Chapter 8
The Missing Letter
Jovan left the classroom before the next teacher arrived.
Keira saw him through the window.
Fast.
Too fast.
Without his bag.
Without saying anything to Bima.
And from the way he walked, Keira knew one thing immediately.
He was about to do something stupid.
Keira stood.
Tasya turned around.
“Where are you going?”
“Out for a minute.”
“Kei.”
“Later.”
She had already reached the door when Farah called out.
“Jovan?”
Keira stopped for one second.
Then nodded.
Tasya stood too.
“I’m coming.”
“No need.”
“Why?”
“It’ll just get more complicated if there are too many of us.”
Celine raised her phone.
“If you need me to look something up—”
“Don’t look for anything yet.”
Celine immediately closed her mouth.
Keira went outside.
The front hallway was empty.
She quickened her pace toward the stairs.
Jovan was nowhere in sight.
The first floor.
Nothing.
Keira was about to head toward Gedung Timur when she heard Bima’s voice behind her.
“Keira!”
She turned.
Bima came running up, half out of breath.
“Where’s Jovan?”
“I’m looking for him too.”
Bima swore under his breath.
“Did he see the post?”
“Yeah.”
“The letter’s really gone?”
Keira stopped immediately.
“You knew?”
Bima gave a short nod.
“He told me a little this morning.”
“Where was the letter kept?”
“I don’t know.”
Keira stared at him.
Bima raised both hands.
“Seriously.”
Keira’s phone vibrated.
A message from Jovan.
Jovan: Don’t look for me.
Keira read it once.
Then called him immediately.
Declined.
She called again.
Declined again.
Bima glanced at the screen.
“What did he say?”
Keira showed him.
Bima closed his eyes.
“Yeah. That’s Jovan-speak for ‘I’m making a bad decision.’”
Keira typed immediately.
Keira: If you don’t answer in ten seconds, I’m getting Mr. Hendra.
The message was read.
Five seconds.
Seven.
Then her phone rang.
Keira answered at once.
“Where are you?”
“Kei.”
“Where?”
“Behind the auditorium.”
“What are you doing?”
“Come over if you want to yell at me.”
The call ended.
Keira stared at the screen.
Bima snorted.
“At least he answered.”
Jovan stood behind the auditorium.
Alone.
At least for now.
As soon as Keira and Bima arrived, Jovan looked straight at Bima.
“I didn’t call you.”
Bima pointed at Keira.
“I’m her bodyguard.”
Keira stopped in front of Jovan.
“What are you doing here?”
Jovan showed her his phone.
The @TheNextHallway post was still open.
A photo of a brown envelope.
Handwriting.
For Jovan. Don’t trust anyone until you read this.
Keira looked at his face.
“You’re sure it’s the same letter?”
“Yeah.”
“How do you know?”
“The handwriting.”
“Bagas?”
Jovan nodded.
Keira immediately felt uneasy.
Bima leaned against the wall.
“If the admin only took a photo, that doesn’t mean they have the letter.”
Jovan looked at him.
“I never sent that photo to anyone.”
“Then they saw it in person.”
“Yeah.”
Keira held her breath.
“Where’s the letter now?”
Jovan didn’t answer.
“Van.”
He rubbed his face.
“In my locker.”
Keira froze.
“Your school locker?”
“Yeah.”
Bima stared at him in disbelief.
“You kept an important letter about a company case in your school locker?”
Jovan shot him a sharp look.
“Don’t start.”
“I’m not starting anything. I’m amazed by your level of stupidity.”
“Someone broke into my house before.”
Jovan fired back.
“I didn’t want to keep it there.”
Keira understood the logic.
Partly.
But still.
“Why didn’t you give it to a trusted adult?”
Jovan was silent.
Keira sighed.
“Right. Of course.”
“I was afraid I’d give it to the wrong person.”
“So you kept it yourself.”
“Yeah.”
Bima rubbed the back of his neck.
“Is the letter still there?”
Jovan shook his head.
Keira tensed immediately.
“When was the last time you saw it?”
“Yesterday morning.”
“And today?”
“Gone.”
Bima straightened.
“Was the locker broken into?”
“No.”
“The lock?”
“Still normal.”
Keira looked at Jovan.
“Who knows the combination or has the key?”
