The director carried on with her speech as if nothing had happened, but no one was listening anymore. Students exchanged meaningful glances, passing unease between them. They clearly knew more than the girls did.
Evelyn noticed the boy sitting in front lean toward his friends. Curiosity gnawed at her, and she strained to listen.
"Marcus has completely lost it… poor guy."
Sensing her gaze, the boy turned around. Evelyn recognized him—the same blond who had been staring at her in the corridor. An eye for an eye, she thought with a faint smirk.
"Eavesdropping, huh?" he said.
Sophie glanced sideways at Evelyn, sensing the tension. She was curious to see how her friend would respond.
"So what if I am?" Evelyn replied calmly, raising an eyebrow with quiet elegance.
Sophie snorted with laughter, clearly not expecting that.
"Oh, you're not one of the easy ones, are you?" the boy went on. "I know your type." His eyebrows shot up. Evelyn thought he looked exactly like a spoiled rich kid. No wonder Sophie had her eye on him. "You act all cold and bitchy, but really you're just begging for—" he finished quietly, almost under his breath.
The girls exchanged a glance and burst out laughing in unison. Sophie collapsed onto Evelyn's knees, laughing hysterically. Only Charles's cold stare—suddenly appearing nearby—managed to silence them. He soon returned to his place beside the director.
"Oh, I know your type too," Evelyn shot back. "You pretend to be something special, when really you're nothing without daddy's money and a couple of idiots backing you up."
The boy sitting next to the blond let out an approving whoop, teasing his friend. The blond jabbed him in the stomach.
"Whatever. You should come to a party tonight. Boys' dorm this year."
"Still not giving up, huh?" Evelyn said. She felt a warning pinch from Sophie—her friend clearly didn't want to turn down the invitation. Understanding the signal, Evelyn continued, knowing she couldn't come off as too eager.
"After that? A party? Seriously?" she added with a hint of disdain. "Fine. We'll think about it."
Satisfied, the boy smiled and turned back, pretending to listen to the director.
Sophie leaned closer and whispered:
"If you don't take him, I will…"
"You're hopeless," Evelyn muttered, rolling her eyes.
The girls barely noticed as everyone around them stood up, grabbing their things in a hurry. The speech was over, which meant it was time to move into the dorms. Evelyn caught bits of conversation—students had already been assigned rooms, and the lists were posted in every corridor.
They headed toward the girls' dorm. Evelyn couldn't shake the stranger's words from her mind.
"Until one of you disappears…" she murmured aloud.
"What?" Sophie asked.
Lost in thought, Evelyn had forgotten she wasn't alone.
"Nothing. Don't worry about it," she said quickly.
"You're acting weird today," Sophie said, placing a concerned hand on her shoulder.
Evelyn smiled in response and turned her attention to the assignment board.
"Room 102… Victoria… Haven?" The surname rang a bell.
Sophie immediately caught her concern.
"Think they're related?"
"Who knows…"
Dropping their bags with a thud, the girls threw themselves into a tight hug.
"I was really hoping we'd be roommates…" Sophie said gloomily.
"There, there… we can still try to switch rooms!" Evelyn said, soothing her like a child.
After a few exaggerated spins in their embrace, they parted.
It didn't take Evelyn long to find her room. Taking a steadying breath, she knocked and stepped inside.
She stopped at the doorway.
The air was cool, filled with the distinct scent of expensive perfume. Any hope of choosing a bed vanished instantly. The room was already divided in two: a meticulously arranged "Victoria's side" and an empty space waiting for the newcomer.
On the occupied bed, Victoria lay stretched out lazily, one leg crossed over the other. Despite the relaxed pose, her red hair was perfectly styled, her makeup flawless, as if freshly applied. She didn't look up, fully absorbed in her phone, her fingers occasionally scrolling.
Evelyn hesitated at the cold indifference, but tried to introduce herself.
"Hi! I'm Evelyn. You're Victoria, right?"
No response.
"Looks like I've been assigned to this room," she added.
Giving up on conversation, Evelyn walked to her bed and dropped her bag beside it with a loud thud. Victoria clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes.
Sitting down, Evelyn glanced around again—until her eyes landed on a photograph. The woman in it looked strikingly similar to Director Haven.
Noticing her stare, Victoria quickly shoved the photo into her drawer.
"I had this room to myself last year, but they asked me to make space for you," she said suddenly, emphasizing the word asked as if it had been a threat. "So if you're unhappy, find yourself another roommate. In another room, obviously."
They have to be related, Evelyn thought.
"But I didn't say anything," she replied, caught off guard.
"Whatever you say," Victoria waved dismissively.
Evelyn sat down, trying to collect her thoughts.
"What's your problem?" slipped out.
Victoria paused, finally looking at her with interest.
"Did I do something to you? I didn't even get a chance to say anything, and you're already acting like a bitch!" For a moment, Evelyn wondered if she'd gone too far—but quickly dismissed the thought. No, it fit. "We have to live here for a year. Can we at least try not to make each other miserable?"
Victoria froze, staring at the ceiling. Evelyn tried to read her expression—offended or surprised? But Victoria turned away abruptly and went back to her phone.
"Fine," Evelyn scoffed, echoing her tone mockingly.
She had barely stepped into the academy and already witnessed a scene, argued with a stranger, and fought with her roommate. Some welcome. What had the director said? Welcome to Blackcroft.
Suddenly, exhaustion hit her. The long journey and everything that had happened drained her completely. She pushed the thoughts aside and lay down.
Sleep came instantly—and began with silence.
Not the kind of silence you hear when you're alone, but something deeper. Empty. Like a vacuum.
She stood in the academy foyer—but instead of red walls, there were mirrors everywhere. In them, she saw only her own reflection. The faces in the portraits above were twisted into grotesque smiles, as if waiting—for something, or someone.
On the staircase where Director Haven had stood, there was now a massive clock, like a miniature tower. But instead of numbers, the hands pointed to strange runes or constellations. And in all the time she watched, the hands never moved.
Evelyn tried to call out—but her voice was gone. No matter how hard she tried, not a sound came out.
Then, suddenly, a deafening chime shattered the silence.
The hands moved—pointing to where midnight should be. After striking the hour, they froze again.
"They don't measure time. They measure fates."
The voice came from behind.
She turned.
By the doors stood the same boy who had warned about disappearances in the hall.
"See for yourself," he said, gesturing toward the mirrors.
The mirrors shifted—becoming screens.
Evelyn saw herself at a party. Sophie was beside her, laughing carelessly as always.
Then the image changed.
Now she was in the dorm—but everything was red.
Her own face was twisted in terror, tears streaming down as she slowly slid down the wall, leaving bloody streaks behind.
And then—
Darkness.
Only the pounding of her heartbeat, deafening in her ears.