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by the time Y/N returned to the dorms, the last traces of sunset fading behind the academy's towering spires.

The corridors had begun to empty, students retreating to their rooms before curfew, the air carrying a quiet lull of conversation and muffled laughter behind closed doors.

It felt strangely peaceful, but a nagging weight still pressed against her chest.

Marcus' words replayed in her mind like a warning she couldn't shake.

'That book shouldn't have been in the student section.'

And yet, she had found it sitting right there, untouched, as if it had been waiting for her.

And then there was the student council meeting.

She ran her fingers over the edge of the flyer tucked between her textbooks as she entered her dorm.

★

Inside, Julia was sprawled across her bed, one leg propped up against the headboard, phone held over her face as she scrolled with lazy flicks of her finger; Cressida at her vanity styling her blonde hair.

Aisha was at her desk, a book open in front of her, diligently taking notes, though she didn't bother to glance up when Y/N walked in. The moment the door shut behind her, Julia finally spoke.

"Took your time" she mused, still not looking away from her phone.

Y/N tossed her bag onto her bed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Ran into Marcus Ford."

That got Julia's attention. She dropped her phone onto her stomach and sat up, her expression immediately intrigued. "Wait, that Marcus? The senior? The one who told Azul to go shove it in the cafeteria?"

Y/N nodded.

Julia whistled, shaking her head with an exaggerated sigh. "Damn, girl. You've got all the important people looking at you these days."

"It wasn't like that" Y/N muttered, rolling her eyes. "He just told me about this student council meeting tonight. Said it's open to everyone, but something about the way he said it made me feel like I should be there."

Julia's brow arched. "Open to everyone? Including the fanged bastards?"

"Oi" the blondie murmured still sat at her vanity, though with most of her focus on unraveling her curls from the iron.

Y/N hesitated before nodding. "Yeah. Which is exactly why I wouldn't be surprised if some of them show up."

Aisha finally looked up, her expression already unimpressed. "If this is another one of your ideas to get into trouble, I want absolutely no part of it."

Julia smirked. "Who said it was trouble? It's just a meeting, Aisha. A normal, boring school meeting."

Y/N let out a dry laugh. "With this school? Nothing's ever just normal."

Aisha shook her head, turning back to her book. "Well, when you both inevitably get caught sneaking back after curfew, I'll be comfortably in bed."

Y/N turned to Julia. "So, you coming?"

Julia shot her a look. "Of course I'm coming. If this is some weird vampire-human power struggle thing, I need to witness it!"

Y/N huffed a laugh. "Great. Then get ready. We need to head out soon."

★

The night had settled heavily over the academy by the time they left the dormitory.

The air was crisp, carrying the distant scent of autumn leaves, and the glow of the campus lamps cast long shadows along the stone pathways.

Julia stuck close to Y/N as they walked, their footsteps echoing in the quiet. "You ever get the feeling we should not be out here?" she muttered, glancing around.

"All the time" Y/N replied dryly.

The conference hall loomed ahead, the grand building's towering windows glowing faintly from the inside. As they neared the entrance, the sound of low murmuring reached their ears—voices carrying from within.

But just as Y/N stepped towards the door, she collided—hard—into someone walking inside at the same time.

She stumbled back with a small gasp, feeling the firm, solid presence of the person she had bumped into before she even looked up.

"Not you again human" a familiar voice drawled, laced with amused condescension. "You sure you're not following me?"

Her stomach twisted in instant recognition.

Of course.

Calixto.

She barely suppressed a groan as she looked up, meeting his ever-infuriating gaze. His sharp, aristocratic features were set in their usual smirk, dark eyes glinting with something between amusement and irritation.

'The only thing that would follow you, are flies you piece of shit..' but she said that in her head just to save her time,

and her neck.

He tilted his head slightly, as if observing a mildly interesting inconvenience rather than the person he had nearly walked through. "Didn't realise they were letting just anyone into these meetings" he added, his smirk widening.

Y/N scowled. "Didn't realise assholes cared so much about school democracy."

Julia let out a snort behind her.

Calixto chuckled under his breath before stepping aside with a mocking little bow. "After you then. Wouldn't want to block the door."

Y/N rolled her eyes and brushed past him, Julia following right after, barely containing her laughter.

★

Inside, the library hall had been rearranged with rows of chairs, most of them already occupied by students—both human and vampire.

The atmosphere was thick with an unspoken tension, a clear divide present even in the seating arrangements. Humans clustered on one side, vampires on the other, with only a few exceptions scattered between.

And, as expected, she immediately spotted them.

Silas, Azul, and Calixto were all present, sitting together towards the back like kings on their throne. Y/N's stomach twisted slightly.

No Adrian? Guess he doesn't really look like a student body gathering type of person..?

Her gaze flickered briefly over Azul, who was leaned back lazily in his chair, twirling a pen between his fingers.

Silas, ever the composed scholar, sat with his arms crossed, expression unreadable.

