About a week before my college classes started, I decided to visit the campus.
Aunt Neela let me borrow an old car from the garage. The engine coughed and shook but finally started, grumbling as though it hated being woken up.
The college wasn't far. The drive there was lined with tall trees and empty roads. When I arrived, the campus was almost silent.
Only a guard leaned lazily on his post, and a janitor mopped the far corner of the quadrangle.
The two-story building looked worn but neat, its windows propped open. Sunlight spilled inside, mixing with the smell of trees and fresh air.
At the guidance office, a woman with glasses handed me my class schedule. But when she looked at the address I had written down, something strange happened.
Her eyes flickered.
Just for a moment, they seemed to change—catching a strange glow before returning to normal.
I blinked, startled.
Had I imagined it?
Stop it, Cosette. You're imagining things. Stop seeing ghosts where there are none.
I shook the thought off and walked around the campus, trying to memorize the classrooms.
The quadrangle outside stretched wide and empty, lined by trees. On one side, the forest loomed close, its shadows tangled and dark.
That was when I noticed movement.
A group of young men emerged from the forest's edge, laughing among themselves. Their shirts clung with sweat as if they had been running.
Something about them caught my attention.
They didn't look tired enough for the distance they had covered. Their steps were too relaxed, their smiles too sharp.
I tried to look away, but one of them noticed me.
He whispered something to another. Soon, all of them were staring.
My steps quickened.
Suddenly, a hand clamped down on my shoulder.
I gasped and spun around.
Two of them stood behind me, far closer than they should have been.
How had they crossed the distance so fast?
"You're new here, aren't you?" one of them asked. His smile stretched too wide.
"Yes," I said, my voice shaky. "I just moved here. I live—"
Before I could finish, one of them stepped closer. He boxed me against the wall with his arm, his body invading my space.
His face lowered near my neck.
"No wonder your scent's unfamiliar," he whispered, his voice low and playful. "Fresh blood."
My entire body froze.
Fresh blood?
His nose hovered close to my skin, as if he was smelling me.
Goosebumps broke across my arms. My stomach churned with fear and disgust.
And then I saw it.
His eyes.
For a split second, they flickered. The color shifted like molten metal catching the light.
I froze in terror.
He jerked back, his jaw tightening as if fighting something inside himself.
Before I could move, a new voice cut through the air.
"Cut it out."
We all turned.
A boy strolled toward us from the path. His hands were stuffed deep in his pockets. His stride was lazy, almost careless, like he had just woken from a nap.
At once, the others stepped back. Their cocky smiles faltered.
The boy yawned, scratching his head. He looked our age, maybe a little older. But the others wouldn't meet his eyes.
"What's this?" he asked in a flat, bored tone.
One of the boys forced a laugh. "Nothing, Kice. We were just welcoming the newcomer."
Welcoming? My heart still pounded from fear.
Kice's eyes slid to me. He raised one brow, studying me for a long, thoughtful moment. Then he turned his gaze back to the group.
"You know the rules," he said. His voice was calm but heavy, with a warning hidden inside. "How many strikes is this for your group now?"
Silence.
Finally, one of them muttered, "It won't happen again."
"See that it doesn't," Kice said sharply. "Unless you'd prefer he find out."
The words hung in the air, heavy and tense.
The boys muttered quick apologies—some to him, some mumbled to me—before hurrying away.
Kice stayed behind. He turned back to me, his expression shifting into a small frown, like he was trying to place me.
"You're the new girl at Elwood?" he asked.
I nodded, still wary.
"You live in the mansion on the hill, don't you?"
His question startled me. "How did you—?"
"This town is small. News spreads." His mouth quirked, though it wasn't really a smile.
Then, to my surprise, his eyes softened. He looked thoughtful, almost concerned.
"How is he?" he asked quietly.
I blinked. "Who?"
He shook his head quickly, brushing it off. "Forget it."
With a stretch, he turned to leave. "See you when classes start."
I stood frozen, watching him walk away with his hands still tucked in his pockets.
He looked ordinary. Casual. Careless.
But just before he disappeared from view, his eyes flickered.
The same strange shimmer I had seen in the others.
The same flicker I saw in the portrait.
The same flicker in the woman at the office.
I wrapped my arms around myself, chilled even under the bright afternoon sun.
Why was I the only one seeing it?