sit down and shut up.

“Well. We’re getting things done. So let’s hope you don’t need sleep.” Terri states folding his arms.  “You’re probably going to need more security walking around the school. Just in case someone is going out for a little cleanup. Maisie still needs to be located, and I’m assuming that whatever triggered the blackout was completely planned.” Clasping his hands together he continues speaking. “Maybe last time something didn’t go as planned because I don’t see that blog keeping it quiet.” Looking to the floor as he walks he sighs. “Considering the last time those gifts had been sent out, they were nervous. So this… they wanted everything to go according to plan.” 

Tapping his finger on his chin the male sighs again. Shaking his head he crosses his arms once more. “To cause the outage, would someone have needed a key to get to the place? Wherever they caused it from? Or is it somewhere anyone can access?” Glancing at Emery he furrows his brows. “Because I doubt whoever they got to do their biding wore gloves.” Looking ahead of them he shrugs his shoulders lazily. “Might be worth taking a detour to find.” Terri suggests pushing his hands into his pockets.

Sure he was still upset about everything that happened. But if he remembered anything from when he was growing up,, it was to keep your cards hidden. If you set the deck out for everyone to see, it would only make it easier to use your emotions against you.

“I’ve already taken care of that. But thank you for your input.” Perhaps her tone was a bit sharper than she would have liked, but she was the head of security for a reason. And while she knew people doubted her abilities, she was still a damn good security guard. “I’ve also collected evidence I found in the gym. I gave it to the forensics team to analyze.” She poured the black coffee into her mug before sitting down in the chair at her desk, pulling another spinning chair next to her so Terri could join her looking at the monitors. “I’m working on a list of witnesses who might know more than they’re letting on. I’m going to talk to them tomorrow.”

But he did have a point. “The electrical room,” she snapped her fingers immediately. “You’re right.” Using the mouse she pulled up the file where the electrical room security footage was stored. “The power went out around nine... fuck, I should have checked sooner.” Her eyes were scanning the screen quickly, her tone of voice void of any emotion. “We can’t go out tonight. The forensics team are searching the building and we’re better off leaving them to do their thing. No matter how much it sucks to stay here.” She said all of this with her gaze trained on the screen, analyzing any details before coming across a change in scene. A hooded figure, dressed in all black, suddenly appeared in the room. “That’s such a stereotype.” She muttered under her breath as the figure covered the camera suddenly, and the screen went black. “Fuck. Fuck it we’ll go tonight.” She pushed herself off the desk and grabbed the coffee cup, taking a generous sip before setting it down. “Are you up for coming along? I might need your help.”

With her arms wrapped around herself, Reyna moved forward slowly. She knew once her dad heard about this he would immediately try to find another school for her to attend.After all, something like this is what landed her in Fairfield, to begin with. Her mind had wandered back to her life in Paris a lot recently. It wasn’t as if she could help it. Everything was happening just reminded her of it more and more every day. Sometimes when the girl was just about to fall asleep, she could swear her feet were running across the concrete and it would startle her awake. the times she could hear the feigned laughter that Stacia would have when she put on a brave face. She looked like she had it all figured out those days…

The truth was… Whitney reminded Reyna of Stacia. Everything about her screamed the girl to Reyna. All those months ago… she’d treated Whitney as if she were Stacia. But Whitney had a softer aura around her. Stacia had known Reyna long enough to know, the statistics. The talk of playing games to think of the worst and best scenarios. They were just her own way of trying to help someone process. The rushing up to someone, and grasping onto them. Even when she was terrified, or even when she’d been in that trap with Kace…

That wasn’t the Reyna that Stacia had, but it was the one she needed. And she reasoned. It was the Reyna Whitney needed all those months ago when she was frightened about Gunner… and now Gunner was found. But could he even be considered that? Technically the answer was yes. Shaking her head Reyna shuts her eyes. She’d been right… even though she’d correct herself every time she thought it. If one of them was dead now. It wouldn’t take long for the others to slowly show up.

Looking up slowly Reyna moves forward faster. “Ms. Newman! Can I talk to you for a moment?”

