Kings of Quarantine (Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep #1) - Caroline Peckham ,Susanne Valenti Page 0,202

them turned, running back to the main path and darting out of sight in the direction of The Temple.

I clenched my jaw then started jogging again, cursing them with every name under the sun as I hurried up the dark track.

After a while, it felt good to be working out the tension in my muscles at least. And I supposed I had gotten my wish of some alone time, so there was that. In fact, apart from the chilling hoot of an owl in the distance, this was pretty damn sweet. And after living in a house with three monsters for days on end, I knew I didn’t need to fear being alone in the woods. It was having company in the woods that worried me most these days.

I soon fell into the rhythm of my feet pounding along the track and I wished I had my headphones with me to listen to music on my phone.

The track curved down towards Aspen Halls at the head of campus and my feet hit a solid path again as I followed the map around the huge gothic building towards the main gate.

I spotted the football team and the rest of the popular crowd sitting on the benches in the courtyard at the back of the building. I saw Mila amongst them and she waved as she caught sight of me, beckoning me over. I raised a hand at her, but my heart twisted as I kept running. I wasn’t going to tarnish her reputation by going over there, even though I appreciated the sentiment. I spotted the Unspeakables on their own table and frowned as Chad McCormack jumped up onto it and started throwing bread on the floor, demanding they pick it up with their mouths and make quacking noises. The worst feeling of all was when they did it.

Just as I was nearing the front corner of the halls, a figure stepped around it and I crashed into them full speed. I grabbed his arm before he hit the ground and blurted an apology.

Bait was seriously recognisable with the landing strip carved through the centre of his hair and my gut twinged with guilt for me putting it there.

“Sorry, are you alright?” I asked and he laughed nervously, patting himself down as if to check.

“I think I’m all intact, Pla – ah – Tatum.”

“It’s good to see you,” I said earnestly.

“You too.” He stepped past me, glancing around as if expecting the Night Keepers to appear at any moment. “Goodnight,” he said before hurrying off down the path toward the rest of the Unspeakables. My gut sank with disappointment as I watched him go. A conversation would have been nice, but I guessed whatever had been left of the guy’s balls had been lopped off the second my escape plan had failed us. I still felt shitty about that. But I mostly felt pissed at Sneak’s mom for abandoning us.

I headed around the building to where the gravel drive stretched out towards the gate, glancing wistfully that way as I pictured the freedom that lived beyond it. This place had become my prison. And I couldn’t imagine a time when those gates would be open and I could step out of them freely.

A foot crunching against gravel caught my attention and I slowed to a halt, a shard of ice sliding smoothly down my spine.

I looked towards the gate once more and I could have sworn there was movement in the thickness of the shadows.

My breathing came unevenly as a guy moved up to the gate, clearly unaware of me as he slid his hands around the bars and rattled it. My throat dried up as I took in the sinister expression on his face. He had dark, torn jeans on and a check shirt that didn’t marry with anyone on campus. He wasn’t a student and he definitely wasn’t a teacher.

Where are the damn guards?

“Hey!” I called out to him and he looked up in surprise before darting back into the darkness.

My heart shuddered in my chest as I stared at the gates. For a second it almost looked like the chain wasn’t in place around them. But that couldn’t be right.

I might not have been in a horror movie, but I sure as shit wasn’t gonna go over there and check all the same. The guards would be patrolling. If that asshole came back, they’d catch him.

I wet my lips then jogged on, trying to figure out if I