The morning after the scavenger hunt, the school cafeteria was oddly quiet.
No fights.
No explosives.
No poison-laced muffins.
Just… calm.
Which, in a school full of criminal prodigies, was very suspicious.
---
I sat at the far corner, picking at my eggs.
Axel arrived, flopped into the seat across from me, and slammed a folder onto the table.
"Look what I got!" he whispered.
"Test answers? Assassin contracts?" I guessed.
"Better," he grinned.
"Security map of the entire west wing."
I blinked.
"How did you even get this?"
He winked. "I flirted with the janitor."
---
Ryan joined us a minute later, eyes bloodshot from an all-nighter.
"Someone hacked into my system last night," he muttered, dropping his tray.
"Could've been any of the hacker kids," I said, trying to keep my voice casual.
But my spine stiffened.
Because I'd also received something last night.
Something only I saw.
---
A note.
Slipped under my door.
Typed. Clean. No fingerprints.
> "You're not who you say you are. Leave now — or be unmasked."
Short. Direct.
And terrifying.
---
I didn't tell the boys. Not yet.
Axel was too reckless, Ryan too nervous.
Mikhail… who even knows where he was half the time?
And Caden?
Let's not even go there.
---
Speaking of...
He walked into the cafeteria like a damn thundercloud — black coat, messy hair, and the kind of aura that made people step aside without realizing it.
He didn't look at me.
Not once.
Which was weird.
Because yesterday he saved my life.
And today?
Nothing.
Not even a smirk.
---
Classes were worse.
First period was Criminal Tactics — aka "How to Rob a Bank and Not Get Caught 101."
Professor Ravenwood walked in, a lean man with icy blue eyes and an unsettling calm.
This was the guy who shot a student's phone last week for texting in class.
Guess what subject he teaches?
Strategy and Deception.
Perfect.
---
Mid-lecture, his eyes locked on me.
Just for a second.
But it felt like being scanned.
Like he could see straight through the uniform, the voice, the swagger…
Like he knew.
I looked down quickly.
My pulse was out of control.
---
After class, as we were packing up, Ravenwood said:
"You. Stay back."
Everyone looked at me.
Axel mouthed good luck and bolted.
Ryan looked like he was about to cry for me.
Caden glanced back… and didn't stop walking.
---
Alone in the room.
Ravenwood leaned on his desk, arms crossed.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Ash," I said smoothly.
He raised an eyebrow. "Full name?"
I hesitated.
Then: "Ash Vane."
That's the alias.
Forged ID, fake background, perfect criminal history.
He said nothing.
Then walked to the window.
"You fight like someone trained for combat."
My stomach twisted.
"I box," I lied.
He hummed. "No. You don't."
---
Then, silence.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Finally, he turned.
"Be careful who you pretend to be in this place."
"Masks crack. And this school has sharp eyes."
With that, he left.
Just like that.
But it was clear:
He suspected me.
---
Back in the dorm, I threw myself on the bed.
Ryan was muttering about firewalls.
Axel was drawing tattoos on his arm with a marker.
Then the door opened.
And Caden walked in.
Why?
No idea.
He tossed something onto my bed.
I looked.
It was the note.
The same one I got last night.
---
My heart stopped.
"Where did you get this?" I whispered.
Caden leaned against the wall, watching me.
"Found it in the hallway. Thought it looked… familiar."
He was testing me.
I played dumb.
"Just a prank, right?"
He stepped closer.
"You tell me, Pretty Boy."
---
Then he did the unexpected.
He crouched beside the bed, eyes level with mine.
"Are you in danger?" he asked, voice low.
I blinked.
No sarcasm. No smirk.
He was… serious.
I swallowed.
"Aren't we all?"
He stared at me for a long second.
Then stood.
"Be careful."
And left.
---
Once alone, I exhaled.
The school was getting colder.
The games sharper.
The lies harder to hold.
And somewhere…
Someone knew.
---
End of Chapter 11
---