Jovan didn’t answer right away.
“Bima?”
“No.”
“Galen?”
“No.”
“Dito?”
Jovan shook his head.
Keira stared at him more seriously.
“So it was only you?”
“Yeah.”
Bima cut in. “Or someone who’s seen you open it.”
Keira and Jovan turned toward him.
Bima shrugged.
“The locker’s in the sports hallway. People are always coming and going.”
Jovan looked at the ground.
“Reno’s there a lot.”
Keira remembered immediately.
Documentation.
A camera.
Access to all kinds of places.
“Don’t accuse him right away,” she said.
“I’m not accusing him.”
Jovan’s tone was too calm.
Keira knew that wasn’t a good sign.
“Were you going to look for Reno?”
Jovan was silent.
“Van.”
“Yeah.”
“He wasn’t at school.”
“I know.”
“Then?”
“I have his address.”
Bima raised his eyebrows.
“From where?”
“Committee records.”
Keira gave him a sharp look.
“No.”
“Kei.”
“No.”
“I just want to ask him.”
“At his house?”
“Yeah.”
“Alone?”
Jovan didn’t answer.
Keira shook her head.
“No.”
“The letter is important.”
“I know.”
“If it falls into the wrong hands—”
“I know.”
“So I have to—”
“You have to stop acting like you’re the only one who can fix everything.”
Jovan fell silent.
Bima looked between them.
Then slowly backed away a few steps.
“I’m getting the feeling this isn’t my territory.”
“Don’t leave,” Keira and Jovan said at the same time.
Bima stopped.
“Okay.”
Keira looked back at Jovan.
“We’re reporting this.”
Jovan immediately shook his head.
“To whom?”
“Mr. Hendra, first.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because that letter is evidence in my family’s case.”
“Exactly.”
“If too many people find out what it says—”
“They already know the letter exists.”
Keira pointed at her phone.
“And someone already took it.”
Jovan fell silent.
Bima finally said,
“Kei’s right.”
Jovan glared at him.
“Stay out of it.”
“You just told me not to leave.”
Jovan clicked his tongue.
Bima continued,
“At least tell them an important personal item was stolen from your locker. You don’t have to explain what’s in it.”
Keira nodded.
“We’ll check the security footage.”
Jovan stopped.
“Security footage.”
“There has to be a camera in the sports hallway.”
Bima immediately pulled out his phone.
“Mr. Hendra can help us access it.”
Jovan looked thoughtful.
Keira watched him.
“This makes more sense than showing up at Reno’s house and causing trouble.”
Jovan let out a long breath.
Finally, he nodded.
“Okay.”
Keira narrowed her eyes.
“For real?”
“Yeah.”
Bima raised his hand.
“I’m a witness.”
Mr. Hendra did not look happy.
Not because they wanted to see the security footage.
Because Jovan had only just explained that something had been stolen from his locker—and that he had chosen not to report it since morning.
“When did you realize it was gone?”
“Just now.”
“And what time is it now?”
“After ten.”
Mr. Hendra glanced at the wall clock.
“What did you do before this?”
Jovan was silent.
Keira answered,
“He was going to look for someone.”
Mr. Hendra looked at Jovan.
“Who?”
“Never mind, sir.”
“Good.”
Mr. Hendra set down his pen.
“What was the item?”
“A letter.”
“What kind of letter?”
“Personal.”
Mr. Hendra raised an eyebrow.
“If it’s just a personal letter, why do you all look like you just lost the national exam?”
No one answered.
Mr. Hendra looked at Keira.
Keira gave a small shake of her head.
She wasn’t going to reveal Jovan’s secret.
Mr. Hendra sighed.
“Okay. I won’t force you.”
He stood.
“But if there’s any threat, blackmail, or anything connected to your family’s legal problems, I need to know enough to help.”
Jovan tensed immediately.
Mr. Hendra looked at him.
“So there is.”
Jovan closed his eyes.
Keira almost felt sorry for him.
Mr. Hendra sat back down.
“Relax. I’m not asking for details.”
His voice grew quieter.
“But you’re still students.”
Keira stayed silent.
“You don’t have to solve something that even adults are handling.”
That made Jovan look down at the desk.
Mr. Hendra picked up his phone.
“I’ll contact security. We’ll check the footage.”
