The hallway was silent, save for the low hum of the air conditioning and the pounding of Kael's heart against his ribs.
Kael and the green-haired girl stood frozen in a tableau of mutual, horrific recognition.
Kael stared at her, his brain frantically flipping through a catalog of excuses, and escape routes.
He felt the weight of his own terrible luck crushing him. Out of thousands of seniors, out of hundreds of potential guides, he had to get the one person on campus who had seen him witness their crime.
'What are the odds?' Kael thought, resisting the urge to face-palm. 'Seriously, what are the statistical odds? Did the System arrange this just to spite me?'
The girl didn't blink.
Her expression wasn't just annoyed; it was calculating. She looked like a cat deciding whether to play with a mouse or just bite its head off.
The tension was thick enough to cut with a dull spoon.
Finally, Theo cleared his throat.
