“Do they know about us digging around in the archives?” Buffy asked, seeming to pale.
I shook my head, not wanting her to worry. From what I knew, they didn’t know that Buffy had been with me in the archives. I wanted to keep her off the Kings’ radar for as long as possible. She didn’t deserve to be punished for helping me, and I would do everything in my power to ensure that.
“No,” I said. “But I still need to look around and figure out who the killer is. He’s due to strike again soon.”
Buffy nodded, twisting the bottom of her shirt between her forefinger and thumb in a nervous manner. All of my drama had reduced her to a nervous mess, and that weighed on my conscience. I brought down so many people around me, and I hoped that she wouldn’t be one of them.
“So, what do we know?” she asked.
I turned and grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen from her desk.
“Let’s start from the beginning,” I said, clicking the end of the pen. Over the next few hours, we talked about what we had already discovered from the archives and what we knew from other people. Our knowledge of the school was well-rounded, but that information was easy to find. What was more difficult to piece together was the history of the Kings and the people associated with them.
There were still so many gaps, and I couldn’t help but think those gaps had a clue that could help me figure out who the killer was. The killer had been sure to kill people who knew deep secrets about the Kings or who could be a threat later on. So, the killer had to be connected to the Kings in some way, and I believed that he had something to do with the fathers of the current Kings. That was when everything started.
But where would everything end? Would this be the last line of Kings, or would they survive and rule long enough for another line to be born? With people dropping like flies around here, that seemed like a long shot. However, the Kings were strong and ruthless. They fought harder for survival than anyone else, and they would be nearly impossible to take down.
“So, we still need more information on the fathers, Simone, and Estrella,” Buffy said as she stood beside me at her desk.
I peered down at the paper I had written all of the main points on. I planned to shred the paper and throw it away before we went to bed, but I just wanted to see what we knew and what we didn’t. I didn’t know if the remaining answers were in the archives. Most of the stories that I needed to hear were from people that were involved. I just had to get them to talk.
“I’ll try to ask people who were around back then,” I sighed. It wouldn’t be easy, but I had to try. Now wasn’t the time to give up. Now was the time to fight for myself as hard as possible. I didn’t have the Kings around to protect me. I was on my own.
Besides Buffy. She was a true friend to me, and she didn’t have to help me. She didn’t have to let me into her room. She could’ve sent me away and protected herself, but she was risking her life for me. I couldn’t ever thank her enough.
“What now?” Buffy asked me. Her eyes were slightly red from lack of sleep. It had to be past midnight.
“We get some rest,” I told her, reaching out to place my hand on her arm in a grateful manner. “Thank you. I’ll never forget how much you’ve helped me.”
Buffy gave me a small smile and nodded.
“Goodnight, Biba,” she said.
“Goodnight, Buffy.”
CHAPTER 16
BIBA
It took a little convincing for me to leave Buffy’s room the next day, but I couldn’t hide forever. I was hungry, and I had classes. Even if it was safer to put my life on hold, that was something that I just couldn’t do. If I avoided the Kings as much as possible, I wouldn’t have that much trouble. Hopefully.
I wandered down the hallway toward the food hall, feeling my stomach lightly growl. I didn’t want to be in the food hall for long. All I wanted was a quick bite to eat to hold me over throughout my classes. I would be safer in my classes. The Kings wouldn’t dare do anything in front of so many students and a teacher.
At least, I hoped they wouldn’t. I knew Arvo and Zephyr had hearts and emotions, but I didn’t think that they would use them for me. I’d stabbed them in the back, and I had seen what happened to people who crossed them. My sense of safety and peace was gone. Non-existent. Depending on how pissed they were, I could soon be non-existent too.