The security footage from the sports hallway wasn’t very clear.
But it was enough.
They watched the recording from the day before.
At 7:16 a.m., Jovan opened his locker.
He took out a book.
Then closed it.
At 9:42, a student walked past.
At 10:05, two futsal players opened the locker beside it.
At 11:13—
Keira leaned forward.
“Stop.”
The security officer paused the video.
Someone was standing in front of Jovan’s locker.
Wearing the school’s athletic jacket.
A hat.
A mask.
Their face was almost completely hidden.
Bima frowned.
“Who’s that?”
Jovan stepped closer to the monitor.
The person looked left and right.
Then reached for the locker.
Strangely—
there was no attempt to break in.
The locker opened within seconds.
Jovan spoke immediately.
“They know how to open it.”
Keira stared at the screen.
The person took out the envelope.
Put it in their bag.
Then closed the locker.
“Keep playing,” Mr. Hendra said.
The recording continued.
The person went toward the back stairs.
The security officer switched cameras.
The stairs.
The figure went down.
Then, on the first floor, stopped.
They took off their hat.
Only for a moment.
“That’s not Reno,” Bima said immediately.
Keira saw it too.
The hair was longer.
The build was different.
“Is that a girl?” Jovan asked.
The security officer paused the footage.
It was difficult to be sure.
But the figure was definitely smaller than Reno.
Mr. Hendra asked for the camera at the back entrance.
The footage switched.
The person left the school.
They removed their mask for a moment to drink.
Their face was visible.
Keira froze.
So did Jovan.
“Wait,” Bima said softly.
Keira knew her.
Not well.
But she knew who she was.
An eleventh-grade student.
Often seen in Gedung Timur.
She had attended the big Pekan Suara Siswa meeting once.
“Who is she?” Mr. Hendra asked.
Jovan didn’t answer.
Keira said,
“Selma.”
Mr. Hendra turned to her.
“Full name?”
Keira tried to remember.
Bima answered first.
“Selma Wijaya.”
Keira immediately looked at him.
Wijaya.
Jovan realized it too.
“Reno.”
Bima nodded.
“They’re siblings.”
Mr. Hendra frowned.
“You’re sure?”
“Reno Wijaya, XI-3,” Keira said.
“Selma’s in XI-6.”
Mr. Hendra picked up his notes.
Keira was still staring at the screen.
Selma.
Why?
And how did she know how to open Jovan’s locker?
They weren’t allowed to confront Selma right away.
Mr. Hendra forbade it.
The school would call her in.
The problem was, Selma wasn’t at school that day either.
“Great,” Jovan muttered as they left the security office.
Keira looked at him.
“Don’t.”
“I haven’t said anything.”
“Your expression did.”
Bima walked behind them, opening his phone.
“Reno and Selma are siblings.”
“Same house,” Jovan said.
Keira stopped immediately.
“No.”
Jovan raised both hands.
“I’m just saying.”
“And don’t get any ideas.”
“Kei.”
“I mean it.”
Jovan sighed.
“Okay.”
Bima’s phone chimed.
He read the message.
Then his expression changed.
“Uh.”
Keira turned.
“What?”
Bima showed her the screen.
A message from Dito.
Dito: Where are Van and Kei?
Dito: TheNextHallway posted again.
Keira opened the account immediately.
A new post.
A photo of the security footage.
Not a photo of their screen.
But a screenshot of Selma standing in front of Jovan’s locker.
Caption:
Looking for the person who took the letter?
You’re looking in the wrong place if you think this is only about Reno.
Keira felt her stomach drop.
Jovan immediately looked at Mr. Hendra, who was still several yards behind them.
“Sir.”
Mr. Hendra looked at the post.
His expression changed.
“Who has access to this footage?”
The security officer immediately said,
“Only the school.”
The hair on the back of Keira’s neck rose.
If the post had appeared now—
that meant someone knew they were watching the security footage.
Or already had the recording.
Jovan read the caption again.
“You’re looking in the wrong place if you think this is only about Reno.”
Bima rubbed his face.
“So that account isn’t them?”
“Not necessarily,” Keira said.
“Or there’s more than one admin,” Jovan replied.
They looked at one another.
The anonymous account they had always assumed was run by one person might actually be used by several people.
And if that was true—
finding one admin wouldn’t solve anything.
