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the entire campus was still buzzing about last night's announcement. Students whispered over breakfast, sneaking glances at the head table where the faculty sat stiffly, their expressions unreadable.

Even the vampires, usually exuding effortless confidence, looked unsettled.

Y/N stirred her cereal absentmindedly, barely registering Julia's ongoing rant.

"I'm just saying!" Julia huffed, stabbing at her fruit cup with unnecessary aggression. "If there was a monster in the forest, shouldn't we like—I don't know—be learning how to defend ourselves instead of being locked inside like fragile little dolls?"

"That would imply the school actually cares about us." Aisha muttered, sipping her tea.

Cressida, as always, was eerily calm. "Maybe they do" she said, setting down her spoon delicately. "Or maybe they just don't want to cause panic."

Y/N scoffed. "Too late for that."

She wasn't the only one who felt it. Every student seemed more on edge than usual, their eyes darting toward the exits, toward the windows, toward the forest.

It wasn't just what had happened—it was the fact that no one was explaining it.

brRRING!

The bell rang, signalling the start of first period. The girls groaned as they gathered their things.

"Meet you girlies at lunch!" Julia said, nudging Y/N. "We can keep our eyes peeled for any supernatural weirdness."

"Right, because that's in short supply around here." Y/N deadpanned before heading off to class.

★

The second Y/N stepped into the science lab, she immediately sensed something was off.

The usual seating arrangement—where she sat comfortably next to some quiet human girl who never asked her to do much—had been changed. Instead, she saw the worst possible sight: a seating plan displayed on the board at the front of the classroom.

Oh no.

"Ugh" she groaned, rushing to check where she'd been assigned.

Her eyes scanned the list, her stomach dropping at the name next to hers:

[Y/N L/N]—[Adrian Laine]

Y/N glanced around the room, spotting him instantly.

He was tall. Very tall.

Broad-shouldered, and somehow even more unapproachable than the others. His dark hair was slightly tousled, like he hadn't bothered to fix it that morning, that lightly laid against his tanned skin.

Is that a boy or a bear..?

Looking closer she realised he was that quiet one who strung around with Calixto and his group.

Unlike Calixto, who drew attention effortlessly, or Silas, who always carried himself like he owned the place, Adrian had an entirely different presence—quiet, heavy, intimidating.

His sharp, dark eyes flicked up as if sensing her gaze.

Y/N quickly looked away.

Great.

Reluctantly, she made her way over, dropping her bag onto the table with a little more force than necessary.

"New seating chart?" she said, trying to sound casual.

Adrian barely spared her a glance. "Looks like it."

Wow. What an engaging conversationalist.

She slid into the seat beside him, glancing at the instructions on the board. Their first experiment of the semester. She could already tell this was going to be painful.

"So... do you wanna split the work, or—"

"You measure. I'll handle the chemical mixing" Adrian cut in, already reaching for the beakers. His voice was deep, even, and completely indifferent.

Y/N blinked. "Uh. Okay?"

Definitely a bear.

Adrian didn't respond. He just continued setting up the experiment, as if she wasn't even there.

She studied him for a moment, arms crossed. Out of the four, she'd already dealt with:

Calixto (the worst), who took way too much pleasure in annoying her. Silas (also the worst), who made everything a competition. Azul (weird), who seemed to delight in forcing her into close proximity and telling her creepy foreboding messages.

But Adrian?

He was just kinda..there?Cold, but efficient and quiet.

Y/N sighed, focusing on her task. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. At least he wasn't making her deadpan, like the others.

As she measured the first substance, she felt his gaze flick toward her hands.

"You're off by a milimeter." Adrian murmured.

Y/N frowned. "Excuse me? You don't even know what I was aiming for."

He tapped the instructions without looking. "You were supposed to stop at twenty milliliters. You hit twenty-two."

Y/N stared.

"Okaynerd?" she muttered, but he only shrugged, entirely unfazed.

"You poured too much." he said, finally looking up at her. "The liquid line isn't level."

She squinted at the beaker. "No, I didn't."

He simply held out his hand. "Give it to me."

"What no—"

Before she could even finish his large hand had grasped over the beaker. But Y/N being her stubborn self wasn't going down without a fight. "Let go buddy."

"No, you let go."

As his grip tightened over hers, Y/N scowled but handed it over in fear of something escalating. Adrian barely glanced at it before adjusting it slightly.

"There. Now it's correct."

Y/N narrowed her eyes. "Wow. You almost did God's work with that drastic change. Thanks for saving us."

He deadpanned as he exhaled, looking vaguely amused for the first time. "Right?"

Y/N huffed. "Funny. Perfectionist much?"

Adrian shrugged. "I don't care about perfection. I just don't like mistakes."

Y/N stared at him. "...That's literally the same thing."

"Not really." He returned to his work, completely unbothered.

She opened her mouth to argue—then stopped herself.Unlike the others, he wasn't teasing her, pushing her buttons, or challenging her for fun. He was just...observant. Might as well stay on his good terms if not with the other three.

★

Y/N didn't know why that made her uneasy.

Still, she wasn't going to sit there quietly. If he was going to be the world's most insufferable lab partner, she was going to be just as annoying back.

She smirked. "So, tell me, Adrian. Do you have a personality under all that brooding, or are you contractually obligated to be this mysterious?"

"You overthink things too much." he said casually.

Y/N whipped around. "Excuse me?"

His gaze was lazy, unimpressed. "You're trying too hard to figure me out."

She opened her mouth—then shut it.

How did he know that?!

For a second, she swore she saw the ghost of a smile.But then—nothing.Adrian simply continued mixing the chemicals, his voice dry as he muttered, "Maybe you should focus on not spilling that beaker again, human."

Y/N gaped. "Are you serious?"

He wasn't.

But that didn't stop him from smirking slightly as he turned back to his work. The bell rang as class ended; and before she could recover, Adrian stood, slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"See you tomorrow, partner."

Maybe the chemicals from a double period had gotten to her head. Maybe she was misremembering, exaggerating the glint she'd seen as he stood up and walked off.

Imagining the almost predatory flash of his teeth as he smiled, a flash that felt far too prolonged, too sharp.

Can some vampires genetically have such big teeth?

Y/N watched him go. "Vampires and their stupid fucking brooding I swear." She mumbled to herself, rubbing her temples.

And more importantly—why did he get under her skin so damn fast?

Shut up Y/N. He's right, you overthink WAY too much.