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The old seminar room in the west wing of Marlborough was dimly lit, its long oval table surrounded by elite students from various groups — scholars, athletes, student leaders. This was the Academic Alliance Council, where top-performing students collaborated on inter-group projects.
Carter wasn't one for meetings like this, but the professor had handpicked her. As always, she didn't dress to impress — just her black hoodie, hair tied back, glasses reflecting the light. She leaned against the far wall with her arms crossed, eyes scanning the room without expression.
Elsa sat at the table, poised as ever.
She wore a pale blue blouse that matched her eyes, and her long golden hair fell down her back like spun silk. Even seated, she held an air of royalty — upright, calm, quietly intimidating. She was scribbling notes, barely acknowledging the others.
Carter noticed her immediately.
So did someone else.
Across the table sat Rachel Linford — a drama major from another group. Her style was bold, her mouth always twisted into a smirk, and her hatred for Elsa was anything but subtle.
Rachel had never liked Elsa — not her beauty, not her grades, not the way she walked into a room and instantly became its center. And ever since Elsa had topped her in the student showcase last semester, Rachel had made her bitterness known in whispers and passive barbs.
Today, it was more than whispers.
"Well, well," Rachel said aloud, tapping her pen on the table. "Didn't expect Her Highness to grace us with her presence today."
Elsa didn't look up. "Jealousy is unflattering, Rachel."
Some chuckles passed through the group. Carter watched quietly.
Rachel leaned forward. "I'm just saying — you always seem so perfect. Must be exhausting keeping the crown on your head 24/7."
Elsa gave her a slow, bored glance. "Only those who've never worn one say that."
Laughter. But Rachel wasn't done.
She flicked through her notes. "Since Elsa's so brilliant, maybe she can take the lead on the data set review. You don't mind, right?" She pushed forward a dense spreadsheet — one Carter knew had been tampered with. Columns mislabeled, equations altered.
It was a trap. Elsa didn't specialize in data analytics. If she presented that, it'd look like her error.
Elsa picked up the sheets calmly, scanning them with a blank face.
Carter narrowed her eyes.
She moved before thinking.
"Actually," Carter said, her voice cutting through the room, "those aren't the final documents. I reviewed the correct ones yesterday."
All heads turned. Rachel blinked.
Carter walked to the table, flipping through the file. "This version's been altered. Look here — cell calculations reversed. Intentional, too."
Elsa looked at her, quietly stunned.
Rachel scoffed. "You sure? Maybe you're mistaken."
"I don't make mistakes like that," Carter replied, eyes sharp behind her glasses. "But thanks for trying."
Rachel went quiet.
The room shifted. Some glanced at Rachel. Others looked at Elsa — who remained still, but her fingers tightened around her pen.
Carter placed the corrected file in front of Elsa without looking at her. "Use this version."
Elsa didn't say thank you.
She didn't need to.
Their eyes met, and something passed between them — brief but loaded.
After the meeting, students filed out. Rachel disappeared quickly. Carter moved toward the door.
"Bennett," Elsa's voice called.
She turned.
Elsa stood with perfect composure, but her tone had softened.
"I didn't need you to step in," she said.
"I know," Carter replied. "But I did."
Elsa hesitated. "Why?"
Carter's lips curved just slightly. "Maybe I like ruining other people's traps."
Elsa stared at her for a long second.
Then, a faint smile — real this time — brushed her lips.
Maybe, just maybe, Carter Bennett wasn't as cold as she seemed.
And maybe Elsa Avery wasn't as untouchable as she claimed.
---
Elsa closed her laptop with a soft click, the golden edge catching the overhead light. Carter's eyes lifted instinctively, but she quickly looked away — too fast, Elsa noticed.
"Are you always this... silent?" Elsa asked, sliding her pen into her notebook with precision.
Carter's lips curved just slightly. "Are you always this... judgmental?"
Elsa turned to face her fully now, crossing one leg over the other. "Observation isn't judgment."
"Mm," Carter hummed. "Sure felt like a judgment."
"I just don't understand people who hide behind silence."
"And I don't understand people who can't stand it."
That made Elsa pause. She hadn't expected a comeback — not a thoughtful one, anyway. Carter wasn't like the girls who hung off her every word. She wasn't afraid of Elsa's cold tone or biting remarks. If anything... she looked amused by them.
Elsa leaned forward slightly, folding her arms on the table. "You're not like the rest."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Carter replied, still not meeting her gaze.
Elsa studied her. Carter was all hard lines — defined jaw, straight shoulders, calm eyes behind her glasses — like she'd been carved from steel. Even her long black hair was tied like an afterthought. There was something magnetic in the way she didn't try to impress, didn't try at all.
"You're not afraid of me," Elsa said suddenly.
Carter finally looked up. "Should I be?"
Elsa tilted her head. "Most people are."
Carter shrugged. "I'm not most people."
The answer sat in the air between them, cool and unwavering.
Elsa felt something stir — not attraction, not yet. But a shift. Like someone had touched a place inside her she didn't know was sensitive.
She picked up her bag, standing with grace.
"Well," she said, adjusting the strap on her shoulder. "I suppose I'll see you tomorrow. Try not to be late again."
Carter stood too, stretching slightly. "Try not to be so terrifying."
Elsa smirked. "I make no promises."
As she walked away, Carter watched her — not in awe, not in desire.
But in curiosity.
Elsa Avery was everything Carter usually avoided — cold, polished, untouchable.
But maybe that was exactly why she couldn't stop looking.
---
To be continued...
**