Suddenly, the driver’s face turned pale. He slammed on the brakes.
In the front seat, Maria Quinn leaned forward.
“Sir, what’s wrong?” she asked, concerned.
The driver gritted his teeth, hesitated a moment, then said,
“Nothing.”
He restarted the engine, but less than two minutes later, he pulled over again and unbuckled his seatbelt in frustration.
“Stay in the bus. I’ll be back in a minute.”
He jumped out of the vehicle and disappeared into the woods.
I looked away, letting my gaze fall to the digital clock on the dashboard.
2:20 p.m.
When the driver returned and climbed back into the bus, the timing was—perfect.
We entered the city, the streets growing denser, the traffic heavier.
As we turned onto Maple Road, red lights blinked from all directions.
Without hesitation, the driver stepped hard on the accelerator.
I gripped the front seat tight, my eyes fixed on the countdown clock flashing on the screen.
Here it comes!
A red sports car came out of nowhere—screeching past from the side.
The sound of metal grinding.
A sudden jolt.
Glass exploded from the front windshield, shards flying everywhere.
Even though I’d braced myself, I was still thrown forward by the impact. My body slammed into the front seat, hard.
My head buzzed. I gasped for air.
As the world slowly came back into focus, I stumbled to my feet and moved toward the front.
The driver was slumped over the wheel, blood trickling from his forehead.
I shook his arm—nothing.
Quickly, I reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
Luna Madison, her arm bleeding, hurried over to me in a panic.
“Camila, is the driver dead? What do we do?”
I sneered.
“Better if he is.”
The bus went completely silent.
All eyes turned to me, wide and stunned.
I ignored them, pushed past Luna, and climbed out through the shattered window.
Outside, a crowd had already gathered.
Strangely, no one looked surprised.
They caught me gently as I dropped down and quietly set me aside.
No one knew exactly what had happened inside the bus, but people standing outside were waving at the students by the windows.
“Kids, jump! We’ll catch you!”
I stepped away from the crowd, phone in hand, typing a quick message. Then I quietly slipped to the edge of the scene.
Somewhere behind me, someone was calling the police.
I knew that if I stayed and waited for them to arrive, they’d definitely send me straight to the exam hall.