Chapter 5: Before the Bell
1157 Words
_Ethan POV / Alex POV / Sabrina POV_
Ethan POV
I got to school at 6:47 am.
Too early. The janitors were still mopping, and the hallway smelled like bleach and old coffee. But if I was late, Alex would get to her first.
Sabrina showed up at 6:59 am. On the dot. Like she’d timed it.
She saw me, stopped, and her shoulders dropped half an inch. Relief. She was hiding it badly.
“You didn’t have to come,” she said quietly.
“Yeah, I did.” I pulled out my phone. “I’ve got something to show you.”
She glanced around. No one else was here yet. “Make it quick.”
I played the clip.
Alex in the hallway. _“What should I call you then? Your Highness?”_
Her face. The way she froze.
When it ended, she didn’t say anything for ten seconds.
“That’s illegal,” she said finally.
“Recording in public isn’t,” I said. “And I’ve got more. License plate, the SUV, the shell company. He’s Valerion, Sabrina. He’s here for you.”
She closed her eyes. “I know.”
“You know?” I blinked. “Then why are you still talking to him?”
“Because if I ignore him, he gets more aggressive,” she said. “If I act scared, he wins. So I act bored.”
That was the most princess thing she’d said all week. Calculated. Cold.
Before I could answer, the doors at the end of the hall opened.
Alex walked in.
He saw us immediately. His smile was polite, but his eyes weren’t.
“Morning,” he said, stopping a few feet away. “Ethan. Sabrina. Up early.”
Sabrina stepped slightly in front of me. Instinct. “What do you want, Alex?”
“Just saying hi,” he said. “Also, Ethan, nice camera work yesterday. Didn’t know you were into surveillance.”
My blood went cold. He knew.
“I film everything,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “Habit.”
“Careful with habits,” Alex said. “Some of them get you in trouble.”
The bell rang.
“Class,” Sabrina said, and walked past him without another word.
Alex watched her go, then turned to me. “We’ll talk later, Ethan.”
He left.
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
Sabrina didn’t look back.
---
Alex POV
She’s good.
I’ll give her that. Sabrina Walter, or whatever her real name is, doesn’t break easily. Most kids would’ve cracked after the coffee thing. Most kids would’ve run to a teacher, or called their parents, or cried.
She just got colder.
That’s why they sent me.
My orders were simple: locate the princess, confirm identity, make contact, assess threat level. If she’s alone and unprotected, bring her in quietly. If she’s got backup, call it in.
I thought it would take weeks.
It took two days.
Ethan’s the problem.
He’s not a guard, not a handler. Just a nosy kid with a camera and a hero complex. But he’s smart. Too smart. He found the shell company. He found the plate. If he keeps digging, he’ll find my father.
That can’t happen.
I followed them this morning.
Saw the video. Saw her reaction.
She’s scared of me. Good.
But she’s also protecting him. That’s better. It means I can use him.
I need her to come in willingly. If I drag her out of school, Homeland Security gets involved. If Homeland Security gets involved, my team gets exposed.
So I play the student. I play the nice guy.
I let her think she’s in control.
For now.
---
Sabrina POV
I couldn’t focus in first period.
Alex’s words kept looping in my head. _We’ll talk later, Ethan._
He wasn’t threatening me anymore. He was threatening Ethan.
And it was my fault.
I should’ve shut him down day one. I should’ve told Mr. Davis the second Alex sat down. But part of me didn’t want to.
Part of me liked that someone saw through the act. Liked that I didn’t have to pretend to be bad at directions with him.
Stupid.
After class, I found Ethan by the lockers. He looked like he hadn’t slept.
“You okay?” I asked.
“I’m fine,” he said. Then, “You need to stay away from him.”
“I’m trying,” I said. “But if I push him too hard, he’ll call his people. If I let him get close, he’ll figure out everything.”
“So what’s the plan?” Ethan asked.
I didn’t have one.
That terrified me more than Alex ever could.
“I need time,” I said. “Time to tell my people. Time to get out if I have to.”
Ethan nodded slowly. “Then I’ll buy you time.”
“How?”
“I’ll keep him talking,” Ethan said. “Keep him focused on me. You lay low. Don’t be alone with him. Don’t let him in your car.”
“You’re going to get yourself hurt,” I said.
“Maybe,” Ethan said. “But you’re worth it.”
He said it so casually, like he was talking about the weather.
My chest hurt.
“Don’t say things like that,” I whispered.
“Why not?” he asked. “It’s true.”
Before I could answer, Alex’s voice came from behind us.
“Am I interrupting?”
Ethan stepped forward slightly, putting himself between me and Alex.
Not because he had to. Because he chose to.
“Yeah,” Ethan said. “You are.”
Alex smiled. “We’ll finish this later.”
He walked away.
Ethan didn’t move until he was gone.
“See?” Ethan said quietly. “He’s focused on me now.”
I wanted to tell him to stop.
I wanted to tell him to run.
I wanted to tell him that if anything happened to him, I wouldn’t forgive myself.
Instead, I said, “Thank you.”
He grinned. “Anytime, Princess.”
I hit his arm.
He laughed.
For ten seconds, it felt normal.
For ten seconds, I forgot I was running.
Then the PA crackled.
“Students, report to the auditorium for an emergency assembly.”
And my stomach dropped again.
---
Alex POV
They’re close.
I saw it in the way she looked at him. The way he stepped in front of her without thinking.
Good.
Emotional attachments make people predictable.
I sent the text to my handler: _Target is forming a bond with local male. Suggest immediate extraction._
The reply came back fast: _Negative. Maintain cover. Extract only if compromised._
Compromised.
Right.
I watched Sabrina walk toward the auditorium, Ethan two steps behind her.
She didn’t look back.
But I knew she felt me watching.
And that was enough.
For now.
---
- Writer
