The next day, I see Blake when I come downstairs for breakfast. He's been around me every single moment of every single day for the last week so I can tell that he's tired and hasn't slept. But, I trust him, I know I'll be fine.
"Where were you yesterday when we got back here?"
"I had to go chat with my boss. Unlike you, I have a job that I try to do well. You know, the job that has me saving your ass if need be."
I must've had a very shocked expression on my face because Blake immediately apologizes. "I'm sorry, I haven't slept in a while."
"Yeah, I figured."
We quickly finish breakfast and get up to leave. I catch him yawning a few times but seeing as he was probably working on something for me, I don't mention anything.
We sprint into the school building as soon as the car is parked. Luckily for us, we got to class on time. But, we cut it real close.
Not even 10 seconds after we had sat down, Mr. Roe entered the class. Wow, twice in as many weeks, I really need to get better at managing my time.
Mr. Roe says his greetings and quickly starts telling us about the plan for the day. Basically, we were just going to be working on our final project. Translation: he didn't want to teach. He's in his 50's and has been a teacher for probably 30 years. He knows that class time at the end of senior year is pretty much just extra time for students to chat.
Chloe and I start talking about really trivial things, what we're eating for lunch, when we'll go shopping together next, summer plans, college plans, stuff like that. Normal topics. Nothing that would make me suspicious in any way.
In reality, I had no idea if I would be going to college or if Alana May Criston would even exist next year. I had had friends in my old schools when I was using different identities, but every time I had to leave, Witness Protection made up a different story. Once, I was moving to Africa. Another time I would be going on a cross-world boat trip with my parents. I'd had to say that I would no longer have internet access and that I wouldn't be able to talk to them any longer. There have also been more morbid endings such as the one where my 'mom' had had cancer and we were leaving for her to get treatment or the one where I got killed off. As long as no one ever goes looking for me only to find that the person they once knew doesn't exist. It was a lot easier when I was younger, no one had phones back then so once someone moved away, it wasn't uncommon for people to lose contact. I'm now on my seventh identity. I wonder how she'll end. Alana May I mean.
While Chloe and I were participating in frivolous girl talk, Blake was doing who knows what. And I know it wasn't the project that Mr. Roe assigned. There was no way. I've seen him write a 2000 word essay in under an hour. He probably already finished the assignment.
I looked over at him but all I saw was him writing something very quickly in what I could only assume was an encrypted notebook. Yes, those actually exist.
His book was dark grey and unassuming. It looked like a simple lined notebook from the outside, something cheap you could buy at any dollar store. But I knew that if one were to access it, they'd have to pass the encryption, usually a fingerprint scanner or a passcode.
I was about to get up to go and ask him what was going on when he suddenly got up off of his seat and asked to go to the washroom. What was going on with him? I know something was up.
Over the next week, Blake Carson started acting a little it off. And he wouldn't tell me anything about it, no matter how much I asked. He would see me in the morning, exchange pleasantries, drive me to school, not talk to me there, take me home and then go up to his room. Once a week, he would go to see his boss, or so he says. Maggie and Al tell me I should just trust him, and I trust them, so I'll do as they say.
On Thursday at lunch, instead of coming to sit down with us at lunch, he walks straight past us and over to the popular table. What the hell was he doing? He sat down right beside Millie and put his arm around her shoulder. They all seem to be laughing and getting along, and he doesn't seem to be uncomfortable sitting there. The only thing keeping from stomping over there and giving him a piece of my mind is the fact that Maggie and Al told me to trust him.
I only realize that I was stuck in a trance when Chloe finally shouted my name and stuck her phone in my face.
"Lana, look what my ass of a brother sent me!" She practically yelled and placed her phone into my hands so that I could read it. On it, it read "Looks like we got your boy-toy Clo. :)"
"He's infuriating! Our father is definitely hearing about this!" she exclaimed.
Yet, through all of this, he was still taking me to and from school and making sure the house was secure for me. I was honestly starting to get suspicious. But I trust my guardians.
One day towards the end of April, preparations for prom were in full swing. This is the event that all high school girls or even just students look forward to from the moment they step through the fateful doors for the first time four years prior. It was that fateful day that I found out that Blake Carson, the person who was hired and paid to make sure I was safe, was dating the bitch called Melissa Rains. He created this elaborate promposal that the entire school had the misfortune of witnessing.
However, I couldn't let a guy who my parents trusted ruin my life so I told him I was going out with the girls to grab our dresses. The 4 of us were going as friends, although technically Nava had been in a successful relationship for the last 4 years. Her boyfriend has gotten very used to us being everywhere with her and has never made her decide between us and him. This is the type of relationship I crave to have.
After setting me up with enough tracking devices, mini microphones and hidden cameras to bust a major drug deal, Blake finally let me go out with the girls. He left the house at the same time I did, no doubt to go hang out with his new friends.
A few days before prom I couldn't take it anymore. Blake was being an ass. He was treating me and my friends horribly. That day, as soon as we got home I just started yelling at him. I didn't mean too, I just couldn't handle it. He was being horrible. I had mad respect for Chloe for dealing with her twin brother all these years. It's not like she chose for them to be twins. But I wasn't that type of person, and he wasn't my twin. He was just some guy I was told to trust.