@emeryxnewman

It felt like days since Emery had slept, and to an extent that was true. Coffee had become her best friend, and her office was her sanctuary as she went over file after file. She’d scoped out almost every inch of the campus looking for Maisie Anderson, and she also had several other officials on the case. She’d been hopping back and forth from handling press meetings to lunches where she would discuss evidence with her boss. Halloween had been intense and traumatic, but this was on a whole new level. This time everyone was getting involved, and Emery was stuck at the center of it. Scheduling police interviews with the witnesses while alternatively making sure counselors were available at all times was tedious yet mandatory, and she was just walking back from a meeting with the Headmistress when she heard a voice from behind her.

“Miss Levine.” She greeted the girl in a soft voice, her eyes warm and kind as she looked at the young woman in front of her. “Of course, my door is always open.” She smiled, although her eyes were tired. “If you’d like to follow me back to my office we can discuss this in there... or if you’d rather get it over with now, we can do that.”

To say Terrence was anything but egotistical would be a joke. It’s no wonder whoever is hiding behind the gossip blog has a strong dislike for the man. After all, he tore down people’s disguises crept under their masks to learn their secrets. Learned how to use the secrets for his own personal gain. And if he had to do it again to save something he truly cared for? He’d do it again in a heartbeat. He’d long since accepted that the place for him was not going to be where everyone else would go. He’d be a speck of dirt in his next life if you believe in reincarnation. His soul had been damned the day his father had been dragged from their house all those years ago on Christmas day. What sealed his soul to this fact, however, had been when his mother took her things and left in the middle of the night leaving him with a failure.

But with his ego comes a surprising amount of patience. Patience that gets chipped away slowly. Worn down as the time passes, and eventually, the cracks begin to form. Spreading around like webs into the shattering patience. In those moments Terrence is known to lose his cool. Whether it be a quick burst of anger directed at someone for something annoying they’d continue to do. Or someone’s own inadequacy. If there was one thing Terrence hated more than anything. It was failure. Perhaps that was why as the days turned to months and barely anything had surfaced about the investigation into the missing students he began to feel agitated. Why on Halloween he’d been quick to anger, and why he’d been provoking the person behind the mask. Whose distaste for him was just.

When this anger was directed at someone, however, there was little to nothing, save Terrence himself, that could stop the anger. The only time he remembers having been this angry was when he’d painstakingly wasted seven years of his life on someone who left immediately. No thank you, no time spent together, not even a question if he wanted to go with. The anger was directed at the person he had to grow up without, the person he gave everything up to get back all those years ago. So, after he’d brought his group to their respective locations he set out to find the person his anger had been directed at currently.

With brisk steps and his brows furrowed, he projects his voice down the hall at the woman. “Emery. We need to talk about what the hell just happened. Because quite frankly this…” Eyes landing on her face his words stop immediately. His pace gradually slowing down he sighs, eyes downcast. Continuing with his normal tone after taking a moment to compose himself he looks back up. “This is going to be hell to go through alone. And um… I’d uh… like to help. With the uh… investigation…?” His voice comes out unsure as his hostile expression settles into perplexity. It was obvious she’d been having a rough night.

@emeryxnewman

It was as if everything had begun to fall apart, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Halloween had been one thing--they were drugged and tied up. This time she had been there, watching it happen, and not doing anything to stop it. But how could she? She’d been in her office, keeping a close eye on the monitors, when the security cameras in the gym began to shut off one by one. That was all it had taken for her to book it towards the gym, making various calls on private channels to various other guards. She’d just barely made it in time for the power to go out. And then when the lights flickered back on and the body dropped... her heart sank.

A huge part of being the head of security meant concealing emotion. Orders were immediately sent out on the headset as she rushed to the stage. It was all sort of a blur after that. The police were called, arrangements were made. She’d been on the phone with the Headmistress, negotiating for counselors to be made available as soon as possible. Shock blankets and hot chocolate were to be distributed immediately to the students. Everyone needed to remain accounted for, and she was responsible for making sure they were. Cautionary tape was set around the stage, and she’d had to pull Eddie away from his brother...which had just about broken her heart. But it needed to be done.

