I waited until everyone was asleep.
Reece had her headphones in, Lani was talking in her sleep and Gabi was curled up under a hoodie with her sketchbook open beside her. I moved as quietly as I could, grabbing my laptop and sliding it into my backpack.
If RedHalo sent an update, I needed to read it before morning.
I slipped out of the dorm and into the halls.
Halberd after dark looked fake. Everything was too still. The buildings looked like museum pieces, and the air had that late-night chill that made you feel small and awake all at once.
I found a bench near the old fountain, under one of those giant trees. Opened my laptop. Logged in.
Clearance Level: Agent Gray
Mission Status: File Update — Immediate Review Recommended
I clicked.
Cassien Vanelli: Still a jerk.
Age 20. Mechanical Engineering. Bad attitude. Leather jacket. Might secretly be hiding something.
Ryles Vanelli: Still a flirt.
Age 19. Football captain. Party boy. No known depth beyond "hot and knows it."
And then…
A new file.
SUBJECT: REDACTED
Alias: Unknown
Affiliation: Unknown
Status: Might be Dangerous — Avoid Contact
Photo: Unavailable
Notes: related to the Vanelli family. Limited records. Unknown enrollment. Agent Gray may have already made contact. Proceed with caution.
I stared at it.
What?
I read it again.
No name. No age. No major. Just that glowing red warning at the bottom like it was whispering you messed up already.
And I knew exactly who it was.
The guy from day one. The one with the face mask and quiet strength. The one who carried both my suitcases without breaking a sweat and then disappeared like a ghost. The one who hadn't said his name, hadn't flirted, hadn't acted like anything special because maybe he didn't need to.
There'd been no arrogance, no drama. Just that calm energy. Like he knew how to disappear in a room full of people screaming for attention.
I closed the laptop and leaned back.
I should've known. Spies aren't supposed to miss details. But there was something about him that made me let my guard down for a second. And one second is all it takes to make mistakes.
Now I had a third target. A third Vanelli brother. Except RedHalo didn't even have a proper file on him.
That scared me more than Cassien's attitude and Ryles' charm combined.
I shoved my laptop back into my bag and stood up.
That's when I felt it.
That chill in the air. Like someone was nearby.
I turned.
And there he was.
Leaning against the stone wall like he'd been there the whole time.
Same quiet posture. Hoodie pulled up. No mask this time. Just soft eyes and that same unreadable calm.
I froze.
"You're not very good at sneaking out," he said quietly.
I stared at him. His voice was soft. Warm. Nothing like Cassien's sharp mouth or Ryles' flirty look. His voice felt… safe.
"You're not supposed to be here," I said.
He smiled, not big, not too much. Just a small twitch of the lips. "Neither are you."
"Do you always watch girls in the dark?"
He tilted his head, looking amused. "Do you always walk around campus reading classified files like no one's watching?"
I crossed my arms. "You're one of them, aren't you?"
"One of who?"
"The Vanellis."
He didn't answer right away.
Instead, he looked up at the sky, like he was thinking about something really hard.
"People love giving names to things they don't understand," he said finally. "It makes them feel safe."
"That's not a no."
He looked at me again, eyes dark but not cold. "Does it matter what name I have?"
"It matters to me."
"Why?"
I didn't have an answer for that.
Just like I didn't know why I remembered the exact way his hands looked when he lifted my suitcase. Or why I noticed how he blinked slowly, like he was always thinking before he spoke.
Then he stepped closer.
Not in a creepy way. Just… close enough.
"You seem like someone who sees more than she says," he said. "But be careful, New girl. You didn't know about me for a reason."
Then, just like that, he walked away. No drama. No threats.
But my heart wouldn't stop pounding.
Back in the dorm, I barely made it to bed before my brain went full conspiracy mode.
Three Vanellis?
Why hadn't RedHalo told me from the start?
Why was his file the only one without a name?
And why did he feel more dangerous than the other two combined, without even trying?
The next morning, I stumbled into the bathroom looking like a zombie.
Gabi was already brushing her hair. She looked at me through the mirror.
"Did you sneak out last night?"
I paused. "What makes you say that?"
"You walk quieter when you're trying not to be heard." She said it like it was just a fact. "Also, you sleep in your hoodie when you're tense."
I blinked. "Do you… observe everyone this closely?"
She shrugged. "Only people who aren't what they seem."