Alpha Kael

~Jada

I freeze. They freeze.

I’m not sure what is worse. Being caught rifling through someone’s stuff, or being the one to catch a stranger doing so. Especially when by the looks of them, they are a Silent. And a Silent I’ve seen before too. Those eyes are tied to a night not too long ago, that I would like to forget.

It’s the Silent that interrogated me that night. Who made me admit what I’ve been keeping to myself. It was part of his job, however, I swear I unmistakably saw him feel some kind of pity for me. I saw it in his eyes.

But why in the world is he sitting in my room right now?

He doesn’t seem defensive right away. I assume he has been caught in more questionable situations as a Silent working for the Alpha, so I simply wait for him to say something. I have nothing to hide in here, since none of it is my personal belongings. But still, I’m taken aback to why someone has broken into my room.

“I thought you were going to protect your partner,” he says blandly, no sense of regret or urgency to explain himself.

I’m bewildered, unsure of how I should respond. “Well I’m here now.”

His gaze casts down to the shirt of mine that he is holding. It’s a limp cotton one to be worn around the halls when no physical activity is required. I make a mental note to never wear that one again.

“It seems so,” he says slowly. He seems more regretful that I interrupted him, rather than embarrassed that I caught him. And he doesn’t seem quick to leave, or even apologise. “I suppose I should probably go then.”

Reality seems to get more broken as each word comes out of his mouth. Should I call for help? I mean, who would come help me against a trusted Silent, whose name I don’t even know. All I know is he has a gaze of pure azure. Bluer than anything I’ve seen, that leave me confused. For a reason I cannot fathom, there is something eerily familiar about him.

“Why are you in here. Who even are you?” I question.

He seems to be eyeing where I block the entrance. If he leaves now, I will never figure out why this strange occurrence has taken place. Especially since he is not jumping to the chance to be honest with me.

“I’m just doing a routine check,” he says smoothly, no hinder in his tone. “It’s imperative the safety of students here is managed. I’m just checking to ensure you’re not hiding any prohibited items.”

Speechless at my own stupidity, I nod slowly. Of course that’s why he is here. How could I be so stupid? If anyone was harbouring drugs here, it could alter how the course of the competition goes, and Alpha Kael will be the one to suffer from it later. So doing a check of everyone’s room shouldn’t surprise me at all.

“Oh…” I say, watching him place the shirt back into the draw. “I didn’t know anything like that was happening tonight.”

Something ticks in the back of my mind. Suspicion. He may not have felt guilty looking through my things to begin with, but it sure did seem odd. The way he smiles tightly at me, and brushes past, not saying another word to me. Silently, I watch him stride down the hallway, disappearing around a corner.

Once I’m sure he is gone, I dart into my room, slamming the door behind me.

Digging my hands through my hair, I look around my room. If only Ace was here to protect me against that. Without thinking twice, I look through all my things, but nothing is disturbed, aside from a few items of clothing wrinkled from prying hands. He must have pulled them up to check I wasn’t concealing anything.

He hasn’t left any clue to whether he was lying or not. It only makes me feel even more foolish. What am I thinking? That he is stalking me or something? My imagination is wild today.

To confirm my thoughts, I rush down to the common room, knowing everyone is in there watching a movie.

Everyone looks up at me as I walk in. Some kind of horror movie plays on the television, scenes of murder flashing across everyone’s face. It doesn’t help my shaken demeanor, which Shana seems to notice right away. She stands from her seat, long dark hair twisted up into a casual bun.

“What’s wrong?” she asks gently, noticing my expression.

“Has anyone else had a routine check of your room?” I question, watching confused expression appear on everyone’s faces. I look back at Shana. “I caught a Silent in my room looking through my stuff.”

Shana flinches. “Really? None of us heard anything about it, right?”

When she looks back at everyone, they all murmur their agreement. No one here has any clue why a Silent would be in my room, which only makes my foolish thoughts seem more realistic.

“I mean, if it’s a Silent, you can surely trust them. Right?” Shana says uneasily.

That’s what I should be thinking, if I could think reasonably. Kael wouldn’t hire someone who is here to hurt or stalk his competitors. I just can’t get the idea out of my head. Who is he? And why does he hint at something familiar, while at the same time, coming off extremely untrustworthy.

I don’t know what to feel.

***

The next morning, after a night of tossing and turning, I decided I needed further confirmation.

The main office is somewhere you only really go if you’re injured, so when I walk in completely fine, the man behind the desk looked confused at my presence. I rest my arms against the desk and stare pointedly at him.

“Do routine room checks happen around here?” I ask him.NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.

He nods. “They do. Every so often.”

Every so often. That could entail anything. I wonder if they even have the authority to tell me when they occur. With the way he’s looking at me, he does seem suspicious, as if he suspects I’m going to find out and hide all my prohibited items.

“Can you tell me how often they happen?”

“They are always unpredictable,” he says, narrowing his eyes on me. “We don’t plan them. We simply get told when they occur.”

“Has any occured say… yesterday?”

The man frowns, turning to his computer. I give him a few moments to type things in, finding out if anyone has been sent out to look through people’s rooms. When he turns back to me, he has a frown on his face.

“Only Hall B has had someone come for an inspection,” he tells me. My dorm area is Hall C.

“Thank you,” I say, pushing away from the desk.

Something is up with the Silent, and I will find out what is going on.

***

I spot Baylee walking by herself out the halls just passed dinner time.

Slinging my jacket over my shoulders, I follow after her. I have to protect her, and I have no yet found a way to do so. No Silent has performed a mock scenario yet, and I’m patiently waiting for it to happen. It’s starting to worry me that is hasn’t happened yet. The last thing I want is to be eliminated.

I’m concerned that Baylee is walking off by herself, which makes it all the more imperative that I follow her. Luckily, as dusk falls, she doesn’t notice me slink behind her, using the shadows to conceal me.

Much to my alarm, she walks past the gym, and keeps walking to where the Silent’s and trainers personal area is. We were told in the beginning not to go near it. Does she know that? Surely she does, which means she’s going there to meet someone. A Silent, of all people.

My heart rate increases as she reaches the door, standing in front of it, rather than knocking or trying its lock. Is she going there to ask for special treatment?

I truly hope not…

Niko suddenly appears at the door, closing it after him. He says nothing to Baylee. Pulling her arm, leading her back behind the building. Quickly I approach, still keeping hidden. I need to find out what is happening without either of them seeing me. This might be my chance to save Baylee, if Niko is simulating an attack.

I should have brought a weapon… Now I’m going to have to either intimidate Niko, or attack him. With his physical stature and ego, it doesn’t seem as though either of those options are plausible.

However, I get close enough to realise none of what I assumed is true.

Niko has Baylee pressed up against the wall with his body, and not in a way that is threatening her life. His hands are all over her body, delving under her clothes, his lips on hers.

I believe I’m witnessing something against the rules. And I don’t know what to do about it.