"Nothing was your own except the few cubic centimeters inside your skull"~ George Orwell.
Lyra
He saw. He might not have seen me, but he saw someone, a figure. He knows something. He saw me. I calmly shift my eyes away from him as I walk away to my first class of the day. Don't turn back, Lyra. Don't react. Calmly assess the situation. The woods were empty last night, I made sure of it, so where could he have possibly seen me? I walked into the hallway and heard whispers, "No blood", "Distance covered", "No screams." I knew I was meticulous in killing Kael Rylan, so where could Rowan Crest possibly have seen me? There is nothing he could prove, though, because all he saw was a blurred figure, but still….
The realization that someone saw me makes me uptight. Even Blackstone Academy felt the impact of Kael's death: more security. Matchewww. As if that would stop me from tidying up my list. I could already see the Managing Director running helter-skelter over the incident, and I knew a board meeting with the school's most trusted people would follow. I smile—Blackstone hasn't seen anything yet.
Replaying the moments when Rowan and I locked eyes, I noticed a few details that I had missed earlier. The first was that he didn't panic when he heard Kael was dead. Normal people panic. He didn't report that he saw a figure. Normal people would. Rowan crest did neither of those things. He isn't normal. What could he have possibly been through for him not to react?
I was walking to my third class for the day when I suddenly heard a loud, emotionless, and cold voice through the speakers of the hallway where all the hustle and bustle of Blackstone was located. The person said, "All classes are suspended for the remainder of the day. Students are to return to their dormitories. Movement across campus is restricted until further notice". The whole hallway went dead silent. Normally, students would be happy to hear this sort of news, but this did nothing to ease their worries. We all went into our dorms quietly, too quietly.
When I got into my dorm, I freshened up, sat at my study table, and began analyzing what happened with Rowan today. How is it possible that he could have seen me? Why didn't he report what he saw? Why was he so calm when the rest of the school was in chaos? What could he have possibly gone through that he managed this situation with controlled ease? Too much ease for a 17-year-old boy. I could just kill him. I twirled my chair around as the idea popped into my head. One problem. One solution. Hmmm. But the thing is, it would be too visible, too many targets at my back, too soon, too…. Unnecessary for my liking, and it would a lot likely be messy too. Rowan Crest isn't a threat yet; he's a variable I do not understand yet, a question, and I do not destroy what I don't understand.
I turn on my big screen to observe Rowan on camera as he enters his dorm. I expect him to do something, anything really, I will him through the screen to move, react, at least do something, but he doesn't. Nothing. No hesitation, even as he drops his bag and removes his shirt. Nothing. It's not as if he is ignoring the situation; he's processing it, and that's significantly worse. He's thinking about what happened. The son of Mr. Crest is thinking. That baffles me more than it should, honestly.
I continue watching Rowan for an hour or so until it clicks. Why am I still watching him? As I watch him further, I notice a few things; he holds himself like he's used to control. Like he's used to worse. What did you survive, Rowan Crest? Why is there nothing in your files that could point to what made you like this? Why do you look like you recognize me? Do you see Lyra in me? As I was asking myself all these questions. Rowan moved, he turned, he stopped. Why did you stop? Then he turns slightly and locks eyes with the exact place where I placed the hidden camera, and locks eyes with me. He may not see the camera, but he feels it. He didn't just see me, he sensed me.
For the first time… I'm not the only one watching.