EIRA'S POV
"Is anyone there?"
My voice trembled, swallowed by the stillness. The forest answered only with echoes, each one sharper and more menacing than the last, until even my own words sounded like they belonged to a stranger.
The trees loomed overhead, their branches twisting like skeletal fingers and weaving a cage of shadows around me. Panic surged through my veins, hot and cold all at once.
I shouldn't be here.
I needed to leave.
I spun around—
And froze.
A black snake.
Coiled. Silent.
Its eyes remained fixed on me, twin shards of midnight.
My body betrayed me. I stumbled backward, my legs suddenly weak.
"Help! Help!"
My voice cracked, thin and fragile against the heavy silence.
The snake slithered toward me, smooth and deliberate. With every movement, it seemed to squeeze the air from my lungs. I tried to run, but my legs refused to obey.
Terror rooted me to the spot.
And then—
Warmth.
A sudden, powerful grip wrapped around my waist and lifted me off the ground.
I gasped, my heart hammering against my ribs as I collided with a stranger's chest.
I looked up—
And the world seemed to stop.
A pair of inky black eyes held me captive.
Darker than night.
Deeper than shadow.
His face was concealed beneath a cloth, but those eyes...
Impossibly intense.
Endless.
Dangerous.
And yet, somehow, safe.
My breath caught.
For one brief, fragile moment, my fear disappeared. Something inside me grew strangely still, as though some hidden part of me had been waiting for this gaze my entire life.
But the snake—
It lunged.
The creature struck with sudden, vicious speed.
His arm moved before I could even comprehend what was happening—fluid, precise, almost impossibly fast.
In the blink of an eye, the snake was hurled into the shadows, disappearing as though the forest itself had swallowed it whole.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Breathless.
I turned back—
But he was gone.
The clearing stood empty, as though he had never been there at all.
No footprints.
No sound.
Nothing but me, trembling as I clutched the memory of those eyes.
Was it real?
Or another dream?
I swallowed hard and forced myself to walk back toward campus. My heart thudded against my ribs with a strange new rhythm.
Fear, yes.
But beneath it was something else.
Something I couldn't understand.
The Next Day
The next morning, I stood in the middle of the crowded campus, clutching my timetable so tightly that its edges had begun to crumple.
Students hurried past me in every direction. Some laughed with their friends, while others rushed toward their classes as though they already knew exactly where they belonged.
Meanwhile, I'd spent the last twenty minutes wandering through hallways and staircases, somehow becoming more lost every time I checked my timetable.
By the time I realized I'd walked past the same classroom three times, frustration was bubbling beneath the surface.
I turned another corner, my eyes fixed on the schedule in my hands rather than the path ahead.
And immediately collided with someone.
Books scattered across the floor.
"Oh my God, I'm sorry!"
I quickly crouched down to gather them, my face burning with embarrassment.
The girl I'd crashed into stared at me for a moment before a mischievous grin spread across her face.
"Wow. Most people at least buy me dinner before throwing themselves at me."
I blinked in confusion.
Then I realized she was joking.
A laugh escaped me despite myself.
"I'm Eira," I said softly.
"Tessy," she replied, offering me a hand. "Professional victim of hallway attacks."
Within minutes, she was talking as though we'd known each other forever. Somehow, her carefree personality eased the nervousness I'd been carrying all morning.
By the time we reached our classroom, I found myself grateful that I'd bumped into her.
Unfortunately, that gratitude vanished the moment our teacher announced that everyone would be introducing themselves.
My stomach dropped.
One by one, students stood and spoke confidently about themselves while I sat frozen in my seat, silently praying my turn would never come.
Of course, it did.
As I stood, dozens of eyes turned toward me.
My throat tightened immediately.
"H-hello," I managed to whisper. "M-my name is Eira. I... I transferred here recently."
The words barely escaped my lips, yet somehow they sounded deafening in the silence.
My voice trembled so badly that I wanted the floor to open beneath me and swallow me whole.
The moment I sat down, a girl near the window rose dramatically.
