Lyra discovered the note by accident.
It was late afternoon,the quiet hour between lectures and dinner,when the campus felt like it was holding its breath.She sat alone at a long table on the second floor of the library, surrounded by open books and neat stacks of paper.Sunlight slanted through the tall windows,catching dust in slow motion.
She reached into her bag for her notebook....it wasn't where she left it.
Lyra frowned and checked againmore carefully this time,pens,keys,her student ID. Everything was in its place.
Except the notebook.
Her pulse quickened,not with panic but alertness.
She knew she had brought it.
Slowly, she scanned the table.
There tucked beneath her history textbook, as if it had always belonged there.
Lyra stared at it for several seconds before touching it.
She hadn't placed it there.
She was certain.
Her fingers brushed the cover,half expecting it to feel different but it didn't,Same worn leather,same softened spine....Familiar.
She opened it.
The last page she'd written stared back at her the letter from the night before,ink slightly smudged where her pen had pressed harder.
But beneath it—
A new page.
Her breath caught.
The handwriting wasn't hers.
It was precise,controlled,almost elegant
You hide well.
But not because you are weak.
You are careful.
That is why you were noticed.
Lyra closed the notebook immediately.
Her heart beat once hard then steadied.She didn't gasp,she didn't look around wildly.
She inhaled slowly through her nose, grounding herself the way she always did when fear tried to rise.
Think,she told herself,this wasn't a prank. She knew that instinctively,no smudges,no rushed lines,no humor.
And yet there was no threat in the words.
Just certainty.
Lyra glanced around the library.
Students studied quietly,a librarian pushed a cart down the aisle,someone turned a page.
No one was watching her.
At least,not obviously.
She slipped the notebook back into her bag, movements calm and deliberate,and packed up her things.If someone wanted to see her panic,she wouldn't give it to them.
She left the library without looking back.
Outside,the campus felt brighter than before,the normalcy almost oppressive.Lyra crossed the quad slowly,replaying the words in her mind.
You were noticed.
By who?
And how?
Her steps slowed near the fountain. She paused, then deliberately sat on the stone edge, pretending to check her phone while she gathered her thoughts.
She had three options.
Ignore it.
Report it.
Respond.
Ignoring it felt dishonest to herself.
Reporting it felt premature.
Responding felt dangerous.
Her fingers tightened around her phone.
Not yet, she decided.
That night, Talia noticed the change.
"You okay?" she asked, dropping onto her bed with a dramatic sigh. "You've been quiet all evening, and that's saying something."
Lyra forced a smile. "Just tired."
Talia studied her for a moment, then shrugged."Well, if you suddenly start seeing ghosts or falling for emotionally unavailable rich guys, let me know."
Lyra's smile faltered just barely.
"I will," she said.
Later, when the dorm had fallen silent, Lyra sat at her desk, notebook open.
She reread the unfamiliar words.
They didn't feel invasive.
They felt… observant.
That frightened her more.
She turned the page and began to write.
You shouldn't be in my notebook.
This wasn't an invitation.
If you think noticing someone gives you the right to enter their space, you're wrong.
I value distance for a reason.
Respect it.
Lyra
She paused, then added one final line beneath it.
If you can do that…you don't have to leave.
She closed the notebook quickly,as if afraid she'd said too much.
Across campus,in a room sealed against light and time,Kael Draven read the response in silence.
A slow, thoughtful smile curved his lips.
She sets boundaries,he murmured.
Madame Selvara stood behind him,arms crossed.
Then you will honor them,she said sharply.
Kael inclined his head....I am.
Selvara's gaze sharpened "Curiosity is not control,Kael."
No,he agreed quietly....But restraint is.