“W-What are you doing here?” she asked before immediately realizing how ridiculous the question was.
He was the very person she’d been looking for.
If she could be here, why couldn’t he?
Still, something felt strange.
She was certain she had seen him leave the dining hall first.
How did he end up behind her?
Taking a deep breath, she looked up at him with determination.
Her fists clenched unconsciously at her sides.
For a moment, it felt as though they were locked in a staring contest.
One she was losing miserably.
He stood as still as a statue while she wavered beneath his gaze.
Thankfully, he broke the silence first.
“I want to believe you didn’t follow me out here just to stare at me.”
He paused.
“That would be the height of desperation.”
“Of course not!” Elaine shot back quickly.
“Besides, don’t think too highly of yourself.”
The last part came out as a mutter.
“Sorry, what?” he asked, bending down slightly.
Though she was certain he had heard her perfectly.
“Nothing.”
She waved it off before forcing a serious expression back onto her face.
Glancing around, she realized they were completely alone.
Everyone else was either inside the dining hall or already back at the dorms.
“I want to ask you something.”
Her voice came out lower than intended.
“I figured.”
Elaine nodded.
“You and Derek…”
She paused, studying his face.
She had once heard that the first three seconds of a person’s expression were always genuine.
If that was true, Allan was impossible to read.
His face remained blank.
She had been convinced he knew something about Derek’s disappearance, perhaps even had a hand in it.
But seeing how unfazed he looked made her hesitate.
Maybe she was jumping to conclusions.
“I may be wrong about what I’m about to ask,” she continued carefully, “but I just want to clear my mi—”
“Get to the point.”
He already sounded bored.
Elaine swallowed.
“It’s about Derek.”
“You’ve already said that.”
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
“Didn’t the two of you get along?”
He tilted his head slightly.
“Were we supposed to?”
“Uh?”
Elaine frowned.
“That’s not what I’m saying. I mean… was there something between you two? Bad blood, maybe?”
“Why would there be?”
A small smile appeared on his lips.
Elaine stared.
Is something wrong with this boy?
She was supposed to be asking the questions.
“That’s what I’m trying to find out,” she replied.
“If there was any reason for such.”
“Now I don’t understand where these questions are coming from.”
He nodded thoughtfully.
Almost as if he had concluded there was something wrong with her head.
Elaine took another deep breath.
“It was reported that Derek went missing Thursday afternoon.”
“Okay.”
“But I saw both of you together on Thursday night.”
For the first time, his expression shifted ever so slightly.
“So?”
“So that means he didn’t disappear Thursday afternoon. It would’ve been Thursday night.”
“And why are you telling me this?”
The smile vanished.
The sudden coldness in his voice sent a shiver through her.
That wasn’t part of any scenario she had imagined.
“I’m telling you because…” she began weakly.
“I just wanted to clear up any misunderstandings.”
“What misunderstandings?”
He took a step closer.
Elaine immediately noticed.
“Like… just in case I was wrong.”
“Wrong about what?”
Another step.
Her heartbeat quickened.
“You know he’s missing.”
“Yes.”
“I just wanted to make sure…”
Her voice faltered.
“Make sure of what?”
He was relentless.
Each question felt heavier than the last.
There was a part of her that was genuinely afraid of him.
And right now, that part was winning.
“Just in case I was wrong about thinking your actions had something to do with his disappearance.”
Without realizing it, she took a step back.
Then another.
“Elaine Randolph.”
Hearing her full name from him made her tense instantly.
“You’re saying I’m responsible.”
It wasn’t a question.
It was a statement.
“I…”
She trailed off.
Because he was right.
That was exactly what she was implying.
“Even if I was the last person seen with him, according to you, does that automatically make me the culprit?”
His eyes never left hers.
“Is that how you do things? Accuse people without proof?”
“No.”
The answer escaped her immediately.
“It’s just because it’s you.”
The words surprised even her.
For a brief moment, they seemed to surprise him too.
“And why is that?”
Elaine swallowed.
“You have an affinity for violence.”
This time he looked genuinely bewildered.
“What?”
He blinked.
“An affinity for violence?”
“I saw what you did on Wednesday.”
Her voice was quieter now.
Her chest felt tight.
The memory had been sitting heavily in her mind ever since.
Now she had finally said it aloud.
“You did.”
His expression relaxed.
“Well, he had it coming.”
Elaine stared.
“Actually, he got off easy.”
Her mouth fell open.
“I didn’t have the patience to wait for the perfect moment.”
“Y-You’re…”
She struggled for words.
Nothing came.
“You know,” Allan said suddenly, smiling.
“I must say, you’re not very smart.”
A chill ran down her spine.
The smile never reached his eyes.
“Let’s assume I actually had something to do with Derek’s disappearance.”
He leaned down slightly so they were eye level.
“Do you really think I’d let you walk away after confronting me about it?”
Elaine’s breath caught.
She glanced around again.
Still alone.
Still nobody nearby.
His voice dropped lower.
“Don’t ever confront me like this again.”
The smile disappeared completely.
“If you genuinely think I did something, report it to the administration.”
For the first time since the conversation began, his expression looked entirely serious.
And somehow, that was worse.
Much worse.
Without another word, he walked past her.
Elaine remained frozen in place.
Her gaze followed him until he disappeared around the corner.
Only then did she realize she had been holding her breath.
Her hand pressed against her chest.
Honestly, she felt exhausted.
Her head was spinning.
But despite everything, she had reached two conclusions.
First.
Allan definitely knew more about Derek’s disappearance than he was willing to admit.
Second.
Allan was exactly the type of person she needed to stay away from.
There was something deeply wrong with him.
And once she found out what happened to Derek, she was washing her hands of anything that had to do with Allan forever.