"H-h-hello. M-my n-name is E-Eira," she mocked, exaggerating every stutter.
The class burst into laughter.
"Seriously, you sound like a piece of garbage trying to learn how to talk."
Heat rushed to my face as I stared down at my desk, wishing I could disappear.
Before I could respond, Tessy leaned back in her chair and folded her arms.
"Victoria," she said sweetly, turning toward her, "that's funny. Because listening to you makes me wish I were deaf."
Several students gasped.
Victoria's smile vanished instantly.
I couldn't stop the surprised expression that crossed my face.
Tessy simply winked at me, as though insulting people was her favorite hobby.
Thankfully, the bell rang before things could escalate any further.
Later, we sat in the canteen eating lunch while Tessy entertained herself by complaining about college life.
I was halfway through laughing at one of her ridiculous stories when the atmosphere suddenly changed.
The chatter died.
Conversations fell silent.
An unnatural stillness spread through the canteen like a cold wind.
A strange chill crawled across my skin.
Confused, I looked around before following everyone else's gaze toward the entrance.
A boy had just walked in.
He wore a black jacket and dark trousers, and despite the crowded room, he seemed completely detached from everyone around him.
His skin was pale—almost unnaturally so.
But that wasn't what stole my breath.
It was his eyes.
Black.
Endless.
The same eyes I'd seen in the forest.
The same eyes that had haunted my thoughts all night.
My heart stumbled painfully against my ribs.
It was him.
He walked through the canteen without sparing anyone a glance. Yet somehow, everyone seemed aware of his presence.
Students lowered their voices as he passed. Some immediately looked away, while others stared openly, curiosity and fear flickering across their faces.
"I need to thank him."
Tessy looked confused.
"Thank who?"
"Him."
Her eyes widened.
"Are you insane?"
Before she could stop me, I stood and began walking toward him.
Every step felt heavier than the last.
The closer I got, the colder the air seemed to become.
Maybe it was my imagination.
Students watched me pass their tables. Some looked confused.
Others looked horrified.
As though they already knew this would end badly.
I stopped beside his table.
He was leaning back in his chair, one arm resting casually against it.
Up close, he looked even more intimidating.
His features were sharp and impossibly handsome, but there was something dangerous about him too.
Something that warned everyone to stay away.
For several seconds, he didn't acknowledge my presence.
Not even a glance.
I swallowed nervously.
"I just wanted to—"
"If you want to sleep with me," he interrupted coldly, "then say so."
The words struck me like a slap.
For a moment, I genuinely thought I'd heard him wrong.
The entire canteen fell silent.
Then laughter erupted.
Loud.
Cruel.
Humiliating.
Victoria's voice rose above everyone else's.
"Oh my God, did she seriously come over here for that?"
She laughed loudly.
"Someone should tell her who she's talking to."
The table erupted in laughter.
"That's Adrian Blake," someone said. "The richest man in the city. People wait months just to get an invitation to one of his parties."
Jessica smirked.
"And she really thought she could just walk up here like she belonged?"
More laughter followed.
Heat flooded my face so quickly that I thought I might faint.
I couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
Couldn't understand what was happening.
I'd only wanted to thank him.
That was all.
Slowly, Adrian lifted his gaze and looked at me.
Those black eyes met mine.
Yesterday, they had felt safe.
Today, they felt like ice.
There was no recognition in them.
No kindness.
Nothing.
The laughter continued around us.
Every sound felt like a knife.
My throat tightened painfully.
Tears burned behind my eyes.
Not here.
I wouldn't cry here.
I turned abruptly and ran.
Someone called my name.
Then again.
"Eira!"
It was Tessy.
I heard her chair scrape against the floor as she rushed after me.
But I couldn't stop.
I couldn't face any of them.
The laughter echoed in my ears as I raced through the corridors, past classrooms and staircases, my vision blurring with tears.
Only when I reached the empty courtyard behind the library did I finally stop.
My chest heaved as I struggled to catch my breath.
The tears I'd fought so hard to hold back finally escaped.
I wiped at them desperately, but they kept coming.
Why?
Why had he said that?