The corridors at Hawthorne Academy were closing in.
Each move she made sounded sharp - stay put. There's no escaping.
Her chest rose fast while pushing past crowds of kids - every look felt sharp. She needed space. Needed quiet. Breathing was tough with Lucien on one side, Damian close behind, both fixated, their closeness building like thunder before downpour.
She ducked down a quiet hallway, pulse racing, hands wet from nerves. One part of her shouted to bolt; another whispered to wait it out. Yet above the panic rose something sharper - the fact she'd been dodging: escaping wouldn't last.
Footsteps behind her.
She froze.
One pair - no, make that two - of footfalls echoing close behind.
Aria's gut knotted up. She'd tried being quiet - sneaking off before anyone woke - but they still beat her, moving quicker every time, never far behind, eyes locked on. Darkness clung close like it was helping them hide; suddenly, she wondered if they were people at all - or just hunters pulled in by her mess, something wild she couldn't stop.
Aria - Lucien's tone sliced down the hall, sharp, quiet. Halt
She didn't answer.
Aria! His voice came right after - tighter, colder, so heavy it nearly knocked her legs out from under her.
She took off running.
The click of her shoes on the shiny ground felt wild, like she couldn't stop. Each breath tore out uneven and fast. Behind, Lucien's steady steps thudded while Damian's snapped close - both gaining. The space between them shrank without warning.
She twisted toward the stairs, kicked the door shut, then scrambled to click the latch.
The sound of their words trailed behind as she climbed, never letting go.
Aria, don't sprint no more! Lucien called out - his tone sharp yet hushed, each syllable burning slow behind his teeth.
She kept going up, even though her legs felt like fire. Each level looked just like the one before - same walls, same steps, no end in sight. It was like being stuck on repeat, caught in a loop her fear turned into a maze.
A sharp motion snapped her attention - dark shapes sliding weird on the plaster. She flinched, figured it was just the stuttering overhead glow playing tricks.
Yet here it was. A figure - or maybe nothing at all - standing above.
Her stomach dropped.
A person moved ahead. This unknown individual wore dark clothes, their features hidden under a hooded cover. Their hands were covered by gloves. Each step was slow but quiet - also giving off danger.
Just as she opened her mouth, a loud bang came from upstairs - the exit snapped closed.
Lucien. Then again - Damian. Maybe even... one after another?
She was trapped.
The stranger spoke up - his tone quiet, deliberate, cutting into her fear instead.
"Aria… finally."
Her breath caught. That mark on their gloves looked familiar - just like the twisted snake she'd seen inside the letter.
"You've been running," the figure said, stepping closer. "But no one escapes forever."
Her mind raced.
The past… the files… Damian's warning… Lucien's obsession…
She slammed against the wall. Yet her heartbeat pounded loud, like thunder in her head.
Suddenly, Lucien's shadow showed up at the top of the stairs. His gaze was deep, rough, hard to figure out. Right after came Damian, moving close behind - tight, tense, prepared.
The stranger grinned - cold, sure of himself, aware of a secret Aria wasn't in on.
"You brought them here," the stranger said. "Your little stepbrother, and the… other one. Both protectors, both fools. And now, you're mine."
Aria's stomach dropped.
Not dangerous - guaranteed.
Lucien was the first to act. His steps were quiet, careful as he descended. He cut off the man before he could move. Then came Damian, still as steel about to snap.
Yet the outsider stood still. With a single smooth move, something smoky poured out from under their coat - swirling into the stairs, thickening the air, making it hard to breathe or see.
Aria hacked, fingers raking her neck.
Lucien shouted, "Aria! Stay behind me!"
Damian shouted over the noise. "Grab her - keep her still!"
Yet she was stuck. Gotta keep going, though. No clue why - something inside just pushed her ahead, into a narrow passage she'd never seen till now.
The unknown man laughed, his voice trailing after her - sharp, full of win.
"Where do you think you're going?"
She didn't answer.
She sprinted without looking, her pulse racing while air burned in her chest. Then came a room - no one inside. She slipped through the doorway fast, kicked it closed behind her, hoping not to be seen.
Yet a thing - or maybe someone - was already one step ahead. That mark from the dark envelope shimmered softly against the wall, but right then, it hit her: the real threat wasn't only Lucien or even Damian - it was what she'd left behind, crawling back into her life.
Lucien reached for the knob - his tone quiet yet chilling as he muttered:
"Aria… it's over. You can't run from both of us… or from them."
Damian spoke next, his tone icy, cutting through the air like a knife
"And no matter what happens, you won't survive alone."
She leaned on the wall behind her. Yet air rushed from her lungs in short bursts.
The newcomer moved through the entrance, dark shapes creeping oddly nearby.
Aria suddenly knew, deep down, her life - the whole thing she'd been managing - was falling apart.
She was stuck on two fixations - yet faced a foe she barely grasped.
She had no option but to stay alive.
Yet staying alive… wasn't easy anymore.