Maya maneuvered through the throng of panicked students, finally making her way into the infirmary. Her breath came in relieved bursts as she saw her Coven members approaching. They looked drained and stunned, their faces pale and expressions wide with shock. Maya’s heart ached at the sight. She had to make sure they were okay.

"Are you guys alright?" Maya asked, her voice tinged with worry.

Harper, her voice barely above a whisper, gave a shaky nod. "Yeah, but what was that? It was like being set on fire from the inside."

Angelo winced, rubbing his chest. "I thought I was gonna burn alive."

Sam grimaced, rubbing his stomach. "Heartburn on steroids."

Dawson, leaning against the doorframe, shook his head. "What exactly was that? And why weren’t you and Jason affected?"

Maya hugged herself, trying to shake off her own unease. "It seemed like some kind of spell. But it didn’t target us specifically. Maybe someone tried to use a power that was too strong, and it spiraled out of control."

Jason, who had been silently observing, spoke up with a hint of dread. "Who here has the power to do something like that?"

Before Maya could answer, a familiar voice cut through the murmur of the room. “I’m fine,” it said. Maya turned to see the man she had kissed earlier walking past her. He was flanked by Principal Kwan and Mr. Watson, heading toward the bed where Howard Allen sat, rubbing his forehead.

“Well, they’ve been properly introduced to everything Harvest Grove, huh?” Sam quipped, a sardonic edge to his tone. “They’ll be out of here by this evening.”

“Actually, no,” Howard said, responding to something Principal Kwan had said. He stood up. “Jason and I will continue the tour of the school.”

“We’ll be sending the students home for the rest of the day while we sort out what happened,” Principal Kwan announced.

Howard's voice dropped to a near threat. “I’ll be too busy to return here.”

Principal Kwan cleared his throat, his gaze settling on Maya. “Miss Burns!” he called out. Maya straightened, her eyes widening as he continued, “Why don’t you show Mr. Allen and Mr. Teague around while we evacuate the school?”

Maya’s initial irritation at being stuck giving a tour during a crisis was overshadowed by her excitement. This was her chance to get Howard Allen alone and, hopefully, get an interview.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Okay,” Maya said, noticing Howard’s distracted gaze lingering on Harper’s dark brown hair. She introduced herself with a forced smile. “I’m Maya Burns.”

Howard barely looked at her before shifting his attention back to Harper. “Nice to meet you,” he said absently.

Jason, the man she had kissed, finally turned his attention to her. “Jason Teague,” he said, offering his hand. His gaze flicked between her and Harper before settling back on Maya. The touch of his hand against hers sent an unexpected jolt through her. She pulled her hand away with a slight gasp.

Jason’s green eyes narrowed, a mix of curiosity and intrigue.

Howard extended his hand between them, breaking the electric connection. “Pardon my manners, I’m Howard Allen.”

Maya took Howard’s hand, relieved when nothing unusual happened this time. She offered a polite smile. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Allen. My father works for your family’s company. He manages the Allencorp Facility.”

Howard’s eyes widened slightly. “Gabe. Yes, I met him this morning. He seemed quite pleasant and thoroughly nice.”

Maya took that as a compliment.

“Do you want us to stay with you, Maya?” Dawson asked, casting uneasy glances at Howard and Jason.

“Yeah, it’s no problem for us,” Jason said, his arm slipping around Harper’s shoulders protectively. He shot Howard a scrutinizing look.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Angelo said, shrugging on his Crows jersey. He extended his hand to Howard and Jason. “Angelo Stiles. I’ll be showing you to the football field and locker rooms.” He shook their hands before turning back to the others. “See you later.”

Sam gave a snort of amusement, waved goodbye, and left without further words.

Dawson and Jason exchanged uncertain looks but eventually guided Harper out, seemingly relieved that Maya wouldn’t be alone with the newcomers.

Maya turned to the two men with a forced cheerfulness. “Alright, follow me, gentlemen, and try to ignore the fact that everyone’s evacuating faster than passengers from the Titanic.”

Angelo lagged behind, as though keeping a wary eye on Howard and Jason.

“On your right,” Maya began, “is Mr. Marsh’s Chemistry lab. It was completely refurbished after the infamous ‘09 accident, where one Mr. Bradley Cooper—no relation to the actor—mixed up some chemicals and turned the entire class purple. To top it off, Mary Smith spent a week convinced that gnomes were trailing her, offering rubies and emeralds but no diamonds, because she wasn’t worthy of them.”

Howard and Jason peered into the pristine lab, a flicker of amusement in their eyes.

“To your left,” Maya continued, “is the janitor’s closet. Many hormone-fueled escapades have been caught in there. Why anyone would choose a cramped, musty closet for smooching is beyond me.”

She wrinkled her nose, shivering at the thought of being trapped in such a place. “Speaking of shocking discoveries, I once found Mr. Hunt and Mrs. Roper in a rather compromising situation in that room over there. Up until then, I’d thought Mr. Hunt was involved with Mr. Marsh from Chemistry... and he was, but that’s a story for another day.”

She doubted Principal Kwan had envisioned this kind of tour when he instructed her to guide the visitors, but she didn’t care. “In the classroom over here, if you take a deep breath, you can still catch a hint of the dung bomb Mitch Matheson set off to show Mr. Samory his displeasure with a failing grade in Biology.”

A choked snort of laughter echoed in the hallway as Maya led them further down the corridor, her nerves finally easing as she navigated the chaotic aftermath.