The note was folded in perfect corners, slid into her locker like a ghost.
"Room B13. Midnight. Come alone."
Kia stared at it, heart pounding.
No signature. No clue. But her gut told her—it was connected to them. To the mark. To Ashwin. To everything.
She showed it to Ashwin at lunch, sliding it under the table.
He read it once and stiffened. "B13… that's under the old auditorium. It's been locked for years."
Kia raised a brow. "But of course, we're breaking in, aren't we?"
Ashwin smirked. "Obviously."
11:57 PM.
The school was a different world at night. Shadows stretched across hallways. The echo of their steps was the only sound.
B13 was hidden behind a broken cabinet. Ashwin pried it open while Kia held the flashlight.
Click.
The door creaked open.
Inside—candlelight.
And five masked people sitting in a circle.
Kia gasped. They turned to face her and Ashwin, calm and collected.
A girl in a crimson hoodie stood up. "We've been waiting, Kia West."
Kia stepped back. "How do you know my name?"
The girl removed her mask. Sharp eyes. Raven hair.
"I'm Priya. And I'm like you. We all are." She pointed to the others.
One by one, they pulled up their sleeves.
All had the same half-star mark.
Ashwin stared. "So… it's a whole group?"
Priya nodded. "We're the Halfmarked. Born with secrets, hunted by the unknown. And someone in this school is a traitor."
Kia's pulse raced. "Traitor?"
Priya handed her a photo.
Blurry. Night cam footage.
A hand.
Pouring something into Kia's water bottle.
In the chemistry lab.
The same day it exploded.
The sleeve in the image?
Belonged to Siya.