"Blake! Stop being an ass! Yes, I said you are an ass, get over yourself! I don't care if you are sitting with Sasha and Ryan or if you are dating Millie. Your primary focus is to make sure I don't end up dead! Didn't you say you prided yourself on how well you did your job? I don't particularly care who you associate yourself with, it doesn't concern me, but I expect you not to be rude to my friends and I. And If you wish to associate yourself with people like Sasha Mills, then, by all means, do so. Just stay away from me as much as you can! And yes, I realize you are still my guard. But I will ask to have you replaced! The thing with being in witness protection for 12 years is that they let you have some choices! So make up your damn mind!" I yelled. I knew my face was red and that I was probably not making any sense but I made my point. I quickly stomped out of the room, walked across the hall and into mine. I then proceeded to slam the door. When I walked out, Bake had his mouth hanging wide open, and I thought he was trained to handle situations like this. I guess a stupid teenage girl like me could break that training. It honestly made me feel better, if only a little bit.
A couple of hours later, after Maggie and Albert had returned home, I hear a knock on my door. I get up and go to open it, thinking it was Maggie.
It was Blake. I let him in with a huff thinking that he had to give me updates on the case. Maybe my rant gave him a reality check and made him rethink his position. Maybe he was refocusing on the case.
"Lana, will you please sit down. I talked with Maggie and Al, and they've told me that it was alright to let you in on the plan." I was now very curious. What plan? And for what? Nevertheless, I sat down on my bed while he took a seat on my desk chair.
"So, obviously you noticed me acting odd the last couple of days..."
"Obviously."
"Just listen to me, don't talk, just listen. I'm going to explain everything now, ok?"
"A few weeks ago, the first week I was on this job, I went to go see my boss. That day a couple of my other friends and I discussed an action plan on how to protect you. Don't worry, don't worry, they're trusted people that I've known for a very long time and they want to help you. I'll tell you more about that in a second. Just to let you know, my boss knows that they've been brought on and so do Maggie and Al. Anyway, we discussed potential suspects and possible motives. But, not many things were adding up so we had to rethink our plan. The biggest question was 'why was this happening now, after 12 years?' And because of that, we started an internal investigation of all the people close to and not close to you. Even the people that seem extremely unimportant. Your friends; Chloe, Nava and Talia have been investigated as have Ryan, Sasha, and Millie. Well, technically some of those are still ongoing. Even the other students and teachers at the school were checked out. Technically speaking, it's still an ongoing investigation. That means I can't really give out all the details to you because you've been known to, ahem, screw up, under pressure. Just know that everything I'm doing is for you. Sasha, Millie, and Ryan and Chloe's families are very rich and it's incredibly difficult to get access to any private information on them. Whether that information is incriminating or not. That's the main reason why I got close to them. And about Millie, I don't even like her. She is not my type, like at all." he said.
"What do you mean she isn't your type? She's a popular, pretty rich girl. If you don't like her then why are you dating her?
"How to put this, um, I'm not into girls."
"Pardon?"
"I'm gay. I have a crush on a guy, but I will not tell you who it is because I can't have another girl friend annoying me about this."
My mouth was hanging wide open. This explained so many things about him. I quickly closed my mouth and responded to him because it was very obvious that he was nervous about telling me this.
"It doesn't change what I think of you. Well, I guess you are still an ass about stringing a girl along like that, but the not doing your job thing is all good now. Although, I still hoped you would've told me the plan sooner. I could've helped."
"Honestly, probably not. I'm good at lying about everything and keeping my emotions in check. You could work on it."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, slightly offended.
"Well, you can lie about who you are, but I've gone deep undercover many times. We're investigating your friends, some of the people you've become very close to."
I had forgotten about that. I just realized that Blake was sitting and talking with the populars while secretly investigating them. And he's kept a straight face the entire way through.
"I get why you didn't say anything. I forgive you for being such an ass."
"Thanks, Lana, and I hope that your friends can one day forgive me."
With that, he leaves me alone in my room with my thoughts.
The next day at school, I do my very best to act normally around my friends. It's only a couple of days before prom, and I'm going with them. Anyways, school will be over soon. Hopefully, Blake can clear them sooner rather than later.
I know they're noticing that something weird is going. There is no way they haven't. I'm being super careful about what I'm saying around them, and Blake was right. I'm not good at outright hiding a secret. Odd, considering I've been 7 separate people within my lifetime.
The day of the prom finally comes. On this day, no one goes to school because they all have hair and makeup and nail appointments. And then photoshoots. I meet up with the girls at Talia's house, even though Chloe's is bigger and has more room. Chloe said, and I quote, "It's infested by Ryan and his gang." So, we meet up at Talia's.
In the end, the night was amazing, full of fun, dancing, food, and memories. I don't think that with my luck it could have gone any better. I was very wrong.
At about 11 o'clock, my group of friends start heading to Chloe's house, where we were planning on having our sleepover. We climb into the car her parents rented for us as a surprise and congratulations on getting to the end of high school. It was a sleek black limousine with enough seats to fit 12 people and a secret bar underneath some of the seats. Of course, there were no alcoholic beverages because we were all underage, but there was quite a large selection of pop drinks and juices. And a plate full of fancy cheeses I didn't know the names of.
Just as our car was making its way out of the parking lot, a high pitched scream comes from the gym. From the party. It sounds like Sasha.
Of course, half of my classmates and all of my teachers run back inside, right towards he scream.
When the group arrives at the gym, Mr. Roe, our ageing, tedious English teacher takes charge of the situation, him being the one to snap out of his shock the fastest. We could see the body of a girl lying on the ground, covered in blood.
It was Millie, and she was dead.
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First Published July 22nd, 2019
Updated September 9th, 2020