Game of Secrets and Shadows (Book One in the Covert Operations series)

Two

I could hear the others running behind me.

Max was a half-step back, right on my heels. As we got closer, the flames became more defined. It seemed as if they were contained to the west wing, not surprising given the amount of security measures we had in place in case of an emergency, much like this one, so I wasn't too worried about the flames spreading. Still, the blaze consuming the west wing seemed particularly violent, the vibrant hues, peeking out through the thick grey smoke, lighting up the windows.

"Mel!"

I pulled to a stop at the sound of my name and glanced to the left as Lia and her squad came running towards us. There were ten people in her group which meant that there were sixteen of us. I wasn't sure where Alpha three was but they were likely on their way back here now. Good thing, too, because it looked as if we needed all the help we could get.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Lia yelled at me, her voice straining so that I could hear her over the roar of the impending flames.

I shook my head. "I don't know. We just got here."

Her eyes darted to the school and lingered there, watching the impending destruction with a look of awe and fear. "Where are the teachers?"

"We haven't seen anyone but you guys. But, since there aren't students littering the lawn right now, I'd say that things aren't really in the best shape. We need to get inside and scope it out and get everyone out. It looks like the flames are contained to the west wing."

"What's the plan?" She was looking to me now, to take control.

I wasn't sure why I'd been designated this role. She was just as capable as I was and so was Max. But, I didn't have time to argue about this. We had to act quickly. If the feeling in my gut was right, and it usually was, then this fire was no accident. The most important thing was to clear the building that was still full of underclassmen.

"Get everyone out," I announced to the group of students around me. "Go in groups and take a floor to clear. We have six floors of students to clear, so groups of two I guess. Each group takes a floor."

Everyone split off into groups, leaving four of us out. Max, Lia, Jason—a burly boy from Lia's squad, and me.

"Okay," I said to them, "go. But be careful. One thing we know for sure is that this fire is not an accident."

"You're sure?" Lia asked, cutting in with a sharp look at me before anyone could take a step towards the school. "I mean, Tasha has set off her fair share of fires in our room at all hours of the night. Bloody hell, it's possible that it was even her who started the blaze."

Natasha Fischer was my other roommate. The two of us shared a room with Lia. And, while Tasha was a technical whiz, one of the walking-computer-students on campus, and had set off several fires in our rooms over the years, by way of sparking technology and advances in explosives manufacturing, I just knew in my gut that this hadn't been an accidental fire set off by a student. This was an intentional act. I could feel it. The chance of this happening on a random night was extremely minimal—all students and staff were briefed in how to manage flames that erupted within the school to avoid any sort of catastrophe, which meant that, even if someone like Tasha had started the fire, they would have been able to put it out just as quickly.

Lia saw the resolution in my eyes. Her mouth tightened into a hard line. "Okay," she said. "Everyone keep your eyes peeled. Whoever set this thing could still be in the school. Stick to your communications units. Report when you've cleared your floor so that everyone is kept updated."