CHAPTER EIGHT: WHAT HE KNOWS
549 Words
CHAPTER EIGHT
WHAT HE KNOWS
Clara stared at the message again.
He is closer than you think.
The words refused to make sense.
She looked at the transfer student.
He was still staring at her phone, but something had changed in his expression.
He wasn't amused anymore.
He looked confused.
Almost... worried.
"What does that mean?" Clara asked.
He didn't answer.
"Who is closer than I think?"
His jaw tightened.
"Show me the message."
Clara pulled her phone closer to herself.
"Why?"
"Because I need to see it."
"Why do you need to see it?"
He looked at her for a moment before answering.
"Because that name shouldn't be connected to you."
Clara's eyebrows pulled together.
"You know St. Mary's?"
He went silent.
That silence told her more than an answer could have.
"You do."
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to."
He looked away.
Clara stepped closer.
"Who is the boy?"
His eyes returned to hers.
"What boy?"
"The boy my nanny left at St. Mary's."
Something flickered across his face.
Surprise.
Then fear.
It disappeared almost immediately.
But Clara had seen it.
"You know."
He shook his head.
"I know what I've been told."
"By who?"
He didn't answer.
"By your family?"
His expression hardened.
"Don't talk about my family."
"Why not?"
"Because you don't know anything about them."
"Then tell me."
He laughed quietly, but there was no humor in it.
"You really think it's that simple?"
"What am I supposed to think?"
He looked at her.
"You should ask your nanny."
"I tried."
"And?"
"She wouldn't tell me anything."
He nodded slowly, as if that answer confirmed something.
Then he asked a question that made Clara's stomach twist.
"What did she tell you about the night you were born?"
Clara froze.
"What?"
He looked like he had just realized his mistake.
"You heard me."
"Why are you asking me that?"
He didn't answer.
"My parents died when I was young," Clara said slowly. "You know that."
"I know."
"So why would you ask me about the night I was born?"
He looked away.
"I shouldn't have."
"Shouldn't have what?"
He took a step back.
"Forget I asked."
"You're not going anywhere until you explain."
He looked at her.
For the first time, Clara noticed something she hadn't seen before.
He looked just as lost as she felt.
His eyes dropped to the photograph sticking slightly out of her bag.
His expression changed.
"Where did you get that?"
Clara immediately covered the photograph.
"Why?"
He stared at her.
"Because I've seen it before."
Clara's heart skipped.
"Where?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he turned and walked away.
"Wait!"
He kept walking.
Clara followed him for several steps before noticing something lying on the floor.
A small black card.
She picked it up.
There was no name on it.
Only an address.
And beneath the address were two words:
ST. MARY'S.
Clara looked up.
The transfer student was already gone.
She turned the card over.
There was writing on the back.
Three words.
**Ask about Room 214.**
Clara stared at it.
She had no idea what Room 214 meant.
But suddenly, she knew one thing.
The transfer student hadn't just discovered her nanny's secret.
He had been searching for it long before Clara ever knew it existed.
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