Chapter 32- Drop The Mask

The warmth of Eric’s embrace still lingered on Sonia’s skin as she made her way back to her dorm.

Every step felt heavy with unspoken promises, with the weight of secrets too dangerous to share.

She paused at the threshold, the doorknob cold beneath her trembling fingers.

For a moment,

She wondered what it would be like to walk away and drop the mask, to tell Eric everything, to flee from Daxton and the games that had already cost them both so much.

But then she thought of Silas, his blood on the surveillance tapes, his bruised face in the flickering glow of the underground footage.

She thought of the Cartel of Crowns and the way their threats still lingered in the shadows. And she knew she couldn’t run. Not yet.

She entered the room quietly, every instinct tuned to silence. Her brother was waiting. Silas sat on the edge of her bed, his hands folded, his eyes fixed on the floor like he was afraid to meet her gaze.

“You’re late,” he said, voice low but without accusation.

She leaned against the door, arms crossed. “I was with Eric,” she admitted. “He’s worried about me. About us. He wants the truth.”

Silas looked up then, and in his eyes she saw a storm she’d never fully understood the guilt, fear, and something like pride. “You like him,” he said, the corners of his mouth twitching into something between a smirk and a wince.

“Silas…” She moved closer, the words catching in her throat. “He’s different. He… he makes me feel like I’m not alone in this. Like I don’t have to pretend all the time.”

Silas’s expression darkened. “That’s dangerous, Sonia. The more he knows, the more they can use him. The Cartel doesn’t just kill people ,they break them, turn them, make them betray the ones they love.” His voice cracked on the last word, and Sonia’s chest ached with the weight of everything they’d both lost.

She sank down beside him, her fingers brushing his. “I know that. I do. But we can’t fight this alone. Eric’s strong. He’s smart. And he’s already involved whether we like it or not.”

Silas turned to her, his eyes searching. “Would you die for him?” he asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Sonia’s breath hitched. “I’d die to protect him. Just like I’d die to protect you.”

A small, bitter laugh escaped Silas’s lips. “You always were the brave one,” he muttered, raking a hand through his hair. “But promise me one thing: don’t let your heart cloud your judgment. Love makes you vulnerable, Sonia. And vulnerability gets people killed.”

She nodded, though the knot in her throat made it hard to speak. “I know. But maybe… maybe it also makes us stronger.”

Silas didn’t reply. Instead, he stood, pacing the small room like a caged animal. “I’ve been digging,” he said after a moment. “Into the Cartel’s movements. Into Rivers’s files. There’s a name that keeps coming up ‘Lazarus.’ It’s coded, but I think it’s connected to everything: the surveillance tapes, the accident that never was, even Dad’s old business partners.”

Sonia’s heart skipped a beat. “Lazarus? Like the one who rose from the dead?”

Silas’s eyes met hers, and she saw the same fire in them that had always driven him, the same spark that made her believe they could beat the odds. “Exactly. They think they’ve buried us, Sonia. But they have no idea what’s coming.”

She stood then, drawing a shaky breath. “So what’s the plan?”

Silas moved closer, his voice a conspiratorial whisper. “We need leverage. Proof. Something the Cartel can’t bury. Rivers might be part of it — or he might be our only ally. But either way, we need to move fast. Before they realize I’m alive. Before they realize you’re not really me.”

Sonia’s stomach twisted with fear and determination. “I’ll go back to Rivers’s office,” she said. “There’s more to his files. I saw references to old Daxton vaults, places no one’s supposed to know about. If we can get inside...”

Silas’s hand closed over hers. “Be careful,” he murmured. “And don’t trust anyone. Not even Rivers.”

She nodded, eyes locked on his. “And you? Where will you be?”

A shadow crossed his face. “Watching. Waiting. And ready to burn them all down if they touch you.”

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. She squeezed his hand. “Promise me you’ll stay hidden. At least until we have something solid.”

He hesitated, then nodded. “I promise.”

With a heavy heart, Sonia slipped out of the room, her footsteps quiet but sure. The halls felt colder now, the shadows thicker. Every whisper of movement felt like a threat.

She headed for Rivers’s office, her mind racing. She needed answers. She needed to find Lazarus whoever or whatever it was. And she needed to protect Eric and Silas, even if it meant breaking herself in the process.

As she approached the office, her hand hovered over the doorknob. A memory of Eric’s touch ghosted across her lips, making her pause.

“I’ll fight with you,” he’d said.

And she believed him. But even as she let herself believe, she knew one thing for certain: Daxton Academy was a battlefield. And the war had only just begun.

She took a deep breath, steeling herself.

Time to find the truth.

Time to fight back.