Page 71 of The Secrets of a Sin

“Don’t run from us. Don’t fear us.” She orders. “We’re your tribe now.”

This was starting to get freakishly weird. So strange that my uneasiness climbed to the very top and began to free fall once Annalise was finished with her speech. Something wasn’t right with them. And for some reason, they wanted me in the middle of it.

My mouth opened and closed, but I couldn't find the words to say as fear consumed me. So, on a quick spin, I quickly unlock my bedroom door and run inside until both Priscilla and Annalise are blocked by my door. A rush of air spills out of my mouth as I finally feel as though I can breathe. My heart is still beating rapidly, but I feel more at ease knowing that I’m safe now.

* * *

What the hell was going on up there?

Please tell me Priscilla didn’t attack someone else…

Picking up my pace, I park my feet next to another student who’s standing just beside Principal Welch’s door, listening to whatever is going on in her office.

“What’s going on in there?” I ask, nodding my head towards her door as the shouting gets louder.

“Principal Welch was fired early this morning.” She explains, and my mouth physically drops to the floor. “Supposedly, there were some scandalous photos sent around of her naked and tied up or some shit.” She shakes her head like she’s grossed out. “A crap ton of students and other teachers received the pictures, so she’s in there now, arguing with the superintendent about keeping her job.”

Another person at St. Catherine’s fired within one day? What the hell was the coincidence of that happening right after Mr. Rossi was terminated? Perhaps, it wasn’t a coincidence. Maybe someone planned it all along.

Peering into the crowd of students surrounding her office, I search for three familiar faces, but I soon realize that none of them are here. Could they possibly have something to do with this? And if they did, why? I knew they weren’t fans of hers, but could they really be that devious to get her fired? A rational part of me thinks no, but I wasn’t a foolish girl.

I was starting to believe that anything was truly possible at St. Catherine’s.

As the noises suddenly come to a halt, the office door flies open, and everyone in the crowd suddenly grows eerily silent. Our eyes devour the doorway, waiting for someone to come out, and eventually, Principal Welch does with a large box in her grip and fresh tears streaming down her face. She freezes almost immediately when she notices all the gawking eyes, and soon anger strikes her features. “What are you all looking at?!” She screams, shaking the walls of the hallway and piercing everyone’s ears in the vicinity.

Abruptly, a tall man exits the office with her while placing a palm on her back and ushering her out. “You don’t need to cause a scene, Cora. Just keep your mouth shut and walk away.”

She instantly repels from his touch, scoffing at his demands like he’s completely absurd.

“Keep my mouth shut?” She snarls. “I was fired because a nude photo of myself was sent, without my consent, to almost every fucking person in this school! Please explain to me why I should just keep quiet and move on!?”

Giggles ring out around us, and clearly, she hears it because her head snaps in our direction and a torrid scowl manifests across her face.

“You think that’s funny?” She shouts. “You think it's funny that I was humiliated and violated with one drunken photo of myself?” Scanning her head in each direction, her eyes clash with mine, and I immediately freeze.

“That’s enough, Cora. Let’s not make this more difficult than it has to be.” The man tries touching her again, but she totally loses it. The box in her arms almost hits him in the chest as she swivels around with her face now covered in her run-down mascara.

“Call the cops!” She eggs him on. “At this point, I don't even care.” Her crying becomes more erratic, as does her temper. “I know it was one of you fucking freaks who hacked into my phone.” She spits, glaring at every single student that stands in the crowd watching her.

“Cora…” He warns in a low whisper, gripping her arm and trying to tug her away from us. She tries tearing her arm out of his grip, but he holds on strong.

“Let go!” She screams violently, dropping the box and all the contents inside. “Let go! Let go! Let go!” She repeats in a higher-pitched shout, which has other faculty members rushing to his aide to help calm her. Once more teachers are there to help drag her away from us, and out of our view, Sister Mary stands in front of us all with a flushed face.

“Okay ladies, it’s time to get to class. There’s nothing more to see here.” She tries shooing us off, and the crowd slowly begins to break in hushed whispers.

This school is going to shit.

I hear someone whisper as they pass by, and I can’t help but agree. At the beginning of the year, I would’ve never guessed any of this could happen. It was like our school was now cursed, and nothing good ever happened anymore. All us damaged girls were now stuck in a school where horrible things happened. Where girls suddenly die. Where teachers mysteriously get fired, and where girls like me become the centerpiece for every fucked-up thing that transpires here. I was no longer here to fix myself. I was in the clutches of St. Catherine’s now, and no matter how hard I tried to escape, I was going to be pulled right back in.

I follow the string of girls who scatter into the hallway and start heading to class with ideas swirling inside my head. There had to be a reason everything was happening within such a short time span. There had to be a motive for all this, and was it possibly linked to Phoebe? There were too many questions and too little to go by. I was feeding into theories, thinking that Phoebe possibly did do this to herself, and everything else was just a coincidence. Or maybe Annalise and the others played a part in this. I didn’t know who or what to believe. But I did know that something had happened, and I was going to get to the bottom of it.

As I enter the classroom, I take my normal seat in the back and rest my elbows on the desk as I listen to girls gossip about their assumptions on what happened. It was honestly entertaining to listen to, but suddenly I feel the air shift in the room, and that’s when my eyes meet Annalise. Strutting into the classroom with her hair fully curled to perfection and her make-up on point, she looks entirely different from the girl I saw this morning. If anything, she appears more confident. I avert my stare almost as quickly as it connected with her and focus it on my fingernails that rest on the wooden desk.

I can still feel her searing eyes on me as she moves throughout the room and takes her seat on the opposite side. She’s demanding my attention, ordering me to look at her with clouded lust like she wants me to, but showing any ounce of desire towards her will give her the satisfaction she requires. It’s like she needs my acknowledgment for her own sanity. Like it’ll give her clout and the power that she so desperately craves.

“Good morning, ladies.” Sister Mary strides in quickly, rushing over to the podium where she collects herself and lifts her chin. “As you all know, Principal Welch was let go this morning due to some unfortunate circumstances.”

Whispers circulate all around the room, but the tap of Sister Mary’s pen on the podium has everyone quieting. “But I can assure you there’s no need to worry. We have everything under control, and I have some delighted news I would like to share with you all.” She begins to say with a small grin appearing on her thin lips. “Superintendent Hanson has spoken with me about the now open position for Principal, and I have kindly accepted the offer.”

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