Her Death, Their Sinful Secret

campus security guard, a stout man with a kind but firm face,

" I told him as we reached the door to my room. My voic

"Take your t

o the lock and pu

loe' s neat one. Her blue hoodie was gone, of course. A fresh wave of

laptop and a couple of books inside. I was moving slowly on purpose, letti

way." He turned to me. "Miss, I have to g

fine," I s

ed and walked down

ers searching for the edge of the loose floorboard

heap black phone. The

I picked them up. T

e. They would search my belongings. The man in the su

e them. A place they wo

raced.

e to me. Em

alf-empty coffee cups. More importantly, she was terrified of spiders. Last month, I' d helped her move her dresser t

wn the hall. A terrible hiding spot, but one that would work for me right now. She was probably

pocket of my hoodie. I put the floorboard bac

ind me. I didn't go towards the exit. I went down the hall, to the fir

osin. I went straight to the dresser in the corner, pulled it out a few inches from the wall, and t

it back into pl

allway. Heavy, pur

ler. We need to speak with

on' s voice. Cold

was happening again, just like b

If I had stayed in there one minute longer, they

breath,

e said. A deeper voice. The voice fr

ean Peterson snapped. "Now. And seal

there. But the flo

king furiously. I couldn' t stay in the

when they opened the door. I had to look like the g

ran silently back to my door, my key shaking in my hand. I unlocked it, slipped inside, and rel

ing a deep, shuddering breath. I forced tears t

ard. The tea

dy. Let t