Calixto, having just sat down, stretched an arm over the back of his chair, sending Y/N an amused glance from across the room.

Julia elbowed her. "Well, this just got way more interesting."

Before Y/N could respond, a voice called her name.

"Y/N?"

She turned just in time to see a familiar face approaching—Marcus.

Unlike most of the other seniors, Marcus' expression brightened noticeably as he saw her, a small grin breaking through his otherwise serious demeanour.

He strode over, nodding towards Julia in greeting before turning his attention back to Y/N. "Didn't think you'd actually show up?" he said with a chuckle.

Y/N shrugged. "Neither did I."

He gestured for them to sit. "We're about to start. This whole thing is basically a discussion on how to improve the school—faculty wants to hear from students directly."

Julia arched an eyebrow. "And yet they're letting the bloodsuckers in on it too?"

Marcus raised an eyebrow yet ever the gentleman smiled at it. "They're still students. The whole point is that both sides get to have a say."

Y/N, still feeling the weight of several stares from across the room, exhaled slowly before sitting down.

The discussion started, moving from general school concerns to deeper, more complicated topics—segregation, fair treatment, safety regulations. The tension in the room grew with each topic, voices rising, emotions flaring.

At one point, Marcus, who was leading the discussion, turned directly to Y/N.

"What about you, Y/N? You've seen both sides of this more than most. What do you think?"

Her breath caught.

She wasn't expecting to be put on the spot, and for a split second, panic surged through her. She glanced at Marcus, who offered her a small, reassuring nod—subtle, but enough to ground her.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to speak.

"I think.." She hesitated, then met his eyes again. "Um I think if we keep treating each other like enemies, that's all we're ever going to be. So.. maybe everyone should just stop being so sensitive?"

Silence.

Then, murmurs.

Marcus' smile deepened. He gave her a small nod of approval; and she felt herself relax slightly—until she noticed the weight of other gazes on her.

Three distinct pairs of eyes, watching, calculating, unreadable.

★

As soon as the library doors swung shut behind them, Julia let out a long, exaggerated breath and slumped against the stone railing.

"Well, that was way more entertaining than I thought it'd be," she mused, stretching her arms above her head. "Ten out of ten. Great drama. Needs a little more violence, though."

"Pfft—" Y/N shot her a look. "You were this close to throwing hands with that vampire girl sitting behind us."

Julia scoffed. "Okay, but did you hear her! 'Ugh, humans don't even appreciate the prestige of this school.' Like, ma'am, you're three essays behind in History; let's not act like you invented academia."

Y/N let out a tired laugh, shaking her head as they started walking.

The night air was crisp, carrying the scent of damp leaves and old stone, and the campus grounds stretched eerily quiet now that most students had retreated to their dorms.

Julia suddenly nudged her. "Also, I noticed something very interesting back there."

"Which was?"

"Oh, just the way certain vampires couldn't take their eyes off you," she sing-songed, wiggling her eyebrows.

Y/N groaned. "I knew you were gonna say that."

Julia grinned, completely unbothered. "Calixto looked like he was mentally drafting up a new way to annoy you. Silas was staring like he was calculating your exact GPA. Azul.." She paused. "Actually, I think Azul was asleep?"

Y/N rolled her eyes. "He wasn't asleep."

Julia hummed. "Then he was meditating on new ways to be an ass."

They turned onto the main pathway leading back to the dorms, their footsteps echoing in the empty night.

"You think the dorm monitor's gonna kill us?" Y/N asked after a moment.

Julia snorted. "Absolutely. But you know what? I'll just say I got lost in deep academic discussion and they'll let me off the hook."

Y/N side-eyed her. "Academic discussion?"

"I'll make something up," Julia said confidently. "Like, 'Oh, we were just passionately debating the socioeconomic effects of human-vampire coexistence.'"

"They're gonna see right through that."

"Nah, I'll throw in a quote from some dead philosopher. 'As Aristotle once said, know thy enemy—'"

Julia froze mid-stride.

Y/N's heart stuttered slightly as she slowed her steps, her ears picking up on the distinct sound of movement from the bushes nearby.

"...Did you hear that?" Julia whispered.

More rustling. A low thud. Then... silence.

Y/N swallowed. "Probably just a squirrel.."

Julia slowly turned her head. "A squirrel?"

"Yeah."

"At this hour?"

"Squirrels exist at night."

"No, they don't," Julia whispered furiously. "That's literally a scientific fact."

Y/N took a hesitant step forward. "Well, what else could it be?"

Julia's eyes flickered toward the bushes. "..Murderer?"

Y/N sighed. "It's not a murderer.."

"You don't know that."

"Why would a murderer be hiding in bushes?"

Julia pursed her lips. "I dunno. Maybe they have bush tactics."

Y/N pinched the bridge of her nose. "We are not getting murdered by a bush assassin."

More rustling.

Julia sucked in a sharp breath. "Okay, but what if—"

Then—