Page 46

THE RAIN FELL AGAIN THAT EVENING.

Not a dramatic downpour, but a slow, steady weep from the sky that soaked the stone paths between the dormitories, drummed softly on the glass panes of the common rooms, and muffled the usually sharp sounds of life within Auragon Academy.

It was the kind of rain that made everything seem quieter. Smaller. Like the world itself was trying to hush the memory of what had happened that morning.

But Y/N couldn't forget.

She sat alone in the dorm, a cup of untouched tea cooling between her hands, her knees drawn up to her chest on the messy sheets of her bed. The room was dim, lit only by a few scattered lamps. Outside the windows, the sky hung low and grey, like a lid pressed down on the academy.

She'd changed out of her muddy clothes hours ago.

Showered. Combed her hair and scrubbed the dirt from beneath her nails.

But she still felt the phantom of the slope beneath her feet—the moment the earth had betrayed her, the weightless terror of falling, the cold, inhumane grip on her ankle.

She'd replayed it over and over. Had she caught it on a root? Was it a rock? A trick of the mind?

Or something worse?

Her fingers twitched around the mug. She could still feel the pressure. That grip. The very intent behind it. And then there was the note.

Still folded under her pillow like a secret that had turned into a curse.

She thought of Silas, of the way he'd pulled her to him with that wild desperation in his eyes—as though he'd known something like this would happen, if not just crazy instinct. And Adrian, bloodied knuckles clenched tight, caught Julia and glanced down the slope with murder in his stare.

The whole day had felt like walking through a nightmare with her eyes open.

Now, every creak of the floorboards made her flinch. Every gust of wind against the windows made her turn her head. "You look like hell," Julia said softly as she walked in, wrapped in a blanket with a packet of crisps clutched to her chest.

She dropped onto her own bed across from Y/N, eyes shadowed but still sharp.

"I feel like it."

"So, you gonna tell me what the hell that was?" Julia asked, her voice low. "Because if you say 'I slipped', I'm throwing this blanket at you and leaving."

Y/N exhaled shakily, then finally looked at her. "I didn't slip."

Julia nodded once. "I know."

"I felt it," Y/N admitted. Her voice trembled at the edges, even now. "Something grabbed me. I thought I imagined it, but... it was real. It felt real."

There was a long pause as Julia's expression shifted into something more serious. She didn't laugh or make a joke. "Didn't want to say anything earlier," she said slowly, "but... you looked off even before that happened. You've been jumpy all day, like you've been waiting for something."

Y/N hesitated.

"I got a note."

Julia blinked. "A note?"

"Yesterday morning. No name, just a warning: 'don't go on the morning trail.' Someone left it on my bed... they got into our dorm."

Silence.

Then Julia swore under her breath. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to sound crazy."

"Well, guess what? You sound crazy now." Julia rubbed her eyes. "Shit, Y/N. That could've been real. What if it was someone trying to help you? What if it was someone watching you? Do you think it's one of the other girls in our house playing a prank?"

Y/N shivered.

"I don't know... I didn't know what to do," she whispered. "I didn't think it would matter."

"Everything matters here," Julia said grimly. "You know that. Maybe we should tell"

The door creaked open before either of them could speak again, as a figure stood in the threshold. He stood tall with his hair damp, the scent of rain trailing into the room with him.

He lingered in the threshold, not moving until Y/N's eyes lifted to meet his. Even then, his gaze darted away quickly—aloof, almost uncertain—as though he'd caught himself hesitating and resented the fact.

"I was... uh, about to knock. It opened by itself."

His brown eyes connected with Y/N's before looking away, in some way imitating an aloof bear as he stood patiently waiting for permission to enter. "Come in, Adrian," she muttered.

? ★ ?

Y/N felt her heart give a strange, panicked flutter—half from fear, half from something else she didn't have the language for.

He crossed the room with that same fluid stillness he always carried—like every step had been calculated in advance. He didn't speak until Julia gave him a long, unreadable look and rolled her eyes.

"I'll head to the library," she muttered, grabbing her crisps. "Aisha's probably breaking into the printer again."

The door closed behind her with a faint click.

Adrian sat, choosing the edge of Julia's bed rather than beside her. Close, but not too close. His posture was rigid, his elbows resting on his knees, hands laced tightly between them.

Y/N watched him warily. "You want to yell at me for being reckless?"

His brows lifted slightly, the faintest twitch of something wry at the corner of his mouth. "I'm not mad. Not at you."

"You shoved Silas into a locker," she said. "Looked pretty mad to me."

"That was about him," he said simply.

He leaned forward slightly, elbows on his knees. Rainwater slid down the side of his neck. "Someone's watching you, Y/N."

Y/N stared, her voice dropping to a whisper. "And you know who..?"

He hesitated. "No."

"What am I supposed to do, then?" She asked.

His gaze met hers, unwavering. There was no soft comfort in his eyes. Just that quiet, coiled determination he always wore like armour.

"You trust me."

Y/N didn't answer.

Couldn't.

"...Is that supposed to be some excu—"

Her mumble was interrupted a moment later by the door slamming open.

Rain stained his hoodie; brunette hair damp and plastered to his pale forehead. His eyes burnt in the lamplight. "I see the dog got here first," Silas muttered, voice edged like a blade.

Adrian stood instantly.

"Get out," he said.

Silas's mouth twitched into a humourless smile. "Why? You marking your territory now?" He stepped closer. "Funny. I don't remember you being the one who caught her." he added, voice a murmur like a taunt.

"Guys, stop," Y/N said, rising to her feet, her voice sharp. "You'll get caught being here."

But they didn't hear her.

Adrian stepped closer, his movements lazy but charged. "I told you," he growled, low and thunderous. "Back. Off."

Silas's expression shifted—just slightly. From mockery to something older. Something sharper.

"I think", he whispered slowly, "you're forgetting, Adrian..." he said, his eyes flicking to her just once.

"We don't get to decide who she chooses."

Adrian's jaw clenched.

Y/N, caught between them, stared at the space between their shadows. Because whatever had grabbed her that morning—whatever had reached up from the mud to claim her—wasn't the only thing trying to pull her under.

And Y/N, standing between them, suddenly wasn't sure who she should be afraid of more—whatever had grabbed her in the woods—or the monsters already standing in her room.