Life Within The Halls

Chapter 12: "Ship House"

"I thought Matthew lied earlier," Victoria said. "I mean, I didn't believe Mr. Bennett would pay him that much."

"Maybe Mr. Bennett is from a wealthy family," I put forward.

"No, he's not," Jayden contradicted. "He once told me about his life, and it wasn't that of a privileged child."

As we talked, I noticed Gideon scrutinizing the receipt, his brow creased in concentration.

"What's it, Gideon?" I asked.

"Um... do any of you have a pen or pencil?" he said, still focused on the receipt. "There are two words written with pencil at the back of the receipt. Some of the letters are missing because it was erased. Look." He turned the paper toward us.

"I have a pen here," Victoria said, taking one out from her blazer pocket.

Jayden sat down next to Victoria, and although I couldn't exactly read their lips, it seemed like they were exchanging apologies. It was a simple way to restore peace among us, especially when we all needed each other's support.

Gideon began jotting down the visible letters on the receipt, and we all contemplated. The first word started with an 'S,' although it was faint. The last word was a five-letter word with a 'U' in the middle.

"The words could be... Sulky Cloud or Sunny House?" Jayden said.

"Or... Ship House," Victoria chimed in. "Yes, it's the Ship House."

The Ship House? Where resident students lived? That was a clever guess on her part.

"What could possibly be in the Ship House?" Gideon asked.

"There's one way to find out—let's break into the Ship House," Victoria suggested.

Did that really come from her? I always thought she was the type who never broke school rules.

"Why are you three looking at me like I'm Lucifer?" she retorted, noticing our stares. "I know I have all the school rules in my head. But, it wouldn't cause much trouble if we break one rule."

Gideon motioned to the exit of the cafeteria, and we followed him closely, with Jayden trailing behind him and Victoria walking beside me. We strolled in the clear sunshine, along the snaking paths leading to the Ship House. When we got there, we found its main door locked from the inside.

"With the main door locked from the inside, it means Ms. Murphy is in her lair," Victoria said.

"Who's Ms. Murphy?" I asked.

"She's in charge of the welfare of resident students," Gideon replied me. "She's also our biology teacher."

Our plan to raid the Ship House would be futile unless we found another way to enter without being noticed by Ms. Murphy.

"There is another way." A mischievous glint danced in Victoria's eyes. "But it involves a bit of sneaking around." She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper as if sharing a secret. "There's a back door, you see. It's reserved for the school workers, but if we time it right, we can slip in unnoticed. It leads straight to the kitchen where they prepare weekend meals for the resident students."

I couldn't help but admire the rebellious side of Victoria—the side that didn't give a damn about breaking school rules and was up for adventure.

As we proceeded toward the back door, we were suddenly stopped by a stern female voice.

"What are you four up to?" the voice demanded.

We turned to see a woman in a bright orange jumpsuit, holding a mop stick firmly in her hand.

"Uh... hi," I greeted tentatively, eyeing the mop stick warily.

"Wait a minute..." The woman turned to Jayden, her eyes widening with recognition. "You're Jayden Scott, aren't you? I've seen you on Instagram!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry if I startled you. I'm new here, just started as a janitor."

Relief flooded through me like a burst dam, washing away the tension that had been knotting my stomach. I had thought she was Ms. Murphy.

"I'm a huge fan! Can we take a picture?" the janitor asked eagerly, fumbling in her pockets for her phone. "Oh dear, I must have left it somewhere."

"No worries, I can take the picture with my phone," Jayden offered politely, retrieving his phone from his pocket. After he snapped a quick photo with the janitor, she bid us farewell and went on her rounds.

"That was close," Victoria remarked.

The impression I had of Jayden, after he had tried to harass me, was slowly fading away. Perhaps he wasn't as cold-hearted a famous guy as I had perceived.

We resumed our pursuit to the backdoor, and fortunately, it wasn't locked—in fact, it was even half-opened. Victoria entered first, followed by Gideon. As I was about to join them inside, the sound of Jayden's phone beeping froze my steps. I could see him visibly tense up, his mood changing instantly as if he wished the message notification sound had never come.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"Ugh... Nothing," he replied curtly, brushing past me to enter through the door.

Something wasn't right with him. What was the message he received on his phone? And who had sent it to him?