Selma finally came to school at one in the afternoon.
With her mother.
Keira found out from Celine, who somehow always knew things before the school bell did.
“She’s in the vice principal’s office.”
Celine whispered at their desk.
“Reno came too.”
Keira looked at her.
“I thought he wasn’t coming.”
“He just got here.”
“Why?”
“He was summoned.”
Tasya put a hand on the desk.
“Don’t be too nosy.”
Celine looked offended.
“This isn’t being nosy. It’s an investigation.”
Farah said, “Nosiness with a formal name.”
Keira almost smiled.
Then someone knocked on the classroom door.
Everyone turned.
Mr. Hendra stood there.
“Keira. Come outside for a minute.”
The mood in the classroom changed immediately.
Keira stood.
Jovan was already waiting outside.
The moment she saw him, Keira knew the conversation in the vice principal’s office had not gone simply.
“What happened?”
Mr. Hendra said,
“Selma admitted to taking the letter.”
Jovan clenched his jaw.
“Why?”
“She said someone asked her to.”
Keira tensed.
“Who?”
Mr. Hendra shook his head.
“She won’t say yet.”
Jovan gave a short laugh.
“Won’t?”
“Van,” Keira said.
Mr. Hendra continued,
“She doesn’t have the letter anymore.”
Keira immediately felt cold.
“She gave it to that person?”
“That’s what she says.”
“Who was it?” Jovan asked again.
“She’s afraid to talk.”
Mr. Hendra sighed.
“And judging by her reaction, I believe she really is afraid.”
Keira looked at Jovan.
He was angry.
But this time, there was something else too.
Worry.
“Was Reno involved?” Keira asked.
“She says no.”
“Do you believe her?”
Mr. Hendra didn’t answer immediately.
“I don’t know yet.”
Jovan looked at the floor.
“Sir.”
“Yes?”
“Can I talk to Selma?”
Mr. Hendra looked at him for a long moment.
“If you can control your tone.”
Jovan nodded.
“Keira’s coming too.”
Keira was slightly surprised.
Mr. Hendra added,
“She seems more afraid of you.”
Jovan sighed.
“Fair.”
Selma sat in the counseling room.
Her face was pale.
Reno sat several chairs away.
The moment Jovan entered, Reno stood.
“I don’t know anything about this.”
Jovan stopped.
“I haven’t asked you anything yet.”
“But everyone’s going to think I—”
“Reno.”
Mr. Hendra entered behind them.
“Sit.”
Reno obeyed.
Keira sat beside Jovan.
Selma didn’t look at them.
Her hands kept fidgeting with the end of her uniform sleeve.
Jovan placed both palms on the table.
His hands weren’t clenched.
Keira noticed.
He was trying.
“Selma.”
The girl finally looked up.
Jovan spoke quietly.
“I don’t want to get angry.”
Selma looked unconvinced.
Jovan exhaled.
“Okay, I am angry.”
Keira turned toward him.
Jovan continued,
“But I’m not going to yell at you.”
Selma lowered her head again.
“I just need to know where the letter is now.”
Selma was silent.
“That letter is important to my family.”
There was no answer.
Keira finally spoke.
“Selma.”
The girl looked at her.
“Are you afraid of the person who told you to do it?”
Selma froze.
That was answer enough.
Keira continued,
“Did they threaten you?”
Selma’s eyes began to fill with tears.
Reno immediately turned toward his sister.
“Sel.”
“Be quiet.”
Selma’s voice cracked.
Everyone went silent.
Selma quickly wiped her eyes.
“They said that if I didn’t take the letter…”
She stopped.
Reno stood again.
“What?”
Selma looked at her brother.
“…they’d give the school proof that Reno was the one running TheNextHallway.”
The room fell completely silent.
Keira looked at Reno.
The color had drained from his face.
Jovan slowly turned toward him.
“You’re the admin?”
Reno didn’t answer.
“Reno,” Mr. Hendra said firmly.
Reno rubbed his face.
“Sometimes.”
Keira froze.
“Sometimes?”
Reno stared at the table.
“The account isn’t just me.”
They had been right.
“How many people are there?” Keira asked.
Reno didn’t answer.
Mr. Hendra looked at him.
“Reno.”
“Four.”
Jovan leaned back in his chair.
