The bailiff blocked her path, but his eyes remained on the judge for direction.

“Your Honor, Mrs. Latham asked me to run directly over here,” Sarah Vance said. “The school tried calling Ms. Whitaker, but her phone was off for the hearing.”

Renee Whitaker reached into her bag, pulling out her silenced phone and staring at the screen.

“It is,” Renee whispered, her face losing its color. “What is happening at the school?”

I gripped the edge of the wooden table, my fingernails digging into the polished oak.

The room felt ice-cold, the scent of old paper and radiator steam suddenly suffocating me.

“Is Nolan alright?” I demanded, my voice rising in a panic I couldn’t control. “Tell me he is alright.”

“He is unhurt, Mrs. Bellamy, but he is barricaded in the old science prep room,” Sarah said, looking between me and the judge. “He won’t come out for anyone.”

“Why?” I asked, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. “Why would he lock himself in there?”

Sarah Vance looked at Grant, her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and anger.