Once the students had cleared out from the gym, she’d spent a solid two hours conversing with the police and paramedics. A call had to be made to Gunner’s parents, and there was no doubt in her mind that she would be held accountable for his death. The press had already gone wild with Halloween, and there was no doubt in her mind that they would have even more fun tearing her apart after this disaster. She’d thought she’d gone through hell with her addiction, but this was an entirely new type of Hell, and she’d dove in head first only to be eaten up by the flames. Thankfully the police on site also managed to remain level headed, and the fact that no blame was being placed on her was a blessing. After all, she was placing enough blame on herself as it was.

And then there was Maisie. She knew Jonah, Harlow, and everyone else attached to the girl would be out of their minds with worry. They had every right to be. But with everything going on with the dead body, the blonde girl had been put to the back of her mind until she’d taken a much needed step away from the body. Scoping out the stage and the backstage area, everything was spotless. Frighteningly spotless. Which meant that whoever had taken Maisie had done a good  job at cleaning up after themselves. And that caused her heart to ache even more. She didn’t know Gunner too well, but she knew the Anderson sisters. She knew that they didn’t deserve this, not after all the hard work they had done.

Sleep wasn’t even an option at this point. Breaking away from the gym, she quickly made her way to the building of her office, stopping only in the staff kitchen to make a quick pot of coffee for herself before grabbing her thermos and walking down the hall towards her office. The sound of Terrence’s voice caused her to pause in her tracks, a sigh of irritation stuck in her throat as she slowly turned around to face him. There was no doubt a look of pure, unguarded exhaustion on her face, but she was quick to pull herself together as he advanced. “Alright, come with me,” she paused before continuing, “we can take a look at the footage together. I need to make a list of names to get in contact with, but you can work on the tapes. Whoever took Gunner had to have been hiding him on campus at some point. If we can find any trace, any at all, of where he might have been kept, that’s a start.” There had to be fingerprints left somewhere.

After everything that had happened at Halloween, or everything she;d heard about, Adam had found her way back to the dance studio to let out some anxiety. This place was going to be different this time. If things went wrong, she couldn’t just wait until her parents moved her again and start fresh somewhere new. She was staying here, for two years. That was the longest she’d been anywhere in her life. This new idea of stability and familiarity made her more nervous than the prospect of having to move to a new city with new people ever had. 

There was plenty of choreography that she’d not had the time to practice when she was in Austrailia because of the drama that went down, and it just so happened that the studio had been empty when she’d got there. She plugged her phone into the stereo and quickly warmed up to some music before putting on Taylor Swift’s ‘…Ready For It?’ and getting started. 

The song was on repeat and she went through it a few times before noticing that someone had stepped in to watch her, just standing over by the door. She couldn’t remember if she recognised the face or not. “Oh, sorry.” Adam stepped over to her phone, swiping the music away and letting the silence fall over the studio. “Was the music too loud?” 

“No, it wasn’t. I just couldn’t help but notice that you’re an unfamiliar face.” She offered a scarlet smile, her blue eyes wide and kind. She knew that more students had been affected by the events of Halloween than not, and while she wasn’t here to speak about those nights, she had learned better than to approach new faces without a kind smile. “I thought I’d introduce myself--I’m Emery Newman, Head of Security.” She’d been so busy with conferences and meetings lately that she hadn’t had a chance to meet the newer arrivals. And even if this girl wasn’t technically new, she also hadn’t been at Fairfield when Emery arrived. She knew that much for sure.

“So I am in the right place. I thought perhaps I’d mistakenly stumbled upon a photo shoot.” Smiling pleasantly, he slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Emery was less, and at the same time more than he’d expected. He’d studied her file, spent hours pouring over her darkest secrets his father’s agents had unearthed through relentless digging. She didn’t look much like the broken bird he’d been expecting to find. The newspaper articles certainly didn’t do her nerves of steel justice. 

“A tour of the campus would be amicable. I’ve read much about this place. I hear it’s quite breathtaking. Although I’m sure it will certainly pale in comparison to its Head of Security. Please. Whenever you’re ready.” He took a step back and to the side to allow her to pass, gaze lingering on the inside of her office turned studio for a split second before travelling over to the back of her neck.