“Who?”
Reno shook his head.
“I can’t—”
“You’re still trying to protect them?” Jovan’s voice began to rise.
Keira touched his arm.
Jovan stopped.
Reno looked at them.
“It started as something we did for fun.”
“Who are the names?” Mr. Hendra asked.
Reno was silent for a long time.
Finally, he said,
“Me.”
“Selma isn’t involved.”
Selma nodded quickly.
“And Candra from XI-2.”
Keira didn’t really know that name.
“Who else?”
Reno swallowed.
“One more person.”
“Who?”
Reno looked at Selma.
She immediately looked frightened.
Jovan noticed.
“The person who told her to take the letter?”
Reno didn’t answer.
Keira felt the tension in the room rise.
“Who?” Mr. Hendra asked again.
Reno finally said,
“Felix Adhitama.”
Keira frowned.
The name wasn’t familiar.
But Jovan reacted.
He looked straight at Reno.
“Felix?”
Keira turned to him.
“You know him?”
Jovan didn’t answer right away.
Reno stared at Jovan.
“You know him?”
Jovan stood.
His expression had changed.
“Whose son is he?”
Reno looked confused.
“His dad is Mr. Adrian Adhitama.”
Jovan froze.
Keira immediately sensed something bad.
“Who’s Mr. Adrian?”
Jovan didn’t answer at once.
Then he said quietly,
“The CFO of Dad’s company.”
Keira held her breath.
All the pieces were beginning to connect.
The company.
The missing funds.
The account in Jovan’s mother’s name.
Bagas.
The letter.
The school account.
Felix.
The son of one of the company’s executives.
Reno stared at Jovan in disbelief.
“I didn’t know.”
Jovan almost laughed.
“I just found out too.”
Selma began crying harder.
“Felix said he only wanted to read the letter.”
Jovan looked at her immediately.
“Does he have it now?”
Selma nodded.
“He took it yesterday.”
“Where is he?”
Selma was silent.
“Selma.”
“He didn’t come to school.”
Keira remembered.
Felix.
She rarely heard that name.
Maybe because he was in a different class.
“His number?” Jovan asked.
“I have it,” Reno said immediately.
Mr. Hendra raised a hand.
“Stop.”
Everyone turned.
“No one contacts Felix on their own.”
Jovan opened his mouth.
Mr. Hendra looked at him.
“Especially you.”
Jovan closed his mouth.
Mr. Hendra picked up his phone.
“This has gone beyond a school matter. I’ll contact your parents and the people who need to be involved.”
Jovan stood stiffly.
Keira touched his arm again.
This time, Jovan didn’t pull away.
They left the room almost an hour later.
Jovan didn’t speak.
Keira walked beside him.
Bima was waiting at the end of the hallway.
The moment he saw their faces, he didn’t ask for details.
“That bad?”
Jovan nodded.
“Felix.”
Bima frowned.
“Felix Adhitama?”
“Yeah.”
Bima swore under his breath.
“How did I only just notice his last name?”
Jovan laughed bitterly.
“Same.”
Keira stopped.
“Van.”
“Hm?”
“Don’t blame yourself.”
Jovan looked at her.
“I kept three months’ worth of evidence in a school locker.”
“That was stupid.”
Bima immediately covered his mouth to hold back a laugh.
Jovan stared at Keira in disbelief.
Keira continued,
“But the person who stole it is still the one in the wrong.”
Jovan exhaled.
“Thanks for the balanced perspective.”
“You’re welcome.”
For a split second, a small smile appeared.
Then disappeared.
“If Felix gives that letter to his dad…”
Keira knew.
The evidence could be destroyed.
Or altered.
Or used against Jovan’s family.
“Has Mr. Hendra contacted your mom?”
“Yeah.”
“And?”
“The family lawyer is coming.”
Bima nodded.
“Good.”
Jovan looked out across the school grounds.
“Dad doesn’t know yet.”
Keira fell silent.
“And I don’t know what to say.”
Keira touched the back of his hand.
She didn’t hold it.
Just touched it.
“Don’t do this alone.”
Jovan looked at their hands.
Then at Keira.
“Do you realize how often you’ve been saying that lately?”
“Because you keep trying to do everything alone.”
“Fair.”
That afternoon, the school found out faster than it should have.
