Ashwock Academy ✓

C H A P T E R - T W E N T Y

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It took a while, but the others finally got Trevor to his feet. He wobbled a few times, Rafe and Fletcher standing at his side to support him. They guided him across the room, and after a few minutes he got the hang of it, being able to walk without them, even if he almost tripped a few times.

Once everybody was ready to go again, they realized something. With no note, they didn't know where to go.

"Did you look through that whole book?" Fletcher asked, and Raven nodded.

"All of his annotations, which wasn't much." She was right. Theodore had written in less than half of the book, and the book was short enough as it was.

"Well there must be something you missed!" Rafe said frustrated. She sighed, but it sounded more like a growl. "I can't stand another moment here!" 

"Unless it was in the actual book, we covered everything," Damien confirmed.

"We've just got to look around again, now," said Raven. "We're at a dead end. It's our only option." The others nodded in agreement, even if they were all a little nervous about that plan.

Jackson had other ideas. They needed to find out who attacked the others before they were all dead. They needed to do that before they could even think about looking around the Academy for keys, which would probably take days, time they didn't have. He wanted to say it aloud, but kept to himself instead.

He would make it work.

"Okay, let's start on the third floor," Fletcher suggested. Everybody except Jackson agreed, and they all started walking towards the stairs. Ella chewed her fingernails anxiously, not sure about their decision.

"Are you sure we should trust somebody that killed Marisa?" Ella asked.

"We also got a key when that happened," Raven pointed out. "At this point, we have no choice. Theodore and Mr. Barla are the only guidance we have, even if it isn't completely trustworthy." Teony gulped, not completely agreeing with Raven.

Damien walked next to Jackson, and he noticed his look. By then, it was easy for him to read. He was deep in thought. Damien tried to get his attention, but he didn't notice.

"Jackson," He said. Still no answer. He nudged him in the shoulder, and Jackson jumped from the surprise, taking a step away from Damien. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Jackson lied. Damien scoffed, unimpressed.

"You're a terrible liar, I can tell you're thinking about something. What is it?"

Jackson sighed, looking away from him. He didn't want to tell anybody, not even Damien. He didn't know how he would respond. "Come on, man, you can trust me."

"What if I can't?" Jackson snapped, annoyed with Damien's nosy behavior. He was shocked, and Jackson angrily shoved past him and went to the front. Damien suddenly felt like he had been stabbed in the heart, the shock of Jackson's betrayal still overwhelming him. He thought he had a friend, but he didn't. Nobody trusted him, or even liked him.

What had he done so wrong? 

Teony and Raven walked behind Fletcher, Rafe and Trevor, the ones leading everybody. Rafe stood by Trevor, occasionally helping him if he started to fall, Fletcher being on the other side if he fell into him.

"Raven," Teony whispered. Raven flipped her head over to the girl, listening. "I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" Raven asked. Teony sighed, not wanting to believe what she was about to tell her but regretfully believing it anyways.