Chapter 440
Ian:
I had run to the biggest news channel. Thankfully, it did not take me too long. I wandered around for two hours, though, because Clementine had told me to wait for three hours.
Throughout that time, I had been extremely anxious. When the third hour struck, I looked up at the sky, then closed my eyes.
It was finally time for me to expose the Academy and even my own father.
When I took the first step onto the stairs, it felt like Clementine had made the right decision and that we should have stayed apart.
Then, when I took the second step, my footing began to falter.
It felt like this time I should have listened to Clementine, as if I should have been with her at that moment, but now it was too late.
If I left from here now, it would cause even more trouble, so in a rush, I moved toward the news channel’s door.
As soon as I slammed the door open, the attention of all the employees and workers sitting inside turned toward me.
Maybe that was why they were staring, because they had never seen me in their building before.
Now that I was standing there and saw the confusion on people’s faces, I realized why nothing about the crusaders was ever shown on the news channels, or why no one was told what we were doing in the north.
Yes, alphas and Betas sat comfortably and enjoyed our shows, but the rest of the world knew nothing.
There was only one reason for that. The day the opportunity came, some alphas and my father would quietly expel their sons from the Academy.
And because no one had ever seen us, even if someone spotted us on the road, they would not recognize who we were.
At that moment, it felt as if only we crusaders knew each other.
But in uniform, maybe others could recognize us, because news had come out about some of us, like Clementine, Joshua, and Oriana.
I noticed that it was mostly those who were never meant to be let out of the Academy.
They were supposed to die. That was why their names were made public. But the ones who were meant to leave were always kept quiet.
I stepped through the glass doors of the news channel after everyone had gone back to work. The smell of electronics was overwhelming inside.
A pair of guards near the entrance nodded to greet me, almost as if they did the same for anyone coming in.
“Who is in charge here?” I asked, keeping my voice low but respectful, as I turned toward one of the guards.
One of them stayed in place for a moment before pointing down the hall toward a room filled with monitors.
“The head officer,” he replied. “Just head towards the right p>
Through the glass walls, I heard the sounds of people moving between desks. They played footage, typed on keyboards, and adjusted sound levels.
I stopped at an office door and, after taking a deep breath, knocked.
“Come in,” a voice called from inside.
I stepped inside. A man sat behind a white cover with files and paperwork. Another person stood nearby, with a screen mounted on the wall beside them.
The man at the desk leaned back slightly, his eyes fixed on me as he examined me from head to toe.
“What are you doing here, young man?” he asked.
I shifted uncomfortably and turned slightly. A large cup of hot coffee sat on the desk beside the paperwork.
“I’m Ian Hunt,” I told him. “The headmaster’s son from the academy p>
The moment I introduced myself, I noticed the change in his expression. It was immediate. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk.
“Ravecrest?” he asked.
The screen beside him turned fully toward me.
“You’re the headmaster’s son?” the man asked.
I noticed the name tags. The man behind the desk was Dave, and the one standing next to the monitor was Piper.
“What are you here for? Did the headmaster send you here?” Dave asked, already looking excited.
I began to pull out the tapes from the small bag I had found in the woods and tucked the tapes inside, the bag hanging over my shoulder.
“I have information the world needs to see,” I told them. “Footage of what happens in the north, and the truth about the academy p>
My words seemed to give them a strange sense of excitement. They shared a brief glance before looking back at me.
“Alright,” Dave smiled, raising his hand and holding his palm out toward me. “Give it to us. We’ll see p>
I shook my head and pulled the bag behind my back.
“No. I’ll plug it in myself, and I’ll go live with it p>
There was a short pause before Dave stood up and waved toward the door.
“Get the cameras ready,” he instructed. “Call the control room p>
The response was immediate, proving how everyone had always been curious to know more about the academy.
In the next few minutes, the room filled quickly. Camera operators rolled in with equipment. Someone adjusted the lights.
A technician clipped a microphone to my collar while another slotted the tapes into a player.
I was given a new black shirt to wear, and I did. I sat in the seat, taking deep breaths, worried about Clementine. Screens flickered as the files began to load.
The director took his seat under the light, straightened his jacket, and pointed around before taking a quick sip from his coffee, which was now cold.
“Oh, somebody please warm it,” he remarked, wrinkling his nose and calling for his assistant, who rushed in, grabbed the coffee, and ran out again.
“We will go live in thirty seconds,” he announced.
I sat across from him, resting my elbows on the table and my hands together, my leg shaking before I leaned back.
I bent one elbow and rested it on the armrest of the chair, gently rubbing my temple with my other hand while it rested on the table.
The room had gone quiet. I could tell they were excited, even if they tried not to show it. They knew this was the kind of story that would spread fast. Then the red light turned on.