Surrounded by the darkness of the past

Sara had already sensed the danger looming over them for a long time, but she didn't think this day would come so soon. She thought they would be safe for a long time yet, as they were still hiding their true intentions.

The moment the teens stood up for Julia, they angered them to the point that innocent people were affected. None of the teens want this to continue, but they can't let them hurt Julia. They must protect her.

Now they also come to worry about themselves....

It has been unusually quiet since morning, as if people sensed that something bad would happen in the evening. Only Matthew is walking nervously, because after yesterday's incident, he still can't recover. He can't understand by what right the General raised his hand against him. He knows perfectly well what kind of man he is, but he doubted that, as an old man, he would be capable of using old habits. For a man in his eighties, he's holding up pretty well, so he's still a threat to them.

It starts with the director doing a gathering in the lobby first thing in the morning. All the kids from the center show up. There aren't that many of them, so he can afford to take this step. Not every parent is capable of giving their child to a correctional center, just to get rid of the problem from their head, especially since it requires many expenses.

Sarah's father certainly does not belong to this species. He was simply looking for any way to send her far from home. The most important thing for him is a new family, when his daughter is deep in his nose. She has long since begun to feel this...

She misses her mom so much.

- You are all gathered here because I have something very significant to announce to you. Probably many of you have already heard about yesterday's incident that happened in the bathroom. I doubted that after that, you would still be stupid enough to cause trouble. The offenders have already been punished, but they are fortunate enough to leave the center over the weekend, as their designated stay is coming to an end. As a result, I have decided that you all must surrender your cell phones. I should have made this rule long ago, but I've been too docile with you to contact your families.

Sara looks around at the students as they start lamenting and repeating that it's unfair that they should suffer for a group of irresponsible girls. She doesn't know what this is all about, as she hasn't heard of anything before.

Puzzled, she looks at Laura, who only shrugs her shoulders in response. The brunette also has no idea about the situation that took place last night.

- I ask everyone to take out their cell phones and give them to the teachers. Leaving this place you will get them back, if someone tries to cheat us, eventually, we will catch that person, and the consequences will be very unpleasant, so you should listen to me and not cause any problems.

They all take their cell phones in their hands and one by one start throwing them into the black bags held by the teachers. Sara senses from the beginning that something else is going on here. The principal has simply found a way to cut them off from contact with the outside world.

They obediently throw the cells into the bag, and the woman mirrors them with her eyes.

Sara looks over her shoulder and spots Alan, who has been watching her the whole time.

She completely forgot about the fact that he wanted to talk. He must be worried, thinking that she is avoiding him. She probably tells herself that he has done wrong and thus made her not want to talk to him, but the truth is that she wants to, yet she is so shy that she can't behave properly. She doesn't mean to hurt him, but at the thought of them being just the two of them again she feels a blush on her face, and her heart starts beating harder once more.

Furthermore, she smiles shyly at him to give him a sign that all is well.

She feels embarrassed when she notices that Oliver is watching them. She immediately turns her face away as Laura catches her watching the guys.

The brunette shakes her head, and a cocky smile appears on her face.

- Silent waters break the shores ... or is it a threesome? - she asks with amusement in her voice.

Sara is so embarrassed that her face begins to burn.

 - Stop. I'm not you, I'm not turned on by threesomes," she mutters, which amuses her roommate even more.

Her face pales as Simon walks past her, throwing only a dry "hello." She probably thought her friend would get over it and be like before again, but apparently this time the blonde decided to be more stubborn and hold a grudge until Laura understood his feelings.

Sara feels like giving her a proper kicking for still making buttery eyes at Matthew when he has her deep in his nostrils.

- Did you hear that the person the girls beat up in the bathroom yesterday and took pictures with their phone is Julia? Apparently, they waited until their stay here was over and decided to teach her a lesson for oppressing them before. It is said that Julia does not look well and has been lying at the doctor's all along, but the doctor says that the wounds are not serious enough to call an ambulance. I don't feel sorry for her at all, because she was a terrible bitch. She may have changed recently, but this is solely due to the psychologist. Otherwise, she would still be the same.

Sara looks around at the students, but doesn't spot Matthew anywhere. The boy is tall and stands out in a crowd, so she usually has no problem finding him.

Could it be that he is watching by Julia's side?

He looks at Laura and sees that the girl is clenching her teeth in anger. She may not like Julia and thinks she could use a spanking, but she hates the gossipers even more.

- Be careful that you are the ones who don't get hit in the mouth. Get on with your lives, not stick your noses into things that don't belong to you, you silly hussy," she says, approaching the three girls, who at the sight of her stand still. Laura is the terror of the corridors, so sometimes all she has to do is say one word, and the issue is solved.

