Darn Stupid Brother You Are by Mairee

Chapter 60

(Angel's POV)

It was just after breakfast when the announcement came. The voice crackled through the speakers and sounded harsh. "Attention all patients," it said. "There will be a dorm inspection in thirty minutes. Please remain in your rooms until further notice. Any contraband found will be confiscated and disciplinary actions will be taken."

A ripple of unease spread through the hallways. We'd all heard the rumors about these inspections. There were rumors of Dr. Joe searching for evidence and looking for any excuse to tighten his grip on us. But this was the first time we'd actually experienced one.

My heart jumped into my throat. The journal. The one I'd stolen from the West Wing. It was hidden under my mattress but that wasn't going to be enough. Not with Dr. Joe personally supervising this inspection. He was thorough and methodical. If he even caught a whiff of it, we'd be finished.

I sprinted back to my dorm and pushed through the crowd of nervous patients. Hande, Cylan, and Dilara were already there. They sat on the edge of their beds with their eyes wide with fear. They turned to me as soon as I burst through the door.

"What's going on?" Hande asked nervously. "Why the sudden inspection?"

I swallowed hard and tried to keep my voice steady. "It's Dr. Joe," I said. "He's searching for anything that can get us in trouble. And I forgot to hide the journal."

Their eyes widened, and Cylan's voice went higher. "The journal? The one from the West Wing? You mean that journal?"

I nodded as my pulse quickened. "Yes, that one."

Before anyone could say more, the door swung open and Hendrix stepped inside with a grim expression. I had told him to meet me in our room. "We have a problem," he said like he'd read my mind. "Dr. Joe's heading this way. We don't have much time."

I couldn't believe I'd been so careless. "Where can we hide it?" I asked as panic rose in my chest. "It can't stay here. They'll find it." "There's no time to take it out of the dorm," Hendrix muttered as he glanced toward the door. "They'll be searching all the rooms."

pacing and bit her nails. "What do we do?

sit here and wait," Cylan said urgently. "We need to

vents?" she suggested

to the vent. It was high up and the opening was barely big enough but it was the only

second, Hendrix and I grabbed the mattress and lifted it to reveal the tattered leather journal. He shoved it into my hands and for a split second, our eyes met, sharing a silent understanding of just how much trouble we'd be

the vent. Hendrix cursed and pulled me up onto his shoulders. "Hurry,"

with the grate. "Come on, come on..." I whispered to myself. Finally, the vent popped open, and I shoved the journal inside, pushing it as far back as I could. I replaced the grate just as we heard footsteps approaching

hissed and we all scrambled back to our beds, trying

His eyes swept over us, taking in every detail. I forced myself to keep my breathing steady even as my

Joe said with fake politeness. "And gentlemen.” He nodded at Hendrix. "This is a standard

watched in tense silence as the staff tore through our belongings. They overturned mattresses and rifled through drawers. They even checked the pockets

and whispered,

was

gaze. When he reached my bed, he paused and his

breath caught in my throat. Was he onto us? Could he sense

at me with sharp eyes. "Is there anything you'd like

my head and forced myself to meet his gaze. "No, sir. There's

read my thoughts. Then, he gave a short humorless chuckle. "Very well," he said and

out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. But the relief

he reached the door. "I trust you're not hiding anything...