THE GIRL AT THE GATE 🚶
CHAPTER 1
The Girl at the Gates
The first thing Elara Vale noticed about Aurelia University was the silence.
Not the peaceful kind.
It was the kind of silence that made her feel as though the entire campus was holding its breath.
She stood beneath the enormous iron gates, one hand gripping the strap of her suitcase while she stared at the ancient buildings beyond them.
Dark stone towers rose into the cloudy sky. Ivy crawled across walls covered in strange symbols. Even the clock tower looked impossibly old.
"Welcome to Aurelia," a voice said beside her.
Elara turned.
A girl with curly brown hair and a bright smile stood there.
"First year?" she asked.
"Unfortunately."
The girl laughed.
"I like you already. I'm Mira."
"Elara."
Mira pointed toward the campus.
"Come on. I'll show you where we're staying before you get lost."
Elara followed her through the gates.
The moment she stepped across the boundary, a strange sensation passed through her.
A cold shiver ran from her fingertips to her shoulders.
She stopped.
"Did you feel that?"
Mira turned around.
"Feel what?"
Elara looked back at the gates.
For half a second, she could have sworn the symbols carved into the iron had glowed.
But now they were completely ordinary.
"Nothing," she muttered.
Maybe she was just tired.
After all, she'd spent the entire morning travelling.
They continued toward the dormitories.
Students filled the courtyard, carrying books and suitcases, talking excitedly about classes. Everything looked normal.
Almost.
Elara noticed a group of students standing near a fountain.
They weren't talking.
They were staring directly at her.
One of them whispered something.
The others immediately looked away.
"Do people here normally stare at new students?" Elara asked.
Mira glanced over her shoulder.
"Who?"
"The people by the fountain."
Mira looked.
Nobody was there.
Elara frowned.
That was impossible.
They had been standing there only seconds ago.
"You're probably imagining things," Mira said.
"Maybe."
But Elara couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her.
---
By evening, Elara had unpacked half her belongings and was already regretting her decision to attend Aurelia.
Mira sat cross-legged on her bed, scrolling through her phone.
"You have your orientation tomorrow."
"I know."
"And your first lecture."
"I know."
"And—"
"I know, Mira."
Mira grinned.
"You're going to love it here."
"I've been here six hours."
"Exactly. Plenty of time."
Elara threw a pillow at her.
Mira laughed.
Then the lights went out.
The room fell completely dark.
"Great," Elara muttered.
"Did you touch the switch?"
"No."
Mira reached for her phone.
Before she could turn on the flashlight, a faint sound came from the hallway.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Heavy.
They stopped directly outside their door.
Both girls froze.
Three knocks followed.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Mira whispered, "Were you expecting someone?"
Elara shook her head.
The door handle slowly moved.
Then stopped.
Silence.
Mira finally switched on her phone flashlight and walked toward the door.
"Don't," Elara whispered.
Mira looked back.
"Why?"
"I don't know."
For some reason, every instinct in Elara's body was telling her not to open that door.
Mira hesitated.
Then the footsteps began moving away.
Elara rushed to the window.
From the second floor, she watched a figure disappear into the darkness between the buildings.
There was something strange about the way they moved.
Too fast.
Too silent.
And just before they vanished, the figure looked up.
Straight at her.
Elara stepped away from the window.
Her heart pounded.
Someone knew she was here.
---
The next morning, Elara walked into her first lecture five minutes late.
Every seat seemed occupied.
She scanned the room.
Then she saw an empty chair.
Beside a tall boy dressed entirely in black.
He didn't look up when she approached.
"Is this seat taken?"
"No."
His voice was cold.
Elara sat down.
The professor began speaking.
She opened her notebook.
Then she noticed the boy beside her staring at her hand.
More specifically, at the small silver mark on her wrist.
His expression changed.
For the first time, he looked genuinely shocked.
"What?" Elara asked.
He quickly looked away.
"Nothing."
"You're staring."
"I'm not."
"You literally are."
He sighed.
"You should leave Aurelia."
Elara blinked.
"Excuse me?"
He finally turned toward her.
His eyes were an unusual shade of grey.
"Transfer to another university."
She stared at him.
"And why exactly would I do that?"
"Because you're not safe here."
A strange warmth spread across Elara's wrist.
The silver mark began to glow faintly beneath her sleeve.
The boy noticed.
His expression hardened.
"What is your name?"
"Elara."
He went completely still.
"Elara Vale?"
Her stomach dropped.
"How do you know my surname?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he stood and walked out of the lecture hall.
Elara watched him disappear through the doorway.
The professor continued teaching as though nothing had happened.
Mira leaned over from the other side of the room.
"Who was that?"
Elara looked toward the doorway.
"I don't know."
But somehow, she already knew one thing.
That boy was going to be a problem.
And she had a feeling Aurelia University had just become much more dangerous than she imagined.
