Bab 38: Chapter 38

Layla was speechless, she didn't know what to say. She didn't even know if she's supposed to say or ask something about the matter. She was just too stunned and confused while they were in the middle of staring at each other with wide eyes and closed mouths. The guard's face was flushed and he was the first one to break the intense eye contact. He just looked down at his textbook while his fingers anxiously tapped on the papers.

Layla slightly moved towards him, approaching him slowly but she stopped when she thought that she was close enough to still keep his comfortable space. She glanced at the ground and pressed her lips into a thin line when she realized that she was still trying to find the right words to say to him.

"I'm a guard. I know..." He softly muttered while glancing up at her before she could say anything. He wanted to be the first one to say to her who he really was. Nobody knew who he was except for the adults in the school even the new teacher knew about him. "I couldn't tell anybody..."

Layla's brows furrowed at his last words. "Just because you're a guard doesn't mean that I will look at you differently. I still like you."

Jace's cheeks flushed but he shook his head. "Thank you...but can you keep it a secret?" His eyes looked up to her, pleadingly.

Layla's eyes softened and she quickly approached him. "No one will judge you." She softly assured him even though she wouldn't tell anybody, she wanted for him to not be ashamed for who he was. It was completely normal to hide something from everyone. She was hiding something as well, she also couldn't tell anyone because she's involved with angels.

He shook his head again. "That's not it. I don't care about what anybody says or thinks about me. I just can't tell anybody. No one should know. That's our deal."

"What do you mean?" Layla questioned, eyes glancing at her skin once again. She wondered if she has enough time to chat with him and find out who allowed Mrs. Vivian inside the campus.

Jace sighed, looking away from her. "I cannot talk about it right now." He looked at her again but softly this time. "But can you keep it a secret?"

Layla nodded with a smile, dropping the topic. "Of course."

They both fell quiet while Layla was looking around the campus. "Is that why you were determined to find out what's wrong by yourself?" Jace nodded. "Did you ever find out what's happening?"

"Yes, I'm sorry, I couldn't tell you sooner. I thought you and Alex have gone home."

Layla kept her mouth shut about Mrs. Vivian. She wanted to know what was happening first before she could tell him about her. "What happened?"

"You were right. There are visitors. They will host an evaluation in the school. Most of them came from the government of the country and some are from the government of education. They are still here to check the facilities and the condition of the entire school. I don't even know what would happen if they find out about the problems. They will stay here for a week." Jace finished explaining with a heavy sigh while his fingers ran through his hair.

Layla also sighed. "How did you find out?"

"I could not find the officers. The other guards told me." Jace momentarily stayed quiet. "I'm sorry." He apologized but Layla was quick to ease his mind.

"There's nothing to apologize for." Jace smiled at her. "Mrs. Vivian is here." She admitted.

Jace's brows furrowed. "What?"

Layla nodded while looking away. "Yeah. She's here, someone let her inside. Alex and I saw..." Her eyes widened once she realized who allowed her inside the campus. "I'll come back and explain tomorrow! I just need to do something." She turned around and ran away even though Jace called for her.

Jace was left dumbfounded and confused about what was that about. He just resumed reading his textbook with an uneasy mind.

Layla's eyes frantically roamed around the dark areas of the campus. She tried finding the guard who was roaming around the campus with a flashlight in his hand. He knew about Mrs. Vivian. It was impossible for him not to notice the shattered bottle of champagne and the crushed cigarette on the ground because even if he had not seen them, Layla was sure that he could smell the stench of the cigarette. It was lingering in the air when he stepped near them.

It was dark so she couldn't quite remember what he looked like but he was short and he has a small bump on his belly. His posture was not pleasant, he was slouching and not confident. His footsteps were heavy despite his frame and he has the hat on that guards were usually provided to wear along with the gray uniform.

She just needed to spot a man who was just a tad bit taller than her. Maybe she could find him in the other gates of perhaps he was still roaming around the campus. It wasn't so difficult to search for him because most of the guards were tall. She hoped that he was outside and not inside the buildings.

Layla ran in every direction, turning her way immediately when she couldn't find him where she has gone off to. She turned around when she saw a couple of guards walking and chatting on the way to where she was standing. She thought that it was one of them but they were both tall and young so she turned around to quickly hide from them but she instantly yelped when a body halted her from moving any further. She bumped into the body of a man and the man was quick to clasp a hand over her mouth to shut her up.