- But you're scary, until I have chills," derides Oliver, rubbing his shoulders. Unexpectedly, he appears by their side, so Laura throws him a mischievous look.

- You don't have to be afraid. I don't touch little girls," he bites back, which makes the brunet even angrier. The boy smiles crookedly, and fires appear in his eyes.

Sara senses that he will be mean-spirited enough to make Laura uncomfortable.

- Are you jealous of me because I look better than you, and I'm a man? Well, even Matthew said that I am prettier than you.

With this statement, he hits her right in the heart. Matthew is a touchy subject, as the girl still can't get over her rejection. She spent so much time chasing him, and he used her like a toy to get revenge for Julia.

- Same dimwit as a roommate," she bites back, walking away from them. Oliver is pleased that he has rubbed her nose in it. They both have strong characters, so teasing each other is in their blood.

- It was despicable. Please don't treat Laura like that. It was Matthew who acted cruelly towards her. You don't have to hit her. - The brown-haired woman looks at him reproachfully. - And you better tell me what they are preparing. I won't believe that they took away our cell phones because of the punishment.

Oliver puts his arm around her and leads her aside, which does not escape Alan's attention. He again follows them with his eyes, and Sara feels as if she is making him uncomfortable by doing so.

- There is a thicker issue at stake here. These girls didn't plan this, they are following the orders of the director and his company. They specifically took them to do the dirty work, since they are leaving the place tomorrow. They didn't have to ask, because the girls gladly agreed to the proposal. Like most here, they hate Julia, so kicking her ass made them happy. The pictures were no accident either. The director was scheming to take away everyone's phones. They are indeed planning something, so we are in danger. Apparently they are no longer accepting new people, because they said that after everyone leaves they will close the center, as the director plans to retire. The people who have been here for a long time are leaving tomorrow. There are quite a few of them, so only a handful of us will be left. We should start worrying, because I have no clue what they are up to.

- Why are they taking such revenge on Julia? What do they want from all of us? After all, we are not guilty of anything. Even if it was our ancestors who wronged them in some way, which is complete nonsense, why do they put the blame on us? Why should we be the ones to suffer for everything?

- I know only one thing: they are not sane.

The girl bites her finger and her eyes widen when she sees that the General has arrived. She immediately walks over to Alan and puts her hand on his shoulder. The blond man turns to face him and looks at him with disgust. The man explains something to him, but the boy pushes his hand away.

Sara reads from the movement of his lips that he is telling him "fuck you." A cynical smile appears on the General's face. Alan heads toward the stairs, so the girl runs after him. She looks over her shoulder and notices that the General is looking at her. She doesn't see that Alan is standing still and thus falls right into his arms.

Furthermore, she lifts her head and sees a broad smile on his face.

- I noticed that you ran after me.

- I'm sorry," she whispers, blushing again. She is embarrassed that she fell right into his arms.

- As if you have anything to show for it.

She pulls her hair back behind her ear and looks at him shyly.

- What did the man want from you? - she asks, making the smile fade from his face. He notices that he is clenching his fists, but tries to remain calm on his face.

- Nothing of the sort. Before he could speak, I announced to him that he should drop.

He's lying. She saw perfectly well that the General had said something to him before this. What was it that he doesn't want to talk about?

Sara is not the kind of person who would be pushy about pulling this off, so she lets it go.

- I learned that the taking of the phones was planned beforehand. They were looking for a way to cut us off from our family.

- I guessed. Nothing is random here. They are trying to do something, and we have no idea what kind of shit we are in," he claims, looking above her head. Suddenly, he lowers his gaze and looks the girl in the eyes. - We were supposed to discuss something else, remember?

- Now? - She asks, perplexed, to which Alan nods.

- Do you want to keep running away from me? I don't think there's any point in prolonging this, Sara. You have to tell me if you like me, because I'm slowly going out of my mind," he announces, and she swallows her saliva harder.

Surprised, she looks at his face, nervously playing with a strand of hair.

Alan takes her hand, seeing how nervous she is. He smiles to relax her, but she feels that her hands are so wet that she is additionally embarrassed.

- Stop stressing so much. After all, I'm not going to eat you, Sara. I just want to know if you like me or not, because I just don't know what to do next in this direction," he announces, and her eyes widen as the last words she says reach her. - If you give me a trashing, I will survive somehow. Somehow," he adds, with emphasis on the word.

