ieved that betrayal w

deliberate lie, or a knife held by s

e Damien Blackwood standing in front of

y did Daniel

hung bet

his hands curling in

you to underst

d you to a

s simple as

ake it

aled s

en confidential documents from t

ground shift b

't hear anything except

r wouldn't

di

re ly

sh I

ce for the smallest sign that he wa

was

she whi

ce of examination fraud. He wanted to prove someone

nfess to ste

restricted files. They threatened to involve the pol

shook h

told me he w

d they accused him of. But h

ou hel

es

came withou

tepped b

appened to her brother. She had imagined him as the selfis

Damien had been involved in s

," she said. "Then you let everyone be

eve anything. I tried t

wh

ee. The scholarship board

hat ha

expressio

iel had already confessed and that my stat

ou ga

N

e was sh

why they threatened my family.

stared

because of

uld be charged with additional offenses. I was seventeen,

did

nce answ

ing in her eyes, but she

uld have

kno

ave told me t

kno

ny idea how mu

ossed h

es

f. I told everyone he had been framed. I spent two years believ

n swa

nted his sc

at did y

d direct

esponsible before they

s breat

h o

sk what he meant,

age appeared

STAND. FIVE O'C

ooked at

forty

her phone in

ve to

he

you can't

eli

the truth, Damien. You don't get

d and wal

't foll

es on her until she disap

-

stand had been ab

, leaving the old wooden benches and rusted me

d five minute

grounds. Wind stirred the dry grass, and somewhere beyon

ear the far en

ked fri

ere," Ser

ked me

anced beh

u tell

N

u tell

a hes

N

him she was coming here, although she ha

seemed

oo

rossed h

where Daniel hid th

d

l me wher

er bag and removed a

he handwriting on t

el H

en her name across th

oat tig

id you g

e the night before e

n't you

e I was

wh

ed down at

r mo

topped b

ha

She knew he was investigating the scholarship com

t mean she b

it do

yes filled

mething else yo

Amelia th

ened it c

sheet of paper and

utside a building Amelia didn't recogni

k, Daniel

ho knows

nfolded

was unmistakab

el

it means I couldn't te

d someone I shouldn't have trusted, and I believed I cou

s wr

nce. They were copies. Someone had already remo

the school's confidential records, the scholars

t he doesn't know everything. Don'

what really happened is t

before

ppens, don't let Mom kn

ove

ni

ad the le

third

nds tr

give me this bef

t if I did, Daniel's si

old yo

sed her lip

r mo

ooked up

d she thr

our family. She told me that some people were too powerful to challeng

chest t

ow about th

o. Daniel gave i

give it

s face

rning. They said I had twenty-four hours to deliver the ori

a fel

sen

. The number

tell th

is threatening me over doc

d down at Da

photograph was

know h

shook h

to tell me. He said

the photograph

h. Behind him was a glass building with a

a squ

ai

photograph to

eared to rea

oned the company during business calls, and Damien's family

iel have been mee

mpany have to do wi

e from behi

irls t

g through the narrow p

abbed Ame

d you ca

d

ps grew

red at the edg

mi

expressio

ollowe

ssage on your phon

ked at m

ter lab when you went to speak to Mr.

furious, but the exp

ed to be here," Se

ignor

on the photograph

look troubled, the photograph

id you g

eft it wi

stepped

, put i

f everyone telli

n is dan

know

didn't

s heart

o you know

e photograph fo

e said

ard V

overed h

a fro

Richar

at her, his ex

of the Sterling Sch

d seemed

the scholarship winner. Richard Vale was the man whose signature

would ultimately decide whe

iel meet him?"

nt beyond the school," Damien replied. "He though

you k

it. I never

down at the

before

d to find hi

shook h

demand answers. If he's involved, he'll

ing, he'll keep ge

ggesting we

are you s

o else is involved b

ration inter

oked at h

drained fr

it?" Amel

d the screen

ppeared on Westb

Serena standing beside Amel

aptio

RS. ONE

was ano

RINGING US THE

blood tur

d been wat

ew about t

d expected Ser

an shaking

ell anyone. I s

rabbed h

lieve

dy scanning the

to leav

uld move, Amel

displayed a

ered cau

el

came through

lia

is

ho knew yo

now Richa

pa

et, humorl

s much braver th

ou kno

Daniel v

e what happe

er the

can I m

The old railway statio

lanced a

his hea

u're telling the

, why Damien left Westbridge, and why your mother has spent tw

stomach

you know abo

ignored h

elia. And bring

ne wen

seconds, n

n held out

me the

pulled

N

son knows

e else in this t

his could

the first real

investigate

in his voice

d at him

so much about wha

expressio

like he wanted to tell

id quietly. "And I'm not going to stand

lt her an

een easier if he were selfish, cruel, o

covered the truth about him, another p

tened her more

nd accusations, she was beginning to ca

ibrated one

ared from the

APPENED THE NIGHT

wly lifted

as watch

he didn't

u everything,

r, Serena whispered something

el told me that I never

urned to

ha

yes filled

el confessed, h

allowe

other w