Chapter 4 The Warning

XANDER'S POV

The next morning, Zack ignored me.

He didn't look at me in class. Didn't sit near me in the cafeteria. Didn't even say hi.

It stung more than I wanted to admit.

Zane, on the other hand, acted like nothing happened.

He winked at me during lunch. "You still thinking about that kiss, Vale?"

I nearly choked on my food.

Jamie laughed. "Man, that was a move."

I rolled my eyes and looked away. "Can we not talk about that?"

Zane smirked. "Whatever you say."

Mira was sitting nearby, still smiling like I belonged to her.

Every time she looked at me, I felt trapped.

They all thought I was someone I wasn't.

And the lies were piling up.

---

That evening, I couldn't stop thinking about the note from the East Wing.

The handwriting. The message. The meaning.

"Your past is catching up. Get out now."

It didn't make sense.

How did they know who I was?

Unless someone had seen me that night I snuck in.

I pulled the paper from under my pillow again.

Studied the edges. The ink.

Then I noticed something faint in the corner. A small symbol.

A snake.

Wrapped around a feather.

It was almost invisible unless you looked closely.

I'd seen that symbol before.

In one of the old books in the library.

It belonged to a secret group called The Feathered Fang.

An underground circle known for spying on students and collecting information for... who knows what.

Rumors said they were once loyal to the Council. Others believed they worked against it now.

Either way, it meant someone from that group had found me.

And now I was in danger.

---

After dinner, I slipped out of the dorm and walked to the East Wing again.

This time, I didn't go inside. I stood near the entrance and waited.

If they wanted to scare me, I'd give them a chance to show up.

Footsteps echoed behind me.

I turned fast.

It was a girl.

Not Mira. Not anyone I knew.

She had short black hair, sharp eyes, and wore a gray hoodie.

She didn't smile.

"You should have listened to the note," she said.

I blinked. "You wrote it?"

She nodded. "And you ignored it."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I'm not your enemy. But if you stay here, you'll make some."

My jaw tightened. "Why do you care?"

"Because I've seen what happens to people who keep secrets at Arcanis. Especially ones like you."

I stepped forward. "Do you know who I am?"

She didn't answer.

Instead, she handed me a small card.

One side was blank. The other side had a single line:

"He already knows."

Then she turned and disappeared into the shadows.

I stood there, heart pounding.

He?

Who was 'he'?

The headmaster? Caleb? Zane?

Or worse... someone from my past?

---

When I got back to my room, Jamie was asleep.

I lay in bed, card in hand.

"He already knows."

The worst part?

I believed it.

---

The next day, class felt like walking through a dream.

Everyone laughing, joking, living.

But I was looking for signs. Clues.

Zane was the same as always.

Zack still avoided me.

Mira left another note in my book.

"Let's hang out this weekend. Just us. 💖"

I felt sick.

I didn't belong here.

Not as Xander.

Not as Ariel.

But I couldn't leave either.

Not until I found out who the traitor was.

Not until I knew if Caleb was still alive.

And not until I found out what 'he already knows' really meant.

---

That night, I went back to the library.

To the old book section.

Pulled out the dusty volume that mentioned the Feathered Fang.

Flipped pages fast.

Then I saw it.

A drawing of the symbol. Snake and feather.

Under it: Feathered Fang: The Shadow Watchers.

They were founded after the first Council war. Made to keep an eye on students with potential to go rogue. They gathered secrets. Reported to the hidden elite.

But sometimes... they acted on their own.

The founder? A name scratched out.

The current leader? Unknown.

But the last person reported by the Feathered Fang... had vanished.

My hands shook.

I needed to leave. I needed air.

I turned to put the book back.

And Zane was standing there.

Right in front of me.

I jumped.

"God, you scared me!"

He tilted his head. "What are you doing here?"

I hid the book behind me. "Nothing. Just reading."

"At this hour?"

I shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

He stared at me for a long second.

"You know," he said, "you're not like other first years."

"Is that a good thing?"

He smiled. "Depends. On what you're hiding."

I froze.

Then he leaned closer.

"I like secrets, Vale. But I like trust more."

Then he turned and left.

My knees felt weak.

Did he know?

Or was he just guessing?

Either way, it was getting harder to hide.

And I had a feeling I was running out of time.

I didn't sleep.

Every sound in the hallway made me jump. Every breeze against the window felt like a warning.

When the sun finally rose, I got up before Jamie.

I took a cold shower, hoping it would clear my head. It didn't.

I kept thinking about Zane's words. About the card. About the girl with the black hoodie.

I wanted to pretend it wasn't real. That no one knew I was Ariel Valemont.

But pretending didn't help. It was time to face it.

---

After classes, I asked Jamie to help me find a book in the restricted section.

He looked at me funny but said yes.

We walked to the library together. Jamie kept talking, but I wasn't really listening.

"...and Mira's still watching you like you're dessert."

I groaned. "Not helping."

He chuckled. "Just saying. You've got people's attention."

I mumbled, "Not the kind I want."

---

Inside the library, I led Jamie to the back.

"Watch the hallway," I told him. "Make sure no one follows me."

He nodded, though he looked nervous. "Don't get expelled, okay?"

"No promises."

I slipped through the side shelf and ducked into the older restricted archive.

The smell of old paper hit me hard.

I lit one of the tiny lamps. The light flickered.

I pulled the Feathered Fang book again. I needed more.

I scanned through the index. My fingers stopped on:

"Known Targets – Page 147."

I flipped fast.

Names filled the page. Students who had been investigated. Most were labeled 'cleared.'

Then my heart skipped.

Near the bottom:

Caleb V. - Classified. Vanished before judgment.

Caleb.

My brother.

They had been watching him. Maybe even hunting him.

I turned the page.

New Additions – Ongoing Surveillance:

X.V.

My breath caught.

That had to be me.

Xander Vale.

They were watching me now.

I slammed the book shut, hands shaking.

---

Jamie was still standing guard. "You okay?"

I nodded too fast. "Let's go."

He didn't ask questions. He never did.

But his eyes stayed on me longer than usual.

---

That night, I walked around campus alone.

I kept to the shadows. Watching. Listening.

At the edge of the garden wall, someone stepped out.

It was her again. The girl from before.

She wore the same hoodie, hood down this time.

Her eyes met mine. "You found the page?"

I nodded. "Why him? Why Caleb?"

She looked sad. "Because he knew too much."

I took a step closer. "Do they know what happened to him?"

"No," she said. "But they're still looking. And now you've replaced him."

I swallowed hard. "What do they want from me?"

She hesitated. "Your truth. And your silence."

"Who are they?" I asked again.

Her lips pressed tight. "All I can say is: not everyone in Arcanis works for the Council. Some work for something older."

I frowned. "You mean before the Council?"

She nodded. "Way before."

Before I could ask more, she tossed a small pendant into my hand.

It had the symbol again-snake and feather-but this one was cracked in half.

"If you wear this, you'll get access to certain places. But you'll also become a target."

I looked at it. "Why help me?"

"Because your brother saved me once."

And then she was gone again.

I stayed in bed that night holding the broken pendant.

So Caleb was helping people. Secretly.

And now I had to pick up where he left off.

But I didn't feel ready.

I wasn't even sure who I was anymore.

Ariel? Xander?

Or something else?

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