Layla glanced up at the man. She already knew who it was because of the unusual body heat that was radiating off his body and the way her heart was ramming on her chest loudly and frantically, her breaths became quick and short, and her body trembled in fear.

Their eyes locked but Sir Kingsley looked over Layla's shoulder, glancing at the guards who were occupied by their conversation. Sir Kingsley's eyes rolled at the sight of their careless behavior and although he doubted that they would shortly see them, he grabbed the frightened student's wrist and forced her to duck behind a tree. His eyes came back to her and observed how her body was trembling so he let her arm fall to her side and removed the other hand over her mouth.

"What are you still doing here, Ms. Quinn?" His voice was cold and low, there was a glimmer of anger in his eyes while he barely cared for her reactions to him. He didn't feel like asking about that or even scrutinizing it for his advantage. He was mainly angry because Layla didn't listen to his words.

Layla was wide-eyed staring at him, while she was grateful for saving them out of the guards' sights, she was still trembling and shocked about Sir Kingsley's unexpected appearance. She was glad that it was him but at the same time, she hoped not to be near him ever again because the way she reacted whenever he's close to her was not normal.

His words repeated into her troubled mind until she finally realized that he's angry and that he's asking her why he disobeyed his remarks. She fixed her bent knees, shifting a little but she lost her balance and she nearly fell if it wasn't for Sir Kingsley who caught her by his arm and kept her in place.

His brows furrowed while he stared at her, wondering what happened to her to make her seem out of her usual self. She was strangely different and on edge. "What happened?" He pressed on the matter while his arm was hesitant to let go of her but Layla leaned back on the tree so he just used that arm to run his fingers through his disheveled hair.

Layla swallowed, trying to calm herself. "U-uh, I'm sorry. Can you repeat your question?"

Sir Kingsley's furrowed brows deepened. She was paranoid and anxious. She needed to calm down but Sir Kingsley didn't know how to help her. He just stared at her, trying to figure out what was wrong even though the answers must be explained by her words.

He struggled to say but managed to awkwardly say something to her. "Calm down-" But he was interrupted when she hastily stood up.

"I-I need to go. I need to talk to the guard." Her words were fumbled but even with her anxious mind, her eyes still managed to have a glimpse of the passing guard who was whistling a tone. It was the one who allowed Mrs. Vivian in so she must talk to him about letting her out as well.

Sir Kingsley was relieved when Layla didn't pay attention to his awkwardness but he stopped her when he saw who she was referring to. "Don't go near him. The man is one of Mrs. Vivian's lovers. He's a disgusting man." His nose scrunched up in resentment and disgust while he shook his head at her.

"But-"

"Why do you need to talk to him? Just tell me what happened." He demanded. "Sit down and tell me."

Layla defeatedly sat down next to him, suddenly unbothered about his presence, in fact, because of him, some sense was beginning to return into her mind. She could think clearly and her paranoia was slowly vanishing away. Sir Kingsley immediately took off his suit jacket and carelessly let his jacket fell on her legs. Layla looked at him and thanked him, shyly using his jacket to cover her legs. She felt extremely warm despite the weather.

She slowly began explaining what happened and relief instantly found its way onto her mind and chest. Sir Kingsley was reliable and trustworthy, he was the most dependable man in the school so no matter how bad his attitude was, she was still relieved that she has told him because he surely knows what to do. He was wise and full of intelligence. She trusted him.

Sir Kingsley patiently and calmly listened to her explanation. When she was finally done, he hardly reacted, he just stared off the distance. Layla couldn't tell what was on his mind so she waited until he spoke.

"You did good but you became too paranoid." He said while looking at her. "Don't worry about the problems anymore. I will get that woman out of here. There's no need to talk to her lover."

Layla's face flushed in embarrassment, realizing how she has been acting.

"Direct me to that woman." He ordered while standing up. Layla followed and gave his jacket back, he accepted it and wore it back on.

Inside, Sir Kingsley was disappointed at her for behaving like what he was witnessed. It was the same reason why he wanted to pressure her and help her out with controlling her emotions and instead use her intelligence. However, he was also delighted about her findings of what was happening. He was proud of her for still trying and still succeeding in the end. Just like what he wanted, he didn't get her involved but she still managed to find out some things about what was happening. A small smile found its way to his lips while he was staring down at the guards who were looking at them so they quickly looked away. They couldn't see his smile but they could sense his powerful stare.