Entangled | Zayn Malik

Chapter Six

There's a chill in the air today and I can feel it lingering at the nape of my neck, making the hairs there stand up. I curse to myself for only wearing a cardigan today as I enter the school doors. When I looked out of the window at the weather this morning before I left, the sun was shining and it looked warm. Looks can be deceiving Kaya. The sun has shifted and the sky is now a dull shade of grey.

I'm earlier than usual today. I still have about half an hour before the bell rings and students start swarming the place.

As I walk through the corridors to the main office, I shudder as I realise I'm alone again. The corridors are empty. Deep breaths Kaya, deep breaths. I pick up the pace a little but I soon slow down again when I hear a voice. I can't make out what they're saying - the voice is quiet - almost like a whisper. I come to the realisation that it's Zayn's voice and it's coming from the janitors cupboard.

I walk lightly towards the cupboard, as to not be heard. The door is opened but not fully. I have two options. I can walk right by and maybe peek in and see who he's speaking to. Or, I can knock the door as I walk by and see who he's speaking to.

I go for option one.

I slowly walk by the cupboard, making close to little sound. I mentally pat myself on the back for not wearing my boots today. As I pass the door I glance back to see who he's talking to, but I don't see anyone there.

His back is facing me and there's nobody in the cupboard with him and from what I can see he isn't on the phone. So who is he talking to? Himself?

I turn towards the door and start to walk over. "Zayn?" I ask, not too loudly as I don't want to startle him.

He slowly turns around and his eyes meet mine. They look different. They're bright and alert, but it almost looks as though there's nobody behind them.

"Oh hey, how are you?" He asks, something seeming off about him. Like he's not himself.

"Yeah, I'm okay thanks. Uh, were you just talking to someone?" I ask and he nods.

"Just Darryl." He says.

Surely he doesn't mean...

"Darryl?" I ask.

"Darryl Breylin. He's a fifth year student here." He tells me and my stomach drops.

"B-But you couldn't have? Darryl's missing? He's not here?" I manage to choke out. He couldn't have been speaking to him. Darryl's not here. Nobody is here.

He frowns and shakes his head. He looks confused, his eyes going frantic. "No, no you're wrong." He tells me, still shaking his head. "I was just speaking to him." He says adamantly.

I know for a fact that Darryl still hasn't been found, and I know that there's nobody else in the cupboard. I need to be careful with what I say here. I take a deep breath.

"Where did he go?" I ask softly, cautiously.

"He left."

"Do you know where he went?"

He shakes his head.

"I have to get back to work now." He tells me, turning around and reaching for some cleaning supplies.

"Oh, okay." I say quietly before backing away, and heading to the main office.

I'm so confused. Is he high? Is he on some sort of medication?

I arrive at the main office and see no one has arrived yet. I take this opportunity to walk through to the back room and close the door behind me. I look ahead at the filing cabinets in front of me filled with students details. My eyes drift to the far left corner, where the staff details are located. Should I? If I were to be caught looking at these files I would be in deep shit.