Morning broke slow and silver over Ashfall Academy. The sky, still damp from last night's rain, hung low with thin drifting mist that curled between the courtyard stones. Students gathered near the silver-lined excursion buses, voices buzzing with excitement, nerves, rivalry, and emotions none of them wanted to admit.
A faint electricity clung to everything.
As if the Forest was already watching.
---
O.Darren stood by the headcount station, clipboard in hand, posture firm and composed. Even the teachers seemed calmer with him overseeing the line—his presence grounding, reliable.
Camila spotted him instantly.
And she didn't walk toward him— she glided.
"Darren," she purred, tucking her hair behind one ear. "I hope we're paired today. You know… for safety."
He didn't fully turn.
Didn't give her the attention she expected.
"We'll go with whoever the board assigned," he said, voice even. "No special treatment."
That quiet restraint of his only made him more attractive.
From several feet away, Hunter watched them with a hardened jaw. There was no loud teasing, no crude remark—just a low, dangerous murmur meant for Camila alone.
"So… that's how it is now?"
Camila straightened but didn't look back. The air between the three tightened, sharp as glass.
A storm forming.
---
******
Briony lingered under the shade of the bus canopy, clutching her bag as if it were a shield. Her white hair glimmered in the pale morning light, her emerald eyes carefully avoiding—
Fletcher.
Who walked past at that exact moment.
Their eyes met for half a heartbeat.
Briony flushed crimson and jerked her face away.
Fletcher blinked, genuinely confused.
Eli appeared beside him, hands in his pockets. "You do realize she practically studies the floor every time you show up, right?"
"I didn't do anything," Fletcher muttered.
"That's exactly why she's spiraling," Eli snorted. "You… affect people without knowing it."
Briony heard that.
Her pulse jumped.
And unfortunately… Eli was right.
---
****
Naledi stepped forward for the bag scan, adjusting her glasses, composed as always. Until Eli slid behind her, voice warm and careless.
"If this bag explodes," he murmured, "I'll save you first."
Naledi stiffened. "Eli, that is not—funny."
"Didn't say it was," he shrugged. "You're cute when you panic."
Her breath caught— just slightly.
She dropped her pen.
Naledi never dropped anything.
Camila, from across the courtyard, giggled.
"Oh, she's absolutely gone."
******
Sienna stepped beside Camila, gently adjusting the strap of her bag.
"You okay?" she asked softly.
"Obviously," Camila replied—too quickly.
Sienna's fingers brushed her collarbone, deliberate and careful.
"You're tense," she murmured, stepping a little closer.
"That's… unlike you."
Camila's breath stalled for half a second.
"It's just the excursion," she lied.
Their moment hummed—quiet, intimate, fragile.
Naledi passed by, clearing her throat loudly.
"Please. Keep whatever this is under control."
Sienna jerked back instantly.
Camila smirked, pretending she wasn't affected at all.
Malik, walking behind them, exhaled with amusement.
"Sienna, you underestimate yourself too much."
She hugged her arms.
"Maybe… or maybe not."
**
Ji Ace leaned against the bus, arms crossed, pink hair lifted by the morning breeze. Her expression was calm, almost bored, but her eyes were fixed on one thing—
The front seat.
Where Miss Verena Crowe sat, perfectly still.
Ji's stare sharpened. She touched her bag—ensuring the hidden blade was where she left it.
"You're not fooling me," she whispered.
"Not today."
Fletcher walked past at that moment.
"You look tense," he said.
Ji spun—almost colliding with him.
Too close.
Too warm.
Too sudden.
"It's nothing," she muttered, turning her face away.
But not before a faint blush betrayed her.
Great. Just what she needed—distractions.
---
Verena Crowe — Too Polite, Too Still
When Miss Verena finally stepped off the bus, the courtyard fell silent. Her smile was gentle, polite, perfect—
Too perfect.
"Students," she said warmly, "let us begin our journey."
Something in her tone made several students shift uneasily.
Including O.Darren.
Including Malik.
Including Ji Ace, whose grip tightened over her bag.
The last bags were loaded. Verena clasped her hands behind her back.
"The Forest is ancient," she said softly.
"Respect it… and it will let you leave."
A cold wind cut through the courtyard.
Naledi whispered, "Why does she talk like she knows something?"
Eli exhaled slowly.
"Because she does."
---
Students began boarding the bus. Briony, unused to anything less than luxury transport, stepped onto the elevated stairs—
—and slipped.
O.Darren reached out, but Fletcher was faster.
He caught her.
But his grip landed wrong—
one hand bracing her waist,
the other—
Her breath hitched.
Hers was not a gasp—
it was a soft, involuntary sound.
Heat surged up her neck, blooming across her cheeks.
Fletcher froze.
"I—I'm sorry," he stammered. "I didn't mean—I wasn't—"
He braced for a slap.
Briony looked away, flustered beyond belief.
"Whatever…" she whispered, storming into the bus—
her entire face burning pink.
Fletcher stood on the steps, stunned.
Eli whistled under his breath.
"Oh yeah. You're doomed."