Page 42 of Echoes

"Dinner has already finished," he replies back. "You'll have to wait until tomorrow. Speaking of, I've assigned you a new task in the morning. I'll see you bright and early."

My lips curl at his words. In translation—you won't be having breakfast either.

He stalks out of the room, followed by the guards. The door closes behind them and I wait until the sound of their footsteps fade away before I quickly pick up my shoe.

It actually worked.

I fix up the mattress and blanket on the bed, curling myself on top. Now, I just have to wait and see if my plan worked.

"Avery."

I jolt awake, registering the darkness around me. I don't even remember falling asleep.

My eyes scan the room, checking for shadows to make sure I heard correctly. I spot Damon standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame.

"Come with me," he says disinterested, disappearing into the hallway.

I don't need to be told twice, springing to my feet as I quickly catch up.

"Did you get my message?" I ask, walking beside him.

Damon glances out of the corner of his eye at me. "And what message would that be?"

I shrug, feeling embarrassed. "I tried to pass a message through the guards."

"Ahh," he says, turning the corner and heading to a locked door past the library. "Yes,thatmessage."

I frown as we walk past the entrance of the hall and library, confused. "Are we not going inside?"

"We're not having a meeting tonight," he answers bluntly.

We stop in front of the locked door, my eyes spotting the access card that he pulls from his pocket. The access pad beeps when he puts the code in, tapping the card. There's a metallic unlocking sound, before Damon pulls the door open, gesturing for me to go inside.

I've never been down this way before, but I quickly realize by the numbers on the wall that these are rooms.

"Where are we?" I ask quietly.

He doesn't bother to lower his voice. "Westwood Wing."

Familiarity creeps into my mind. I look at all the aligning doors and numbers, eyes widening. "This is the male dormitory?"

"Obviously," he sighs, annoyed.

They are identical to the Eastwood Wing, except these rooms start with the number three. We walk to the very end, my eyes immediately finding the only open door in sight. I glance at the number on the wall beside the door—room 301.

It seems fitting that Damon's in room number one, but I don't ponder that thought too long. As I approach the open doorway, Ispot a figure sitting on his bed, twirling a knife in his hand, legs folded underneath him.

He looks up at the same time, a fraction of surprise appearing on his face.

"Grey?" I blurt out.

Damon pushes past me into the room, not bothering to facilitate our spontaneous catch up. Grey looks at him expectedly, and I quickly realize, this is a shock to him as well.

"What's going on, Deadman?" Grey asks, putting the knife on top of the bed.

We both look at him—me with uncertainty and Grey with boredom, my nerves getting the better of me as I linger outside the door. I could be seen at any moment, so I step inside, resting my back against his wall.

"It's time to end this," Damon replies casually, kicking his feet up onto the desk as he takes a seat. "Once and for all."

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