Chapter 39: Dark Secrets
The heavy door of the academy administrative building creaked open as Kieran pushed it with a single hand. The hallway inside was dark, sterile, and eerily quiet. My footsteps echoed softly against the polished marble floors, a stark contrast to Kieran’s confident, silent stride beside me.
Every instinct in my body screamed that we weren’t supposed to be here. This building held the academy’s secrets, its rules, its hierarchy, its power. We were walking straight into the heart of it.
We moved past the staff offices, the council room, until we reached a tall black door with a brass plate:
ASTRID VOSS – HEAD COORDINATOR
And of course it was locked.
Kieran didn’t hesitate. He reached for the handle, gave it a lazy tug, then prepared to shove the whole thing open with a burst of his strength. I panicked.
"Wait—stop!" I hissed, grabbing his arm before he could splinter the wood like it was made of paper. "You can’t just break it down."
His golden eyes narrowed, irritated. "Why not?"
"Because," I whispered, moving in front of him, "if you break it, we won’t be able to fix it. She’ll know someone came in. The whole point is to go unnoticed, remember?"
Kieran stared at me with something that almost resembled amusement, then stepped back with a shrug. "Fine. Then impress me."
I didn’t reply. I reached up and unclipped the thin, metallic accessory from my hair, a long, sleek pin I had sharpened on one end. I knelt at the door, slipped the pin into the lock, and began working silently.
Kieran watched me, arms crossed, and for once, he didn’t interrupt.