The Recall Trials Chapter 42: When the Ones We Trust Become Suspects

Out of nowhere, I felt a small hand close around my wrist..

"Co with ," Zaara whispered beside , like she didn’t want anyone else to hear.

She didn’t wait for permission. She just pulled.

We moved fast, past the other contestants, through the dim hallway, until we slipped into one of the restrooms tucked behind the common area. The door clicked shut behind us, and the hum of the room outside faded into silence.

Zaara turned to face . Her jaw was tight, and her arms folded across her chest like she was holding sothing in.

"I need to say sothing," she said. "Nd I need you to just....listen for a second."

I leaned back against the edge of the shower facet, trying to read her face. "Okay... I’m listening."

She hesitated for a second, and then spoke.

"I don’t trust him."

I looked confused. "Who?"

"Dinesh," she said. "The data analyst guy. From Sector B."

I blinked. "What? But he literally did helped—"

"I know," she interrupted, stepping a little closer. "I know how it sounds. But sothing about it doesn’t sit right."

I stayed quiet.

She exhaled, the breath shaky. "He built those systems, Vincent. The ones that tracked us, predicted us, marked us as dangerous before we ever even ssed up. That’s not a low-level job. Think about it vincent."

Her eyes flicked to the tiled floor for a second, then back up.

I stayed silent, trying to keep my face still. But sothing in my stomach started to turn.

"And now he’s just... here? In this ga, like one of us? After everything he knows?" Her voice cracked slightly. "It doesn’t make sense. And I don’t an like he’s evil....I an, what if he’s still part of it? What if they sent him in to watch us? I’m scared, I don’t want to get fooled again."

I stared at her, feeling her fear sink into my skin.

She wasn’t judging Dinesh. She was scared of what it ant to trust the wrong person again.

And the worst part?

Her words made sense.

Too much sense.

"I don’t trust anyone who worked for the elites," she said. "Not when they know how to bend the rules better than the rest of us even understand them."

She ran a hand through her hair and let out a shaky breath. "He says he leaked data. Got punished. Okay. But if he’s smart enough to design all that... then he’s smart enough to ga this whole Trial. To say the right thing, act like a victim, and blend in."

I felt a cold twist in my gut, because I knew exactly how dangerous a person could be when they were trusted by the system.

"So... you’re saying Aaron was right to accuse him?" I asked her quietly, watching her face.

Zaara shook her head. "No. I’m not saying that."

She uncrossed her arms and let them fall to her sides, sighing. "He had no right to hit Dinesh. I don’t care what he suspects—no one deserves to be judged or attacked because of their past. But..." she looked up at , "if soone’s past could end up putting the rest of us in danger... then yeah, we can’t ignore that either."

Her eyes locked on mine. "We have to protect ourselves. And the people we care about."

The knot in my stomach twisted tighter.

I didn’t say anything right away. My mind was racing too fast for words to keep up.

My silence must’ve dragged a little too long, because she tilted her head, studying again.

"You okay?" she asked, brows pulling together slightly.

I blinked, forcing a breath out. "Yeah," I said. "Yeah, I’m just... processing."

The sick twist in my gut wasn’t just about Dinesh.

It was about .

Hell, I was one of them.

Because she didn’t know the truth.

Didn’t know that I ca from the very world she hated.

And if I told her... would she still look at the sa way?

Would she even want to look at at all?

And now I was standing here, watching her try to protect both of us from soone who might be hiding a different mask.

Soone who might not be the only one.

Because I was the elite. No matter how I tried to bury it, wipe it clean, Sector A was still under my skin.

"There’s soone else I’ve been thinking about," she added. "Jojo."

That surprised . "Jojo?"

"I know she’s been through a lot," Zaara said. "But she used to be a hitwoman for Sector A. She killed people, Vincent. For the elites. And I get it...maybe she was forced, or maybe she hated it. But I can’t forget what she was. I don’t know if I can trust that kind of past."

Her voice wavered just slightly.

"You think you’re safe around them until you’re not. And even if Jojo says she’s changed, the truth is..." her voice dropped..."people like that know how to hide things. That scares ."

I felt my heartbeat thudding against my chest.

I hesitated. Then maybe to deflect, maybe because I needed to shift the focus I said, "I’ve been thinking about Carter too."

Zaara blinked. "What about him?"

I stepped forward slightly, lowering my voice. "His story. It doesn’t line up."

She looked at , curious. "Carter is a great guy Vincent she said, he’s been through for us since she said "

I continued, "At first, he said he told his daughter he was going out for a job...like he didn’t know he was being dragged into the Trials. But then, later, he said he got thrown into this because he disobeyed orders. Refused to shoot civilians."

Zaara’s eyes widened slightly.

"Hmmmm....That’s true," she said. "I rember that. Both versions."

I nodded. "So which is it? Did he not know he was being sent here... or did he know he was punished and sent here because he defied orders?"

"Hmmmm. That doesn’t add up," she said,"Why would soone lie about that?"

"I’m not saying Carter’s the wildcard," i said. "But I’m not ruling it out either."