Chapter 94. Second Chance

ARDEN

I didn’t want to go.

Every part of me screamed to turn around and run in the opposite direction. Elite didn’t feel like a school anymore; it felt like a theater—a stage where the scripts had been written long before I arrived, and I was only just realizing I was part of a play I had never auditioned for. But I still went. Because something in my gut told me there would be answers waiting for me.

The bleachers were full, students murmuring with curiosity, when he appeared.

Mr. Winters.

His gaze swept past the crowd, finding me instantly, like a wolf sensing blood in the snow. Then, he smiled as though he had been expecting me.

He held a microphone and wore a wide smile. “Good morning, Elite.”

The crowd responded on cue.

He continued, “First of all, I want to congratulate all of you. The campaigns are going splendidly! We’re gaining traction faster than anticipated. The support from students has been overwhelming. This is what prog