He looks at her closely when she opens her mouth, but she is suddenly speechless because she can't get a word out. She likes him. She even feels much more for him, but how can she just admit it like that? Furthermore, she's stressed, and even though she's trying to control it, she's somehow doing a poor job of it.

- Sara, even if you don't like me, say so. It's better than getting my hopes up. - She sees that his face has grown sad. She can't bring him to such a state. He hates to make others uncomfortable, especially since he can't say directly what he feels.

He closes his eyelids and takes a deep breath, forcing himself to be brave.

- Of course I like you. I like you a lot," she announces, then tightens her lips out of nervousness.

She looks uncertainly at the blond man and breathes a sigh of relief when she notices a happy smile appear on his face.

- I'm glad you said that. The stone fell from my heart.

Screams ring out in the hallway. Sara looks over her shoulder and she and Alan walk closer to see what's going on.

The 17-year-old freezes when she sees Matthew being held down by two boys, jerking off and challenging the girls who beat Julia. One of them lies against the wall, apparently pushed by the boy.

- I don't care if I become a motherfucker. For me, you are no longer women, but ordinary trash. You are the ones who should be taught a lesson! - he shouts furiously, trying to jerk away from the guys who are holding him back.

Sara wants to do something and somehow calm him down, but he is so angry that he won't listen to her either. Besides, what can she tell him? After all, she won't confess that this is the work of the director and his company. She prefers not to imagine what Matthew will do in such a situation and what trouble he will bring upon himself.

- It was not our idea! - shouts the girl, rising from the floor with tears in her eyes. Sara seems concerned when this topic is brought up.

Next to them walks Oliver. He grabs his friend and says something in his ear, but the man doesn't seem to listen to him.

- Can you help him? I don't want him to get into trouble, please. - Sara whispers to Alan, so the blond man nods and walks over to the guys.

- You'd better chuckle, because another moment, and you'll be lying next to Julia. We already know everything, so calm down and come with us. Sara is worried about you, so stop acting like this, understand? - He quietly turns to Matthew, grabbing him by the forearm. He forcefully takes the boy with him.

Brunet is unhappy that Alan is the one listening to his best friend.

*

- I'll kill those bastards! All of them one by one, let them go to hell! - shouts Matthew getting ready to leave, but Alan overtakes his door.

- Don't play tough, or you won't have time to say a word and they will slam you. These are not normal people, so stop, sit down politely and listen to what we have to say.

Matthew clenches his fists, but finally obediently sits down on Laura's bed, who is not in the room. It's fortunate, because their reunion would not be the best idea right now.

- So what are you going to do about it? They are going to take revenge on Julia all the time for the fact that her grandmother tried to kill the General? - Matthew asks, watching them carefully.

- You start worrying about yourself, too, because Julia will not be the only one to suffer here. Your stay here is no over yet, and there will be few of us left. I still don't know what they are planning, but I'm starting to get more and more anxious. I don't know what awaits me as well," announces Oliver.

Only Sara knows his secret, and just as she promised him, she keeps her word and his secret is safe with her. She is a person others can trust.

- It's true. They are not only concerned with Julia. There are more people who are in danger," she speaks up, getting the boys' attention.

- Among us is also a person who does not have to worry about anything. He's safe, so I don't understand what he's doing here," Oliver says mockingly, surreptitiously glancing at Alan. The blond man throws him an angry look. Sara guesses that they are about to start another argument. The two are not fond of each other, and Oliver is hooked, so it's a matter of time until sparks fly.

- Are you jealous? Because I'm not too much jumping for joy over the fact that I'm this man's grandson. I don't think anyone would want to be in my place, maybe only a coward who is manically afraid of these people and would try to protect his ass at all costs. You look like one to me," replies Alan, smiling insolently. A grimace appears on the brunet's face as he prepares a vile remark to his peer, so Sara decides to speak up.

- None of us is safe here. Alan may also be in danger because we don't know what this man plans for him. I don't believe he has any feelings and cares about his grandson.

They both fall silent, and Matthew lifts his head and looks at the girl with worried eyes.

- You know what. I'm not worried about myself at all, but about Julia. I think I only now realized how much I care about her.

- You are not alone. We will help her too. We're in this together, and we won't let anyone else get hurt. - Alan puts his hand on Matthew's shoulder for encouragement.

- Speak for yourself. Maybe you guys can help her, but not me. She doesn't deserve help. She has hurt my friend many times. The only girl I will help during the emergency will be Sara," declares Oliver, looking at her carefully.

Surprised, she points her finger at herself, and he sends her a slight smile.

The brown-haired woman glances at Alan and sees that he is not happy with Oliver's words. Then she has a feeling that serious trouble still awaits her with these two.