4308.272 · September 28, 1988 AD
Eyes Through the Gap
Violet should have run. Should have left Broken Hill High the moment she stepped out of Clarke's classroom. But the sounds from behind his door root her to the spot, and what she witnesses through a crack of light shatters more than just her innocence—it reveals the true face of the man teaching history to unsuspecting students.
28 September 1988. Broken Hill High School corridor.
Violet Dallow stands frozen outside Mr Clarke's classroom, her confrontation with him still burning in her mind. She should leave. Every instinct screams at her to get out, get home, get safe. But then comes the crash of fist on wood, the savage curse, and sounds that don't belong in any classroom.
The smart choice would be to run. The safe choice. But Violet's never been particularly good at either. That curiosity that's always defined her—that need to know, to understand, to see the truth no matter how ugly—it holds her there like a physical force.
Just a peek. Just to understand what she interrupted. Just to know what Clarke was so desperate to hide.
But some doors, once opened, can never be closed. Some truths, once seen, burn themselves into your retinas forever. And some people don't bother with masks when they think no one's watching—or worse, when they know someone is.
