A fresh morning at St. Aurelio Academy usually meant the air was thick with hangovers and gossip from the night before. While the hallways buzzed with stories of Damien's pool party, a new ripple of interest moved through the crowd: the announcement of a new transfer student. After the Principal's dry welcoming remarks, the halls cleared as students filed into their lecture rooms.
But the academy's grand theater remained empty, a cavern of shadows and silence. Rows of velvet seats stretched out like soldiers awaiting a command. Katya sat alone in the exact center of the room. Her back was perfectly straight, her gaze locked on the empty stage—unblinking, unreadable, like a queen surveying a ghost kingdom.
Footsteps echoed from the back of the hall—slow, deliberate, heavy. The sound of a chair creaking broke the silence as someone dropped into the seat directly beside her.
"Mind if I crash the party?" Kieran asked. His tone was far too casual for the suffocating quiet of the room.
Katya turned her head slightly—just enough for her icy blue eyes to meet his dark ones.
"Depends," she said, her voice low and sharp as shards of glass. "Are you planning to leave in one piece?"
Kieran's laugh was a dry, hollow sound that the shadows seemed to swallow instantly. "I always do," he said, his expression shifting into something lethal. "You've been busy, Ivanov."
"I'm always busy, Romano," she replied softly, her composure absolute. "Would you like to clarify what you mean by that, or are we just trading riddles?"
"The photographs," Kieran said, leaning in. "I know you took them. I know you saw me with Viktor."
"Oh, that?" Katya shrugged one elegant shoulder. "I was bored. I thought I'd play the photographer for a day."
"You're playing a game you won't be able to finish," Kieran cautioned, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl.
Katya finally turned her entire body toward him. Her blue eyes were cold as a frozen lake, holding his stare without a hint of tremor. "And if I do finish it?" she asked. Her voice was level, calm—the silence before a storm breaks.
Kieran leaned in until his face was only inches from hers, his breath ghosting over her skin. "Then," he whispered, "I'll hunt you down and make you regret the day you ever crossed my path."
Katya's lips curved ever so slightly. It wasn't a smile, but it was enough to unnerve him. "I'm not scared of you, Romano. Besides... I'm just finishing what your family started seven years ago."
"Oh, Frost," Kieran said, standing up. He looked down at her with a chilling pity. "You think you're untouchable, fortified behind your little walls. But I know your weak link. Trust me, by the time I'm done, you'll be begging me to ruin you. Have a great day."
He blew her a mocking kiss before sauntering out of the theater. Katya remained seated, her face a mask of stone, but her mind raced. What did he know about her weak link?
In the restroom, the air was thick with the scent of expensive perfume and unspoken threats. Poe was at the sink when Amira walked in, her face wearing an expression of pure, calculated malice.
"What are you planning now, cousin?" Poe asked, keeping her eyes fixed on the faucet.
"Something big," Amira said, checking her lipstick in the mirror. "But I won't give you the details. We both know you're a snitch."
"Don't tell me you're still obsessed with the Serpent's Heart," Poe whispered, her voice trembling. "I never meant for that to happen."
"That's the thing about you, Poe," Amira said, turning to her with a look of disgust. "You think power is something timid. You think it's something to be feared. That's why you're the black sheep of this family. While you're busy feeling guilty, I'm going to take over the world."
Amira snapped her purse shut and offered a sharp, empty smile. "Anyway, it was nice chatting. Bye."
She exited, leaving Poe alone to stare at her own pale reflection in the mirror, wondering how much longer she could survive her own bloodline.
[The Library]
The library was a sanctuary of hushed whispers and the scent of old paper. Luka was restocking the shelves when Caitlyn appeared. As if on cue, he accidentally dropped a book, and she was there to catch it, handing it back to him with a shy smile.
"Well, look who it is," Luka said, his charming smile brightening the dim aisle. "My Princess Charming."
"You saved me first," Caitlyn replied, her cheeks flushing. "I'm just returning the favor."
Luka chuckled, taking the book. "I see you finished it. How was the ending?"
"Thrilling," she said, though her mind wasn't on the plot. She glanced over her shoulder toward the librarian's desk. "Listen, I'd hate to see your boss interrupt us again. How about coffee later today? Or... whenever you're free?"
The question hung in the air. Caitlyn held her breath, the fear of rejection tightening her chest.
Luka leaned against the shelf, his eyes warm. "Let's make it ten o'clock tomorrow morning."
Caitlyn let out a long, relieved sigh, her smile widening into something genuine. "Tomorrow it is."