Episode 10: An Accidental Secret
768 Words
Amara turned the brittle parchment over.
The back was blank.
She traced her fingers lightly across the faded ink on the front.
The truth sleeps beneath the stone.
The words sent a strange shiver down her spine.
"What's the truth?" she murmured.
She glanced toward the library doors.
Kael was already gone.
Should she run after him?
No.
If he'd dropped it by accident, he'd probably come back looking for it.
If he hadn't...
Then maybe he hadn't wanted her to ask questions.
She carefully folded the parchment and tucked it inside her notebook.
---
Kael hadn't made it halfway across campus before he stopped walking.
His hand instinctively reached for the inside pocket of his notebook.
Empty.
His heartbeat slowed.
Then accelerated.
"The map..."
He turned immediately.
Ronan, who had just stepped out of the administration building, frowned.
"Everything okay?"
"No."
Kael rarely sounded unsettled.
"What happened?"
"I lost something."
"What?"
Kael hesitated.
"A document."
"Important?"
"It was never supposed to leave my possession."
Without another word, he headed back toward the library.
---
Amara was packing her books when Kael reappeared.
She looked up in surprise.
"You came back."
"I forgot something."
She studied him for a moment before reaching into her notebook.
"This?"
The moment Kael saw the folded parchment, relief washed over his face.
"Yes."
"I'm sorry. It slipped out."
She handed it to him.
Their fingers brushed for the briefest moment.
Neither of them pulled away immediately.
Then Kael quietly folded the parchment and slipped it safely into his notebook.
"Thank you."
Amara smiled.
"I was curious."
"I guessed."
"What does it mean?"
Kael looked down at the old paper.
"It's... part of the university's history."
"So Founder Hall really is that old?"
"Older than most people realize."
She leaned forward slightly.
"Then what's beneath the stone?"
For the first time since they'd met...
Kael laughed.
A genuine laugh.
Soft.
Warm.
It transformed his usually serious face.
"You ask a lot of questions."
"My dad always said curious people learn faster."
"He was probably right."
"So?"
"So?"
"You're not going to answer me?"
"Not today."
She sighed dramatically.
"I had a feeling you'd say that."
"I usually do."
She smiled despite herself.
"And people say I'm stubborn."
"You are."
"You barely know me."
"I know enough."
The words slipped out before Kael could stop them.
A brief silence followed.
Amara tilted her head.
"How could you possibly know enough?"
Kael held her gaze.
Then, very carefully, he replied,
"Some people are easier to understand than they think."
Before she could ask another question, his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
"I really have to go this time."
He nodded politely and walked away.
Amara watched him disappear between the shelves.
She couldn't explain it.
Every conversation with Kael seemed to answer one question...
...and create five more.
---
Monday morning arrived faster than expected.
The gossip surrounding the photographs had finally begun to fade.
Just as Lily predicted.
Students had already found something new to obsess over.
"The inter-faculty games!" Lily announced excitedly.
"They're next weekend."
"I'm guessing that's a big deal?"
"A huge deal."
She lowered her voice.
"And Kael is competing."
"In what?"
"Combat."
Amara blinked.
"As in... martial arts?"
"Mixed combat."
"He hasn't lost a match in three years."
"I didn't know universities did that."
"Eclipse does."
She grinned.
"You should come."
"I don't even know the rules."
"You don't need to."
"You just need to clap whenever Kael wins."
Amara rolled her eyes.
"You're impossible."
---
As they entered the lecture hall, Daniel waved from the second row.
"Morning!"
"Morning," Amara replied.
"There are two seats here."
Lily nudged her with a knowing smile before sliding into the seat beside another classmate, leaving the empty chair next to Daniel.
"Traitor," Amara whispered.
"I heard that," Lily whispered back.
Daniel smiled.
"So..."
"How's campus celebrity life treating you?"
Amara groaned.
"Please don't remind me."
He laughed.
"I figured you'd say that."
Their easy conversation continued until the lecturer arrived.
Neither of them noticed Kael pause briefly outside the classroom.
He saw Daniel making Amara laugh.
Again.
Something unfamiliar tightened in his chest.
Ronan, standing beside him, followed his gaze and smiled.
"Still convinced that's not jealousy?"
Kael looked away.
"I don't have time for jealousy."
"No."
Ronan chuckled.
"But jealousy clearly has time for you."
Kael shook his head and continued down the hallway.
Yet for the rest of the morning...
He found himself wondering why Daniel seemed to be everywhere Amara was.
And for the first time in years...
The unshakable Student Council President realized he had competition.
- Writer
