Ashwock Academy ✓

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

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The six students sat in the lounge, Rafe, Fletcher and Trevor holding the three keys that they found but none of them spoke. They all sat in silence, sad about what had just happened to their friends. They didn't know why they died, especially since they hadn't said anything. But it was the first time two people had died at the same time. That had to mean something.

But no one really cared then. They were all too upset.

Ella wiped a few tears from her eyes. She had already experienced so much that she couldn't bare to see anybody go. Even if it was just for a little more than a day, she had become so close with everybody that she felt like she knew them for her whole life.

Fletcher brushed the tip of the key. No matter how helpful it was, he didn't think it made up for the lives lost in the process of getting them. Nothing would be worth it, not really.

Teony buried her face in her knees. She wasn't even sitting on the chairs but instead on the floor beside the fireplace, where there was nobody else. She didn't want to look up, her puffy eyes unable to see anything anyways. For that moment she forgot how to speak, and all she wanted to do was hide. Raven noticed, and debated on going over to comfort her, ultimately going with her gut.

Raven walked over to the fireplace, sitting next to Teony. She lifted her head up, holding back a few more tears. Her hand searched for Raven's, and gripped it right as she felt it, putting her head right back down. Raven pursed her lips, hating seeing her in pain. She tilted her head against Teony's and closed her eyes, trying to forget the loss she went through and concentrate on who was right next to her.

It took a long time for anybody to talk. After sitting next to Teony for a while, Raven knew that they had to decide what to do next. Not wanting to let go of Teony's hand, she stayed on the ground but still spoke up. "Where do we go next?"

Rafe shrugged. "I don't know," She said bluntly. Trevor nodded in agreement.

"Half of us have died already and we still don't know who killed them and where the last key is," He said. The cut on his cheek had barely healed, a bandage still covering it. They didn't have a chance to change it, so it was still bloody.

"We have to have missed something," Ella replied quietly.

"We must have," Fletcher agreed. "We've looked everywhere."

Rafe shrugged. "It's hopeless. We're never getting out." The others didn't say anything to contradict her. Trevor fiddled with the key in his hand, mind blank.

Fletcher leaned back a little, looking at the ceiling. It was almost like they all had given up, not caring what happened next. And part of him believed it, what Rafe said. But the other half knew there had to be some answer to all of their questions.

They just couldn't ignore how different the group felt without Jackson's negative thoughts and Damien bringing everybody up again.

"No," Raven said out of nowhere. Everybody turned to her, and even Teony lifted her head. "No, we can't just sit here and do nothing! We've got to find our way out!"

"But, Raven, we don't have any more clues," Ella contradicted, moving her hands as she spoked. For a second Trevor thought she was signing but then realized that, if she was, she would just be signing the words "what" and "why" repetitively.

"Mr. Barla loved hiding things in plain sight, remember the pool?" She said, starting to stand up and letting go of Teony's hand. Disappointed, Teony put her hand back down but stayed curled up. "Maybe he hid it in another place he showed us?"