---
I ran.
Down the hallway.
Heart pounding.
Face on fire.
God, kill me now.
Not only had I embarrassed myself in front of half the school during morning training…
Now, I had barged into a random guy's room.
While he was basically naked.
I was seriously rethinking all my life choices that led me here.
---
In my actual room
I slammed the door shut behind me, panting.
My roommate, Ryan — an adorable hacker with glasses too big for his face — peeked up from his laptop.
"You look like you saw a ghost."
"Worse," I wheezed.
"A naked criminal."
Ryan blinked once.
Twice.
Then went back to typing like this was a normal Tuesday.
---
After showering and pretending I wasn't dying inside
I pulled on my uniform —
A sleek black turtleneck, dark jeans, leather jacket — the school's standard 'I'm sexy and I could kill you' look.
Today was Orientation Part Two: a 'get-to-know-the-campus' scavenger hunt.
Except in a crime school, 'scavenger hunt' probably meant 'survive the death traps without bleeding out.'
Awesome.
I threw my cap low over my face and headed out.
---
Campus courtyard
I squinted against the sunlight.
A crowd of first-years were already gathered.
Some chatting, some glaring.
And right in the center — like gravity itself — stood three people.
Blake.
Mikhail.
And...
Silver Eyes.
The towel guy.
Now dressed in tight black slacks and a blood-red button-down, sleeves rolled up to his forearms.
Still looking like sin itself.
---
He caught me staring.
And smirked.
A slow, lethal smirk.
Oh no.
Abort mission.
Run.
Before I could vanish into the crowd, he stalked toward me.
"Hey, Pretty Boy."
His voice was low. Smooth. Dangerous.
Every head turned to look.
I resisted the urge to fake a heart attack.
---
"You dropped something."
He held out a familiar black band.
My cap.
I snatched it from him, muttering thanks, eyes glued to the ground.
---
"You should be more careful," he said, stepping closer.
Close enough that I could smell him —
Something dark and spicy, like burnt sugar and smoke.
"Wouldn't want someone getting the wrong ideas about you."
Was that...a hint of warning in his tone?
Or something else?
---
Before I could respond, a whistle blew.
The instructor barked orders.
Everyone scrambled to get into teams.
---
Teaming up
By some demonic curse, my assigned team included:
Me (panicking internally)
Ryan (hacker roommate, scared of sunlight)
Axel (golden retriever chaos incarnate)
Mikhail (who radiated 'I kill people for fun' energy)
And...
Silver Eyes.
Who introduced himself, finally, with a lazy drawl:
"Caden."
Caden.
Of course his name was hot.
Because life hated me.
---
The Mission
Simple.
Find hidden "keys" around campus before the other teams.
First team to collect all keys wins.
Losers get cleaning duty in the detention block.
Which was basically an abandoned prison wing crawling with rats.
Yay.
---
The Hunt Begins
Our team took off toward the old library first.
Axel practically skipped.
Ryan clutched his tablet like a lifeline.
Mikhail stalked ahead, looking like he was planning five murders.
Caden stayed by my side, annoyingly close.
---
Inside the dusty library, the shelves loomed tall and heavy.
Cobwebs dangled from the ceiling.
It smelled like old paper and conspiracy theories.
Perfect place for hidden "keys."
---
We split up.
I darted between aisles, heart pounding.
Focused.
Searching.
Until—
Slam.
Someone shoved me hard into a bookshelf.
Books rained down around me.
A hand clamped over my mouth.
I struggled, kicking.
---
"Shh, Pretty Boy," a voice murmured against my ear.
Caden.
Of course it was Caden.
---
He pressed me gently but firmly against the shelf.
Not hurting me.
Just...
Trapping me.
With one arm braced beside my head and the other still covering my mouth.
---
"Don't scream," he whispered.
"Not gonna hurt you."
Slowly, he moved his hand away.
I gasped for air.
"What the hell—"
"You're hiding something."
His silver eyes glinted dangerously.
"I knew it the moment you walked into my room."
---
I froze.
My blood turned to ice.
He knows.
He knows I'm not who I say I am.
---
"Relax," Caden said, his voice dropping even lower.
"I don't care what you're hiding."
He leaned closer, until his lips almost brushed my ear.
"As long as it doesn't get me killed."
He pulled back with a wink.
---
And just like that, he sauntered away, whistling, leaving me breathless and shaken.
---
Later —
Our team found two keys.
Axel got stuck in a duct.
Mikhail threatened a squirrel.
Ryan tripped over his own shoelaces.
And I...
I realized something horrifying.
I wasn't just here to complete my mission anymore.
I was now in deep, deep trouble.
Because Caden wasn't going to let me stay invisible.
And maybe...
A small, reckless part of me didn't want to be invisible anymore.
---
End of Chapter 9.
---