Chapter 15: Counting the Years
306 Words
Counting the Years
They joined the stream of students flowing toward the assembly hall, moving fast enough not to draw notice, close enough to speak low without being heard. The tall double doors stood open, voices echoing deep inside; sunlight slanted high through long glass panels, making the space look bright, grand, and safe - exactly the face Blackwood always showed.
"Every seventh year," Kai repeated quietly as they found seats near the side aisle, away from center rows. "If you match the dates you found... when does the next one fall?"
Elara's fingers traced invisible numbers against her notebook cover. "From the last gap I saw... this very school year."
Kai went still beside her, face hardening. "That explains everything. Why they watch closer now. Why rules tighten. Why West Wing and archives are locked down tight."
At the front, Mr. Valdez stepped onto the raised platform, followed by the principal and members of the Student Council - Damian standing straight and calm at their right, expression unreadable as always. He didn't glance toward Elara, yet she felt his awareness reach across the room like a quiet line held taut.
Valdez spoke in his usual measured, authoritative tone - pride, tradition, excellence, honor - words polished smooth and repeated endlessly. But now Elara heard the weight behind them: tradition wasn't respect for the past... it was keeping the bargain. Excellence wasn't just grades... it was what the payment bought.
When he finished and dismissed them, students filed out slowly, talking lightly - none suspecting they walked inside a countdown. Near the exit, as crowds thinned slightly, Damian's voice drifted past Elara low and brief, only two words shaped perfectly: "This year."
He didn't stop, didn't slow, merged quickly with Council members moving toward offices. But Elara and Kai understood fully:
Episode 3 ends here -
- Writer
