Eleven

EliI did not even get the chance to sit down with my breakfast tray before Petra intercepted me. She literally stepped right into my path, her eyes wide with a kind of frantic energy that made me freeze on the spot. The dining hall was a complete mess of noise around us, with clinking silverware and people shouting across tables, but Petra completely cut through all of that."Eli, do not sit down," she said, her voice dropping to a sharp whisper. "We need to talk right now."I blinked at her, holding my plate of cold eggs. "Can I at least put my food down? I am kind of dealing with some insane stuff right now, Petra." My mind was still spinning from the texts Cain and Cole had sent me yesterday about the library book."This is more important than your library book notes, Eli," she said, grabbing my elbow and pulling me away from the tables. "This has nothing to do with that book, okay? Just come with me."She dragged me out int

Twelve

Eli"Neither of you wants to win it anymore," I repeated Cain’s words slowly, letting each syllable hang in the cramped space between our desks.Something about the sentence changed the air around me completely. It stopped sounding like regular confusion and started sounding like a total collapse. If neither of them wanted to win, then the game itself was never the real issue here. It was something way deeper, something much more twisted."Tell me the truth right now," I demanded, leaning forward and pressing both twins with my eyes. "What is this wager actually about? Explain it to me, Cain. Cole, say something."Their silence stretched out way too long. The clock on the lecture hall wall kept ticking, and that heavy delay told me more than any actual answer could. They were terrified to tell me."Cain," I said, my voice dropping lower, sharper. "Speak."When Cain finally spoke, the truth landed clean and brutal."The w

Thirteen

EliBoth of us froze immediately, not even breathing. The silence in the tiny room felt completely heavy. Petra looked at me, her face totally pale, and silently mouthed a single name.I read her lips instantly. Cain.I took a deep breath, stepped toward the heavy wooden door, and turned the lock. I opened the door, and Cain was standing entirely alone in the dim corridor. He looked completely calm, leaning slightly against the wall as if he already expected to be called inside the room."Petra," Cain said, his voice smooth and low. "You really need to learn how to clear your digital footprints.""What are you doing here, Cain?" I asked, standing firmly in the doorway so he couldn't just brush past me."I am here to stop you guys from getting caught," Cain said, looking directly into my eyes. "Let me in, Eli. We shouldn't be talking about this in the hallway where anyone can walk by."I let him into the room to

Fourteen

EliCain’s statement still hung in the small room when I heard it again in my mind. Cole has known longer than anyone and never said a word. The idea did not settle down in my brain. Instead, it sharpened like a physical blade, cutting through whatever trust I had left for the twins.Petra slowly closed her laptop screen, the plastic clicking shut as if she was trying to contain the massive weight of what we had just learned from the files. But it was completely useless. The damage was already totally done, and the truth was bleeding out all over the desk."How do you know this, Cain?" I asked, my voice shaking as I stared at him under the dim fluorescent light. "How can you be completely sure he knew about our records?""I found a hidden file on Cole’s laptop three days ago," Cain said, rubbing his face with both hands. "It was tucked away in an encrypted system folder. It was a digital copy of the exact same donor ledger we are looking

Fifteen

EliMy chest felt tight, the blood rushing in my ears as his words repeated in my head. He was willing to risk his entire family name just for me."I need you to be completely clear right now, Cole," I said, my voice shaking slightly as I stared at him. "What exactly are you saying to me?"Cole did not blink. "I have been watching you since our very first seminar together, Eli," Cole revealed, his voice dropping to a low, quiet murmur. "You sat in the front row, completely oblivious to everything around you, just trying to survive this place. What started as distant observation gradually became something much more deliberate and protective for me. I couldn't look away from you.""Protective?" I asked, a bitter taste rising in my throat. "You didn't even know me then.""You needed someone looking out for you, Eli," Cole insisted, shifting closer to me on the stone bench. "Even without knowing it yourself. This school destroys people like y

Sixteen

EliI forced Cain and Cole into the exact same study room the following morning, immediately establishing a very tense and controlled atmosphere between the brothers. The sun was just coming up through the small window, casting a pale light over the wooden table.Cain sat on the left side, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. He reacted with visible irritation and hostility, his eyes tracking Cole's every move."I still do not understand why he needs to be here, Eli," Cain said, his voice sharp and angry. "He kept this from us for months."Cole sat directly opposite him, completely composed and unbothered by the glare. He pulled out a chair, sat down slowly, and deliberately refused to engage in any form of emotional escalation."I am here because Eli asked me to be here, Cain," Cole said, his voice entirely calm. "You need to calm down.""Stop talking, both of you," I said, taking charge of the situation before they could st