Episode 6 : Buried Truths : Part2

Your life is a consequence of the choices you make. A cesspool of the good, bad, and ugly decisions.

As Elijah lay in bed that night, everything he had discovered danced before his eyes, forming kaleidoscopic images that spun in his mind. He remembered his mother’s words: “Honey, in life, you often have to choose between what’s easy and what’s right. And that determines everything—the kind of person you are and the life you’ll lead.” She had always been his voice of reason.

He thought about how hard he had worked to earn his place at Ridgeway, and how hard his parents had worked to give him a swanky private education. They believed in him—for as long as he could remember.

But some things were too important to bury for the sake of self preservation.

When Elijah woke up the next day, he rushed into the library earlier than usual. In the haze of stumbling upon something so startling, he hadn’t had time to gather enough evidence to act on it. He managed to snap a couple of pictures, but that wasn’t nearly enough to take to anyone. He needed more. He needed access to the school’s finances, emails, and any other documentation that could prove these so-called development projects never actually existed. He needed access to Calloway’s cabin.

And as he sat there – a plan hatched.

The Break-In

Being a wallflower has its own perks. You notice what everyone does without anyone ever noticing you.

Being smarter than the rest of the grade, Elijah never found his coursework particularly challenging. He grasped concepts faster than his peers, which left him with a lot of free time. He spent most of it reading books on astronomy and philosophy, but he also observed everything around him. He knew things about people that most wouldn’t—their habits, their little eccentricities.

For example, every day at 6 p.m, Calloway would leave his room for about half an hour. He had an assistant, Betsy—tall, blonde, with perky breasts—that Calloway would take out for coffee every evening. A desperate ploy to get into her pants, Elijah assumed. And for those 30 minutes, his cabin was often left open. Unattended.

And that was Elijah’s way in.

He walked out of the library at 5:45 and made his way around the school. He blended in like every other brooding boy in his mid-teens, so nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Like clockwork, Calloway waltzed his way towards Betsy.Elijah heard him cackle and say something sleazy. He couldn’t help but wonder how many empires had been brought down because their rulers weren’t thinking with the right body part.

As Calloway and Betsy walked away, Elijah seized his chance and slipped inside. He had to be smart. His first target was the computer. It was locked. “Perfect,” he muttered, rolling his eyes. He moved to the drawers and rifled through them as quickly as he could. “Brochures—student admission documents—trash… trash…”

And then he saw it. A brown cover—worn out, nothing that stood out. When he opened it, Elijah gasped. It was everything.

All the transferred funds to Lincoln Fraiser and all the other projects for the last year. Account statements of all the benefactors.

His hands began to tremble. He needed to take pictures—quickly. He fumbled for his phone, glancing at his watch—6:18. Fuck… fuck… fucccck. He snapped a few pictures, shoved the documents back where they were, and hurried out of the cabin.

As he reached the door, he saw Calloway and Betsy walking toward him. He couldn’t slip out without them noticing.

“I’m screwed,” he whispered, freezing in place.

Calloway looked up. “Elijah,” he said, a smile creeping onto his face. “What a surprise to see you… here at this time.”

“Umm… good evening, sir… Mr. Calloway… sir,” Elijah fumbled, sweating profusely.

“Is everything okay, Elijah?” Calloway asked.

I need a cover story—quick, Elijah thought. But nothing came to mind. Should I ask about my grades? No—research? That doesn’t make sense.

“Gala!” he blurted out.

“Gala?” Calloway bellowed, raising an eyebrow.

“I wish to be a part of the gala, sir… the fundraiser,” Elijah said, his lower lip quivering.

“Of course, son. But you’ll have to talk to Ms. Robbins about that.”

“Th-thank you, sir…” Elijah said, then turned and bolted from the room, not stopping to look back. He kept walking, as fast as his legs could take him.

Nowhere to go

“Elijah Lane to report to Vice Principal Calloway’s Cabin,” the speaker bellowed.
Elijah looked up, horrified. “He knows,” Elijah thought.
He walked out slowly from the classroom, his mind racing with possibilities.

“Was everything not in its place?” “I’m sure I put everything back exactly where I found it.”
“I really messed up my cover… Gala? What was I thinking?”

Betsy was there to greet him in the cabin. “You can go in, sweetie,” she chirped.
Elijah pushed the door, which felt heavier than usual. Calloway was there, going through some papers.

“Ah, Elijah, come in,” he said cheerfully.
Elijah closed the door slowly behind him. The cabin seemed duller than yesterday, as though someone had drained it of all its color. His heart thumped loudly, but he looked paler than ever.

“Sit... sit...” Calloway ushered him in.

“I was going through your application, Elijah,” he said casually. “Your record is pristine—Straight A’s, President of the Science Club. The way you’re going, you’re gonna end up in one of the Ivies.”

What in the world is happening? he thought. I thought— but Calloway cut him off.

“I also see that your parents immigrated from Mexico. It must have been so hard for them to work their way up to send you to Ridgeway, Elijah,” he continued. “It’s incredible. And to think that we took you on at the last minute because another student’s scholarship didn’t come through. We got lucky with you.” He smiled.

“Th-thank you, sir?” Elijah said, confused.

“You know, you and I, Elijah... we aren’t that different,” Calloway continued. “We aren’t legacy kids. We’re regular people... the working class who have to climb up the ladder, work twice as hard as any of the snobs here.” He looked up. “You know that, don’t you, Elijah?”

“Yes, sir,” Elijah said.

“And you wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize your future, would you, Elijah?” Calloway said slowly, sliding a small golden badge toward him. Elijah Wood - President, Science Club, the badge read.

A cold sweat broke out across Elijah’s face. He had forgotten to check his badge before leaving the cabin yesterday. His mind raced, but his body was frozen. He looked up slowly, his eyes welling up with tears—but Calloway had his back to him, facing a statue of Socrates standing in the corner of the room.

“What do you think of my statue, Elijah?” he asked randomly.
Elijah couldn’t speak. A single tear rolled down his face.
Calloway continued to mutter. “Technology is so powerful these days,” he said. “Who knew you could fit a camera into a statue? I mean, the things you see nowadays... Isn’t it fantastic?” He exclaimed.

Elijah’s eyes widened in shock. He’d scanned the room for cameras yesterday, but he couldn’t have imagined it. That statue…

Calloway took a long pause before finally turning towards him.

“Oh, Elijah,” he whimpered. “There’s no need to cry, son. It’s gonna be okay. Like I said, I believe in you, and I would never jeopardize your future… unless I was forced to.”

Under the guise of reassurance lay a threat—so beautifully wrapped it was invisible to the naked eye. But Elijah understood.

And he was trapped. Like a canary in a birdcage, forced to sing the tunes of his master.