𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝟒: 𝐔𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡

                                    

                                          

                            

                                
                            
                              
                                  
                              
                              
                                
                                  
                                  
                                
                              
                             
                            
                            
                          
                          
When Thursday came, plans were made and invites were sent.
The math teacher went on to explain the material, but most weren't paying much attention, they were preoccupied. Their focus was on a note that was being passed around, an old-school approach to spread the news and keep it exclusive to only those who needed to know. Giggles and whispers followed it with each pass. One person to the next, until it finally reached Ellie. She opened the note.
𝚃𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚢 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚕! 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚝𝚘𝚛 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚘𝚍𝚊𝚢!
Ellie looked down at Alaina who was a few seats away, completely unaware. Her big, brown eyes returned to the note, a hundred thoughts racing through her head. And then, she crumpled up the note and put it in her pocket. The bell rang. Class was over. Ellie stood and walked over to Alaina's desk, nudging her.
"Alaina, I have something that came up, so I'm leaving now." Ellie had her belongings packed up already. "Sorry, I won't be able to wait with you after school." With a smile and a wave, Ellie was walking away.
"Oh, sure, I'll see you tomorrow then." Alaina nodded, waving farewell to her friend.
Before she reached the door, she shot a furtive glance towards Alaina. "Alaina," she called out.
Alaina perked up as she gathered her books. "Hm?"
But again, a second thought. "Ah, never mind. Bye," she said with another wave before leaving.
· · ·
The V3 was absent today. Brendan and Cordie were investigating the situation with the details Alaina had given them. Then there was Damon, staying in and taking out his frustrations.
Brendan slid his phone over the counter and shared an image of the tattoo, the artist giving a glance before shaking his head. Brendan sighed as he brought out his wallet and made a show of observing the big bills. There was an immediate spike in interest, like giving a bone to a dog. Once he laid down the money, the artist's amnesia seemed to instantly clear away. He eagerly wrote down a name and address and handed it over to them.
"The blonde guy in the picture, his name is Mark. He's a local actor and singer," Cordie told Brendan as they drove towards the city. "He works at Club Essence. He like lures girls into the club to help business." She scrolled through her phone, assessing his profile.
"Okay, then we know our next stop." Brendan made a sharp turn and rerouted the car to their destination.
Meanwhile, Damon was alone at the private gym in the manor, punching away at the bag that hung from the ceiling, beads of sweat running down his temples. He was dedicating an unhealthy amount of time to exhausting himself in an attempt to keep his mind off things. Becoming tired of the punching bag, he called over a hesitant butler to suit up so he wouldn't be beating up a lifeless sack of sand. He was doing everything to distract himself and he was beginning to run out of ideas.