ARIA'S POV
I'm being followed.
I know it the moment I step off the bus at Blackwood University. The feeling crawls up my spine like ice-cold fingers.
Someone is watching me.
I grip my backpack straps tighter and force myself to keep walking. My new auburn hair feels strange against my neck. The contacts I'm wearing make my eyes itch. But I can't think about that now.
Stay away from Blackwood.
That whispered warning on the phone two weeks ago plays in my head on repeat. I should be terrified. Maybe I should have listened.
But here I am anyway.
The university gates tower above me—black iron twisted into fancy designs. Beyond them, stone buildings sprawl across a green campus that probably costs more than my entire childhood home.
Rich kids everywhere. Designer bags. Expensive shoes. They walk in groups, laughing like they don't have a care in the world.
None of them know someone died here six months ago.
None of them care.
I take a deep breath and walk through the gates. My hands won't stop shaking.
Daniel walked through these same gates, I think. And he never walked back out.
"Excuse me! Wait!"
I spin around. A girl with bright pink streaks in her black hair runs toward me, waving frantically. She's wearing ripped jeans and a band t-shirt—the only person here who doesn't look like they stepped out of a fashion magazine.
"You dropped this!" She holds out my student ID card.
My heart stops. The card must have slipped from my pocket. I take it from her quickly, checking to make sure it still says "Aria Chen" and not my real name.
It does. Thank God.
"Thanks," I manage to say.
The girl grins. "No problem! You look lost. Are you new?"
"Transfer student. First day."
"Cool! I'm Jess. Sophomore. Criminal justice major." She falls into step beside me without asking. "What's your major?"
"Criminal psychology."
"Ooh, interesting! That's the same program that guy died in last year. So tragic." Jess shakes her head. "Daniel something. Lin, I think? They said he fell off a cliff during a night hike. Can you imagine? So scary."
My stomach twists. She's talking about Daniel like he's just gossip. Just a story.
"Did you know him?" I ask carefully.
"Nah, I'm not in that program. But everyone heard about it. The university tried to keep it quiet, but you know how news spreads." Jess lowers her voice. "Some people say it wasn't an accident."
I freeze. "What do you mean?"
Jess looks around like she's checking if anyone's listening. "Just rumors. But a few students said Daniel was scared of something before he died. And his girlfriend—the one who found the body—she acted really weird afterward."
My pulse races. "What girlfriend? What was her name?"
"I don't know. Some blonde girl. Really pretty but kind of creepy, you know?" Jess shivers. "Anyway, I should get to class. See you around, Aria!"
She bounces away before I can ask more questions.
A blonde girl. Could that be Victoria?
I force myself to keep moving toward the administration building. The registration office is on the first floor. A middle-aged woman with a kind smile sits behind the desk.
"Can I help you, dear?"
"I'm here to pick up my student ID. Aria Chen. Transfer student."
She types on her computer. "Ah yes, Miss Chen! Welcome to Blackwood. Let me get your materials."
She hands me a folder with my schedule, a campus map, and a plastic ID card with my fake name and photo. The picture shows me with my new auburn hair. I look like a completely different person.
Good. That's the point.
"Your dorm assignment is Harper Hall, room 214," the woman says cheerfully. "Classes start tomorrow. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask!"
"Thank you."
I take my things and leave quickly. My hands are still shaking.
I'm really doing this. I'm really here.
Harper Hall is across campus. I walk fast, keeping my head down. That feeling of being watched hasn't gone away. Every few steps, I glance over my shoulder.
Nothing. Just students walking to class.
But the feeling doesn't leave.
My dorm room is small and plain. White walls. Two beds. Two desks. One side is already decorated with posters and photos—my roommate's stuff. The other side is empty. Mine.
I drop my bags and sit on the bare mattress. For the first time in two weeks, I let myself breathe.
I did it. I'm inside Blackwood University. Daniel's university.
Slowly, I unpack. Clothes in the drawer. Laptop on the desk. Books on the shelf.
At the bottom of my bag, wrapped in a soft cloth, is Daniel's watch. I hold it in my hands, remembering the way he used to check it constantly because he hated being late.
He was never late for me. Not once in three years.
Tears burn my eyes, but I blink them away. I can't cry now. I have work to do.
I hide the watch in the bottom drawer, under my clothes where my roommate won't find it. Then I take out Daniel's photograph—the one of us at the beach last summer, both smiling like we had forever.
We didn't have forever.
We had six more months.
I kiss the photo and hide it in the drawer too. Nobody can know who I really am. One wrong move, one person recognizing me from the news articles, and this whole plan falls apart.
I'm plugging in my laptop when I hear footsteps in the hallway. They stop right outside my door.
My heart pounds.
The doorknob turns slowly.
I stand up, my body tense. Should I run? Hide? What if it's whoever called me with that warning?
The door swings open.
A girl walks in—tall, blonde, and beautiful. She's carrying a laundry basket. When she sees me, she stops.
We stare at each other.
She has bright blue eyes and a sweet smile. She looks like she belongs in a beauty pageant, not a college dorm.
"Oh! You must be my new roommate!" She sets down the basket and extends her hand. "I'm so excited to meet you! I'm Victoria. Victoria Ashford."
The world tilts sideways.
Victoria.
The name from Daniel's voicemail.
The girl who might have killed him.
She's my roommate.
My mouth goes dry. My heart hammers so hard I think she can hear it. But I force my face to stay calm. Force my hand to reach out and shake hers.
Her skin is cold.
"Hi," I manage to say. My voice sounds strange and far away. "I'm Aria. Aria Chen."
Victoria's smile widens. "It's so nice to meet you, Aria. I think we're going to be great friends."
She doesn't let go of my hand.
And in that moment, staring into her bright, empty eyes, I realize something terrifying:
She knows exactly who I am.