“I read you’ve been having some trouble with rogue students around here. The press had quite a field-day with what happened here. We even heard about it in Moscow. Such a terrible thing, no?”

He couldn’t care less about the students, but the friendly pitch of his tone hid his dislike well. With Emery stood beside him, a stray curl of hair touching his shoulder, the previously daunting thought of having to spend an entire month at the school didn’t seem so very awful anymore. 

“Please, after you. I’m sure there is much to see.”

His attempts at flirting were cheesy but effective at making her laugh. And maybe if Wyatt hadn’t been so frustratingly absent, she would have blocked him out completely. But his Russian accent was so annoyingly charming that she couldn’t help but smile. “That’s absurd. Charming, but absolutely ridiculous.” She knew she was decently attractive--she wasn’t insecure in terms of physical beauty. But unnecessary comments from men with nice faces did nothing but waste her time.

The feeling of his gaze on her neck sent shivers down her spine, but in the back of her mind she hoped he was enjoying the sight of the single butterfly tattoo that was placed so carefully on her back, exposed now that her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. The meaning of the ink was something special (very few knew its significance) but at the same time, the existence of the tattoo wasn’t something Emery ever bothered to hide. And so while his focus on her was slightly unnerving, she hoped he enjoyed the view.

“Absolutely. We can begin our tour right now.” Taking several steps inside her office, the head of security slid on her jacket and grabbed her radio and wireless earpiece. “I’ll speak with the Headmistress and make sure you’ll get your own walkie, taser, and uniform by tonight.” She shut the office door and locked it before turning to Viktor with a smooth smile. “Shall we?” 

It was all he could do to stay conscious as the rattling of the paramedics’ footsteps send fresh waves of pain crashing over him. Keeping his eyes open in an attempt to coerce himself into staying awake, it took a substantial amount of effort to stop himself from snapping at one of the school’s nursing staff who’d hurried over with a clipboard to start bombarding him with questions. 

The torn remnants of his shirt sat heavy across his back, drenched in blood. A few more nurses hurried over to crowd around the hospital bed he’d been lifted onto, red smears and handprints covering the pristine white sheets. He heard Emery’s voice speaking over the crowd somewhere to his left, and the unfamiliar feeling of gratitude washed over him. She hadn’t abandoned him, she hadn’t left him alone on the cold ground. She’d stayed by his side, defending and caring for him even now, despite it being too late. 

Even before a pair of gloved hands started carefully picking away the fabric of his shirt and the edges of his vision flickered black with impending unconsciousness, he turned the last of his thoughts towards her. 

Why was she so hellbent on saving him?

The next time he woke up, the paramedics and fussing nurses had disappeared. They’d taken his shirt, and a thick bandage had been wrapped around his midriff, covering the vicious slashes across his back. His foot had been bandaged as well, the morphine dip beside the bed making his thoughts swim. 

The second thing he noticed was the empty space where Emery had been, her absence indadvertedly making him panic. Even if he had no one left to trust, he still trusted her. He’d never admitted it to himself, nor would he ever speak it out loud, but the fact remained that stuck in a hospital bed, weak and defenceless, the first thing he tried to do was call out for her.

As someone who never had any parents of her own, Emery had resorted to taking care of herself. And maybe she had become so good at taking care of herself that taking care of others was second nature to her. While she was never much of a nurturer (she’d been kicking ass in the sandbox since she was four) she knew how to throw a punch and how to survive. It wasn’t until she’d been forced to look after a child that she had to adapt a sense of gentleness in her heart that had been, until that point, incredibly guarded. But Laurent wasn’t a charity act for her, and he had to know that. Emery didn’t want to help him out of pity. If she was being honest, she didn’t even know why she hadn’t left him by now. All she knew was that she had to stick this out and stay by his side and prove that she cared. Which was the truth.

The road to recovery--both mentally and physically--would be rough for Laurent, but Emery knew that no matter what, she would be there. As much as possible. And while there was no way for her to promise Laurent that she would be able to hold his hand every step of the way and be there every second of every day, he had her personal phone number in case of any emergencies. He knew how to reach her, and if there was even the slightest chance that she’d gained Laurent’s trust now, there was no chance in hell that she’d be giving it up. She saw herself in him far too much--saw the underlying fear in his eyes, the roughness to his edges. All signs that he was harboring a darkness inside him that she couldn’t begin to understand unless she lived it herself. They all faced their own demons, but Lau didn’t have to battle his own alone, not if she had a say in the matter.

