Dana froze mid-step, her mind buzzing with disbelief and triumph all at once. The book, her endless void of frustration, had finally shown her something. Not much, but enough to rekindle the faint spark inside her, a hope that maybe, just maybe, she could see through the rest. Her fingers hovered over the pages, hesitant to touch them, as her thoughts spun wild.
Tilting her head, doubt crept in, as she stared at the door Elaine and Allan had just passed through. Clicking her tongue softly, Dana muttered to herself, room 777… The book hadn't given her anything before, but in that fleeting moment, it had, exactly after Allan and Elaine left. Coincidence? Not in her world, it wasn't something she believed inCuriosity stirred, almost gnawing at her. But she shoved it down, deciding to focus on the present instead of getting lost in obsession.
As she made her way back to the dorm building, a figure appeared ahead, one she didn't want to see right now, at least not with the book in her bag. Her stomach tightened. She tried to walk past, feigning indifference, but he seemed to sense her hesitation instantly. Worse, she could feel his foul mood radiating.
"Wonderful morning, Mr. Hance," Dana greeted, her tone carefully cinematic, a forced brightness masking her nervousnessz rather than run away, it would be better to stay and kill whatever doubt may come to him later.
He turned to her, pupils dilated, scanning her with a sharp intensity. His aura was tense, he was searching for something, and she could sense it.
"You look stressed, sir. Anything wrong?" she asked, feigning concern but genuinely curious.
He stared at her a long moment, then shook his head. "Everything's alright," he replied smoothly, trying to pass her by.
Dana stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "Sir, what are you doing around the dorm area? I haven't seen staff here in a while… unless it's an emergency," she pressed, eyes probing his.
He hesitated, then spoke carefully. "I was looking for someone."
Dana's heart skipped a beat. The owner of the book? she wondered. "Someone? If you tell me who, I can help. I know the students here, I can probably find them, I have been around for the break" she said, masking curiosity as genuine concern.
He paused, reading the determination in her eyes, before replying, "Allan. I'm looking for him. Do you know if he's at school? Or has he returned?"
Dana's mind raced, piecing together the puzzle. Allan, the owner of the book. So it wasn't just anyone.
"yes" she answered, watching how his foul mood lit up, as though he had won the lottery, he was looking for Allan, she was sure was he the owner of the book?, or was it for something entirely different. His expression gave away.
"Is it Allan in 13A?" she asked slowly again.
"Yes," he said without hesitation.
"Well… no," Dana corrected, enjoying the moment of confusion flashing across his face. "He isn't at school, I thought it was someone else."
If eyes could kill, she thought smugly, he would have reduced her to six feet of pure rage. His hopes built, only to crash spectacularly.
"Still, if you want, I can help you search," she offered, stepping in just enough to provoke him further.
He ignored her completely, storming off without a word. Dana's lips curved into a small, mockingly amused smirk as she watched his retreating figure.
Later, Dana spotted June in the dining hall, almost missing her in the crowd. "June!" she called, relief threading through her voice.
June noticed Dana breathing hard, cheeks flushed, as though she'd run a marathon to get there.
"Dana!" June echoed, matching her enthusiasm, though the difference was there one was genuine, the other carefully performed.
Dana motioned for her to wait and walked up to her. "Were you going to have breakfast alone?" she asked.
"Well… yeah. I didn't see you or Vanessa, and Gwen… she doesn't usually stay for breakfast," June replied.
Dana nodded, listening intently. They stayed in the dining hall long after finishing, unwilling to leave the warm chatter of the morning.
"So, June," Dana began, leaning forward slightly, curiosity lacing her voice, "you never told me how you met Gwen. Let me guess, childhood friends, family friends, or just friends from junior days?"
June laughed. "Does it seem like that?"
"Well, you two are so close, it must be one of those," Dana pressed, eyes sparkling.
"Actually… yes, from junior days," June admitted, thoughtful. "Though we weren't really friends at first. I got lost once, and Gwen helped me find my way. That's how we started."
Dana nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "And you just came to HERBERT WILBUR, right?"
June's brow furrowed slightly. "I've been here for three years, before I got lost… I think. I can't remember exactly when I started, but Gwen was already here helping me then."
Dana's eyes quirked up slightly. Something was off. She didn't show it, but a gnawing feeling tugged at her gut. June was complicated, and Dana's attempts to leech deeper memories had failed, everything she saw was shallow, surface-level. Something about June was being hidden, and Dana knew Gwen had to be involved.
A seed of curiosity settled in her chest. The mystery of June's past was tangled, she wasn't so sure, but something told her it would all end well for her in the end and not Gwen.