Chapter 2 - The Dropped Clue
Eli scrambled backward through the dark ventilation shaft as fast as he could.
His heart hammered violently against his ribs.
He could hear Mrs. Whitmore dragging a desk across the classroom floor below him.
She was trying to reach the vent to see who was hiding inside.
Eli crawled desperately toward the maintenance exit near the school roof.
He pushed open the heavy iron grate and tumbled out into the freezing night air.
He ran across the gravel roof and scrambled down the rusty fire escape.
He did not stop running until he reached the safety of his own driveway.
He pulled his phone from his pocket to check the video file.
The high-definition footage was perfectly preserved in his encrypted cloud storage.
He smiled, knowing he finally had the power to save Jordan from a ruined future.
The next morning, Eli walked into the school building feeling a strange sense of confidence.
He planned to find Jordan and show him the recording before the first bell rang.
As he walked past the main office, the principal's voice echoed over the loudspeaker.
The principal demanded that Eli report to the main office immediately.
Eli swallowed hard and walked slowly down the crowded hallway.
He pushed open the glass door of the office and froze in his tracks.
Mrs. Whitmore was sitting in a leather chair with her legs crossed.
She was holding a small, silver keychain shaped like a retro video game controller.
It was the exact keychain Eli had attached to his backpack for the last three years.
He realized he must have torn it off while crawling through the metal vent last night.
Mrs. Whitmore smiled warmly at the principal before turning her cold eyes toward Eli.
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She told the principal that she had found the keychain in the chemistry lab.
She then asked if she could have a private word with the young man.
