Chapter 6

History class seemed to drag on forever. Mrs. Siska was busy writing a new chapter on the blackboard, paying no attention to the students in the back who were chatting among themselves. Rian sat with his chin resting on his hand, staring at the wall clock above the blackboard as its hands seemed to move at a painfully slow pace.

Every time he heard footsteps passing through the corridor, Rian instinctively turned toward the window. The fear of Mr. Hendra suddenly showing up with the security guards still haunted his mind.

Riiing!

The recess bell finally rang. Mrs. Siska immediately put away her markers and left the classroom without saying goodbye.

Aris promptly turned around to face Rian and Bona.

“Head behind the library. Now. Don't hang around the cafeteria yet. It's too crowded.”

The three of them walked together toward the area behind the library building. The place was deserted, with only a pile of old wooden desks and two large, dusty plastic trash bins. Other students rarely came here during recess because the path was somewhat muddy from the rain.

Aris leaned against the wall, unzipped his schoolbag, and took out the worn, folded piece of paper belonging to Sarah that they had found the night before.

“We can't keep this paper in my bag forever,” Aris said, glancing around. “Mr. Hendra is a meticulous guy. If he suddenly decides to search every student's bag because of what happened last night, we're screwed.”

“Then where are we supposed to put it?” Bona asked, biting into the ice pop he'd bought on the way to school. “Just leave it at your house, Ris.”

“No,” Aris interrupted quickly. “My old man likes rummaging through my room whenever he's looking for keys or spare change. If he finds it, things will get even more complicated.”

Rian studied the form. The G-0408 stamp and the payment details were clearly visible.

“We need somewhere inside the school, but it has to be a place nobody would suspect.”

“Are you crazy?” Bona choked on his ice pop. “Why would we hide it at school?”

“Use your brain, Bon,” Aris retorted. “The safest place during a search is the school itself, as long as we hide it somewhere the security guards and cleaning staff would never bother checking.”

Rian pointed toward the back of an old metal cabinet lying crookedly in the corner of the library building. The cabinet was already rusty, and its bottom was slightly raised because someone had propped it up with a brick.

“Under that cabinet,” Rian said quietly. “There's a narrow gap near the brick. It's dry and hidden in the shadows.”

Aris approached the old cabinet and peered underneath it. A small smile appeared on his face.

“Not a bad idea, Yan. Nobody's going to crawl under a rusty old cabinet like this just for fun.”

Aris took Bona's empty ice pop wrapper, which had already been cleaned, and slipped Sarah's form inside it. He tied the plastic tightly to keep the paper from getting wet if it rained. Using a small wooden stick, Aris pushed the wrapped paper deep into the gap beneath the metal cabinet.

“Done,” Aris said, brushing the dust off his hands.

“But what are we going to do after this?” Bona asked. “All we have is that piece of paper. We don't know where Sarah was taken, and we don't have any evidence showing who killed Nadya.”

Rian pressed his fingers against his temples. The dizziness that usually came out of nowhere was beginning to return, although it was still mild.

“I remember the name of the person I saw in my vision yesterday.”

Aris and Bona immediately turned to Rian, their expressions serious.

“The man in the suit who was talking to Sarah inside the car,” Rian continued. “On the document I touched yesterday, there was a letterhead with the foundation's name on it... but there was another person's name underneath. The surname sounded unfamiliar.”

“Who?” Aris pressed.

“Mr. Hendra called him ‘Mr. Broto,’” Rian answered.

Aris furrowed his brows, trying to remember.

“Mr. Broto? I don't think there's any teacher or school committee member named Broto.”

“Not a teacher,” Bona suddenly interjected. His eyes widened slightly. “I've seen that name on a billboard along the main road near the town square. Broto Wijaya. He's the candidate for the regional legislative council who keeps handing out basic food packages, right?”

Rian and Aris exchanged glances.

“The rich guy who owns that huge house at the end of Komando Street?” Aris asked to make sure.

“Yeah! The one whose car is often escorted by the police whenever he drives past!” Bona exclaimed.

Before they could continue their conversation, the sound of heavy footsteps approached from around the corner of the library building.

“What are the three of you doing behind the library?”

Mr. Hendra's deep voice suddenly cut through their conversation. He stood several meters away from them, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes scrutinized Rian, Aris, and Bona one by one, filled with deep suspicion.