step of the way."
Selena wanted to believe her. God, she did. But the ground had shifted too much. She didn't know what was real anymore.
A gunshot cracked the air.
Luna jerked, blood blooming at her shoulder.
Selena spun, spotting a figure on the opposite rooftop.
Ronan.
Somehow free, somehow still breathing. His grin wide, a rifle slung over his shoulder.
"Miss me?" he called.
And then he vanished into the shadows.
Selena caught Luna as she collapsed.
"We have to end this," Luna gasped, blood spilling down her arm.
Selena gritted her teeth. "We will."
She looked to the horizon.
The war for Betrayal High was far from over.
And this time, no one would leave unscathed.