Chapter 8: A Key

The fun didn't last very long, even though it was a double lesson, and now it was time for lunch. Lucy, led by Amelie and the class, entered the cafeteria and lined up to get her food. Much to her delight, today they were serving one of her favourite meals - mashed potatoes with beans! For dessert, she got a generous slice of mango cheesecake - she’d been longing to try it from the moment she set her eyes on it! She sat one seat away from Amelie to put a little distance between herself and her guide, and peacefully ate her mash. Just as she began to eat, she heard a sound to her left. Lucy looked up; an older girl wanted to sit next to her, so she agreed.

As they ate, Lucy noticed something glisten in the corner of her vision. It appeared to be a key, with a red ribbon attached, poking out the girl’s pocket. Sophie, as her name-tag read, finished her lunch very quickly, and without a sound. When she got up, the key dropped out silently and onto the chair. Upon swallowing her last bite, Lucy noticed the key. Without a second thought, she grabbed it and surveyed the hall, searching for Sophie, whilst wondering what the key could unlock.

Humerah [Sophie]: As she was in a rush, Humerah scanned the lunch hall for the first empty seat she could lay her eyes upon. She hurriedly sat down, and quickly ate her food, whilst thinking of her upcoming pitch meeting with her cousin Aisha. She finally finished her dessert and glanced at the person next to her; Humerah barely recognised this girl, and realised she was a new student. After all, Hudhayfah was in charge of all the students at InfernoOasis, new or old. Humerah was personally in charge of developing the construction of the school and underground, as architecture had long been her hobby. She strode out the hall and down the corridors, making her way into the head teacher’s office. She glanced about to ensure no one was coming, and then swiftly moved the chair from the desk, revealing the secret hatch to the underground…

Surprisingly, when Humerah arrived at the gym (their designated meeting spot) Aisha was already there, doing an extra workout. Soon after, Aisha drank some water to cool down. They walked together to the inventors’ room, which Humerah was in charge of. It was usually kept locked to ensure that in the odd chance someone would make it down the secret hatch, they would be unable to find any important files or documentation. Humerah reached down into her pocket and felt nothing. Her breathing grew heavy. Aisha immediately realised what had happened and began interrogating her cousin, down whose face a few tears were beginning to slide. After Aisha felt she had grilled her enough, they went up to the office to research the students' profiles, in order to track down the girl from the cafeteria, and hopefully find the key.