Darn Stupid Brother You Are

(Angel's POV)

I woke up and felt my skin buzzing from last night. My face felt warm and I couldn't stop myself from blushing at the memory of Thomas and me on the porch of all places. We had been so reckless. How had we not been caught? My mind replayed the way his hands moved and how his lips felt on mine, and a shiver ran down my spine. I hadn't expected Thomas to be that good.

I slipped out of bed and tried to act normal, but every inch of me felt like it was humming with electricity. My thoughts raced as I wondered how Thomas, the quiet and mysterious guy I never thought I'd be close to, could make me feel that way. I caught my reflection in the mirror when I splashed cold water on my face. My cheeks were still flushed.

Hande was rummaging through her stuff and humming to herself. She suddenly stopped and turned to me with a smirk.

"Why are you so red this morning?" Hande asked and raised an eyebrow. "Did something... happen?"

I froze as my heart raced again, but I forced a laugh. "What? No, nothing happened," I said and waved her off, hoping she wouldn't push further.

Hande wasn't convinced. She stepped closer and tilted her head like she was inspecting me for clues. "Come on, Angel. You're practically glowing. You can't fool me."

Before I could think of a way to change the subject, Dilara, who had been sitting quietly on her bed, looked up and said, "It's Thomas, isn't it?"

My eyes widened as panic gripped me. Darn Dilara always being observant. But how the hell could she guess so perfectly?! Hande looked genuinely surprised, her jaw dropping slightly.

"Thomas? No way. There's no way our Angel hooked up with Thomas," Hande said and snickered, clearly amused.

"Thomas?!" Cylan scoffed from her corner of the room. "Nah, I always thought he was into guys. Have you seen the way he acts around Hendrix? Always looking like he's about to punch him or kiss him."

The room erupted into laughter, with Charlotte nodding along. Her French accent was thick as she added, "Oui, Thomas et Hendrix... zey always fight like lovers, non?"

I laughed nervously with them, but inside my stomach flipped. They had no idea how right Dilara was, and the thought of anyone finding out made my pulse quicken.

When the girls finally headed out, still chatting and teasing me about something else, I was left alone in the room. I sat on the edge of my bed and tried to shake off the uneasy feeling that troubled me. Then it hit me. The journal.

I scrambled to lift my mattress and checked the spot where I had been hiding it ever since Hendrix and I stole it from the West Wing. My heart sank into my stomach. The journal wasn't there.

I tossed my pillow aside and checked under the bed frame, flipping everything over. It was gone.

I sat back on my heels, breathless. My mind raced as I tried to figure out where it could have gone. There was only one person who would dare take it-Ava. She had done it once before, and she wouldn't hesitate to do it again. But I had no proof. I couldn't accuse her without evidence, and if I confronted her, she'd know I was onto her.

Losing that journal felt like a huge loss. That journal held all the damning evidence about the center's twisted operations-Hendrix's fake illness, the surgeries, and Dr. Joe's dark experiments. If it got into the wrong hands, we were all in trouble.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. I couldn't let the others know-not yet. Not until I figured out what Ava was up to and how to get the journal back.

...

(Ava's POV)

Breakfast blurred into noise around me, but I barely paid attention. My mind kept circling back to the journal and the mission I had been tasked with. I always knew what was expected of me, but lately, the lines between right and wrong had started to blur. Dr. Joe was evil, and I had done things I wasn't proud of. Things I swore I'd never do. But it was all for my family, for my mom. I had to pay off her debt. There was no other choice.

As I sat in the cafeteria and pushed my food around on my plate, I could hear my friends talking, but their voices felt far away. They laughed and joked, but I was miles away from them. They had no idea what was going on in my head. They had no idea what I was doing to survive in this place.

I glanced over at Angel's table. She was sitting with her group and looked as clueless as ever. I wondered if she had noticed yet. I wondered if she had figured out that the journal was missing. A small part of me almost hoped she had, just to see the panic on her face. But I couldn't think like that. Not when I had so much at stake.

One of my friends nudged me and pulled me out of my thoughts. "Ava, you okay? You've barely touched your food."

I nodded and forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired."

But I wasn't fine. I hadn't been fine in a long time.

As I sat there, I kept my gaze fixed on Angel, waiting for the moment she realized what had been taken from her. Waiting for the moment when everything fell apart.