“Hey, I’m here.” She settled down next to him, a cup of coffee in her hands. “I tried to fight the nurses on giving you a proper meal for when you woke up, but they have to take your vitals first.” Which was perfectly sensible, but she wasn’t even sure if Laurent heard her. Her eyes landed on the morphine drip by his bed, a soft sigh falling from her lips as she realized that chances were slim that he would be able to remember any conversations they had right now. “How are you feeling?” She asked softly, her free hand reaching out to touch his own hand because damn he could bite off her arm if he wanted, but Emery knew he needed the reassurance of someone being there for him. Even if she wasn’t his first choice.

Mia Sheridan, Archer’s Voice (via wordsnquotes)

Grandiose splendour isn’t the first thing that comes to Viktor’s mind when his driver pulls up just outside the school property gates, their surroundings falling into eery silence after the engine cuts out. Spread across his lap are a collection of newspaper articles, all of them featuring the horrific Halloween events that had terrorised the school and its students a week ago. Numerous politicians and authority figures had had their say on the matter, and Viktor had enjoyed reading every single interview - the knowledge that his younger brother must have gotten hurt as well a deeply satisfying thought. 

Only forty-eight hours earlier had his father told him Viktor was to spend a month at Laurent’s school to keep an eye out on his disgraced sibling’s activities - much to his dismay, the fun trip had come with the tediousness of having to get a job at the school. 

A self fancied man of many talents, Viktor’s usual enthusiasm, however, had remained contained for the duration of his flight from Moscow to Edinburgh. The files of every single member of staff currently employed at the school had been piled across his lap, each little detail vigorously studied. Even with how little of a threat they were to him, adding to the fact that he wouldn’t be there long, he always made it his business to get well acquainted with the opposition before properly meeting them. 

Several long minutes drag by in which he tries to muster the energy to climb out of the safe warmth of his car and brave the bitter winter morning. When he finally does, it’s with heavy footsteps that he marches up towards the crumbling looking building, gloved hands tucked deep into the pockets of his coat. Ignoring the curious look the secretary gives him after providing adequate directions towards the Head of Security’s office, Viktor makes sure to bring out his most charming smile after knocking, posture relaxed yet alert when the door opens. 

“Good morning, I’m looking for Eme- Oh. Well well.. You’re far more beautiful than I expected.”

Maybe some of it had to do with the fact that Wyatt had gone AWOL on her, or that interviewing every single witness had taken the biggest toll on her, but somehow, some way, Emery found herself on the edge of insanity. In a futile agttempt to keep herself in check, she head turned her little office into a private training studio. With her earbuds in, music on full volume, Newman used the momentary privacy as an excuse to gest a solid workout. The screaming of her muscles were enough to ground her into the present, keeping her mind from drifting away. She knew she could be easily distracted at times, especially with the Headmistress breathing down her neck, but this was finally an opportunity for her to at least try to get back into the normal swing of the things.

Pushing her brunette locks over her shoulder, Emery let out a hum of frustration as she heard the knock on her door. She could vaguely remember the intern telling her that she was going to have a visitor some time this afternoon--the name Viktor rang clearly in her memory. Not quite sure what to expect, a part of her wondered if the new security guard had any idea what the hell he had signed up for. Forcing herself to her feet, her chustnet waves hung in her face as she shook the hair out of her face, a few of the dark strands sticking to her slightly sweaty skin. As soon as he made the comment about her beauty she couldn’t help but raise a brow. Usually it seemed as though women got recognized for the amount of makeup they wore, and the amount of skin revealed by their clothing. She didn’t look like a pig at that moment, but she couldn’t help but feel a pang of respect for him already... even if he was shamelessly flirting with her.

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Viktor.” Her american accent paled in contrast to his Russian dialect, however, and she couldn’t help but feel her body all but gravitate towards him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Would you like to begin training right away, or do you still need a proper tour of the campus?”