Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Like an Angel
Paid publication
Book #2	Secrets of Dorley Hall
Chapter	10
Free publication
Date posted	Oct 8, 2022
Word count	27,852
Points of view	Stef, Melissa, Shahida, Aaron, Pippa, Christine, Maria, Tabitha, Rabia, Abby, neutral point-of-view
AO3 Scribble Hub
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Chapter 25: Like an Angel is the tenth chapter of the second book of the series, Secrets of Dorley Hall, and twenty-fifth chapter overall.

The chapter title references Stef’s impression of Melissa after reuniting with her.

The chapter contains 35 scenes, which all take place on Thursday, 12 December 2019.

Plot

Aaron tells Stef he knows she’s trans, and she in turn breaks down telling him that she deliberately tried to come to Dorley

Melissa prepares to rush back to Almsworth from Manchester; Zach refuses to have her quit immediately

Shahida thinks about the meeting with Christine and Abby the day before and is unconvinced by the misgendering slip; she messages Rachel mentioning she’s at Saints; she gets mum Rupa to send the Mark folder so she can feminise the photos of him

Melissa gets a low-calorie meal from a roadside burger joint on the A1

Aaron angrily considers Stef’s confession, and Maria visits him to read him in on what Stef went through

Pippa takes Stef upstairs to destress her

Melissa arrives at Dorley and prepares to rescue Stef

Paige helps Pippa makeup Stef

Christine notices Melissa entering in a mood of determination and fear, so she raises the alert level for sponsors

Still with Aaron, Maria deputises Tabby to take care of Melissa

Tabby hares down the stairs

Shahida captures video of Melissa entering Dorley and is convinced it’s her

Rabia turns off her emergency notifications

Stef notices a commotion and sees Melissa bearing down on her

Melissa comes upon Stef in the dining hall

Rushing to the dining hall Christine watches as Melissa abducts Stef at taser-point, heading towards the conservatory

Five of the sponsors including Abby receive the emergency notice while in line to vote in the UK general election

Shahida sends her own emergency e-mail and voicemail to Rachel, and prepares to enter the hall

Melissa drags a terrified Stef to the conservatory

Tabby intercepts Shahida at the main entrance

Christine tries to track an aggressively blonde Melissa down through the maze of rooms, with help from Charlie and the second-years

Stef tells an incredulous Melissa that he wants to stay

Having gotten Shahida inside, Tabby locks down the kitchen and offers tea or coffee and a croissant

Christine tells Melissa that Stef is trans; Faye has a hero moment; to prove Stef is not a prisoner, Christine opens the conservatory doors to the outside

Abby, Bella and Monica arrive back at the kitchen, finding Tabby and Shahida

Vicky and Lorna get a message from Tabby to ask for help with Shahida

The penny drops for Melissa that the rescue was unneeded; Paige catches her mid-swoon

Paige lets Tabby know the situation is under control; Vicky and Lorna arrive as Tabby begins the disclosure procedure with Shahida

Maria continues to fill in Aaron about Stef’s situation

Christine and Pippa take Stef to the second-floor kitchen, leaving Abby with Melissa

Disclosure continues in the kitchen; Christine drops in to collect microwave-able meals

Via Abby’s room, Abby takes Melissa to the second-floor kitchen, and Melissa and Steph retry reintroductions, properly this time

Maria finishes telling Stef’s story to Aaron

Stef and Melissa go to the roof to continue talking, then go down to the kitchen to meet Shahida

Stef goes back to her basement room, meeting Aaron waiting outside her bedroom, and she falls asleep; Maria sends Aaron The Little Mermaid to watch

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