@TheNextHallway disappeared.
Not just the post.
The account itself.
It couldn’t be found.
Celine came to the Media Room with her eyes wide.
“The account’s dead.”
Keira turned.
“Deleted?”
“Looks like it.”
Tasya looked too.
“Good, right?”
Celine shook her head.
“It’s not that simple.”
“Why?”
“Because before it disappeared, it uploaded one final story.”
Celine showed them the screenshot.
A black background.
White text.
If this account disappears, it means someone’s starting to get scared.
But all the files have already been saved.
Including Jovan’s letter.
Keira felt her stomach tighten.
Jovan, standing on the other side of the room, immediately took Celine’s phone.
“The letter file?”
“Looks like they photographed it.”
Jovan clenched his jaw.
“If Felix already photographed what’s inside—”
Keira said immediately,
“Then the physical letter isn’t the only copy.”
Jovan stopped.
Bima, who had just entered, realized the same thing.
“Good.”
Everyone looked at him.
“I don’t mean it’s good that the letter leaked.”
He raised his hands.
“It’s good that if they try to destroy the physical letter, there’s already a digital trail.”
Keira nodded slowly.
Jovan thought.
“If we can get the file…”
Celine said immediately,
“Reno might know how to access the account.”
Jovan had already turned toward the door.
Keira grabbed the strap of her bag.
Jovan stopped.
He looked back.
Keira stared at him.
“Mr. Hendra.”
Jovan sighed.
“Yeah.”
“Good.”
Bima smiled.
“Character development.”
Jovan flipped him off.
That night, Keira got home later because she had to give a statement to the school.
Jovan left with his mother and the family lawyer.
They didn’t text much.
Just once at seven.
Jovan: I’m at the lawyer’s office.
Keira: Okay.
Jovan: Are you home yet?
Keira: Yeah.
Jovan: Eat.
Keira smiled faintly.
Keira: You too.
There was no reply for almost an hour.
Then:
Jovan: Kei.
Keira: Hm?
Jovan: If all this gets more complicated, you can still walk away.
Keira stared at the screen for a long time.
Annoyed.
Sad.
And understanding, at least a little, why Jovan had written it.
She typed.
Deleted it.
Typed again.
Finally:
Keira: You still don’t get it, do you?
The message was read.
Jovan: What?
Keira: If I want to leave, I’ll tell you myself.
The typing indicator appeared.
Jovan: Okay.
Keira smiled.
Then the next message appeared.
Jovan: But if you stay, it might get even harder for me to stop hoping.
Keira froze.
Her heart beat slowly, but heavily.
She read it again.
She didn’t know how to answer.
Jovan sent a second message.
Jovan: You don’t have to answer now.
Keira bit her lip.
Keira: You always say that after saying something that leaves me thinking about it.
Jovan: Strategy.
Keira: You’re annoying.
Jovan: Still love me?
Keira stared at the screen.
How bold.
She typed:
Keira: Go to sleep.
Jovan replied with a laughing emoji.
Keira set down her phone.
But her smile didn’t disappear.
At 10:47 p.m., her phone rang again.
An unknown number.
Not the same number as before.
Keira immediately went on alert.
There was only one message.
Unknown Number: If you want Jovan’s letter back, come alone to the back parking lot at Titik Sore tomorrow at four.
Keira froze.
A second message came in.
Unknown Number: Don’t bring Jovan.
Then a photo.
The brown envelope.
Bagas’s handwriting on top.
The original.
Keira stood immediately.
Her heart pounded.
The final message appeared.
Unknown Number: If you tell anyone, the letter is toast.
Keira stared at the screen.
All the advice they had just agreed on flashed through her mind.
Don’t do this alone.
Don’t hide it.
Don’t make decisions for someone else.
Keira opened her chat with Jovan.
Her finger hovered over the keyboard.
But before she could type, another message from the unknown number came in.
A photo.
Keira at the hospital the day before.
Taken from a distance.
Then one sentence:
I know where you live too.
Keira froze.
For the first time since all the chaos began, fear overcame her anger.
And one thing became clear.
Whoever had the letter wasn’t just playing with gossip anymore.
Now they were threatening her directly.
Keira looked at Jovan’s name on the screen.
Then typed one sentence.
Keira: Van, I need you.