The Scholarship
The rain started before Elara Quinn's train reached the city.
By the time I stepped onto the platform, the sky had turned the color of wet concrete.
Perfect.
A terrible day for a new beginning.
I adjusted the strap of my backpack and looked at the massive iron gates ahead.
SAINT DORIAN UNIVERSITY
The words were carved into black stone.
The campus stretched across a hill overlooking the city, its old buildings wrapped in fog and ivy.
Most students would have been impressed.
I felt uneasy.
The feeling settled in my stomach the moment I crossed the gates.
As if I had been here before.
Which was impossible.
I shook the thought away.
"You must be Elara Quinn."
A woman in a university blazer smiled at me.
"Scholarship student?"
I nodded.
"Follow me."
The campus tour blurred together.
Dormitories.
Lecture halls.
Libraries.
Rules.
Schedules.
Names.
Too much information.
By evening, I was exhausted.
My new dorm room sat on the fourth floor of the Hall.
Small.
Neat.
Warm.
The exact opposite of the weather outside.
"Finally."
I dropped my suitcase beside the bed.
The other half of the room was already occupied.
Clothes hung from a chair.
Books covered a desk.
A girl with curly dark hair looked up from her laptop.
"You must be my roommate."
She grinned.
"I'm Mira."
"Elara."
"Nice to meet you."
Mira studied me for a moment.
"You look like someone who hasn't slept."
I laughed.
"That's because I haven't."
"Great. I got assigned the insomniac."
"Sorry."
"No, it's okay. I talk too much anyway."
For the first time all day, I smiled.
Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.
Maybe she could start over here.
Maybe—
"Just don't go near the seventh floor."
I blinked.
"What?"
Mira immediately looked uncomfortable.
"Nothing."
"You literally just said not to go near the seventh floor."
Mira shrugged.
"It's a campus thing."
"What kind of campus thing?"
"The kind nobody talks about."
That answer only made me more curious.
Before I could ask another question, my phone buzzed.
Unknown Number.
A text message appeared.
I frowned.
I hadn't given my number to anyone.
The message contained only six words.
DON'T TRUST ROMAN VOSS.
My smile vanished.
"What is it?" Mira asked.
I quickly locked her phone.
"Nothing."
But it wasn't nothing.
Not even close.
Later that night, sleep refused to come.
Again.
Outside, rain tapped softly against the dorm window.
Inside, the room was silent except for Mira's breathing.
I stared at the ceiling.
1:07 AM.
1:23 AM.
1:41 AM.
Still awake.
Finally I sat up.
Maybe a walk would help.
I slipped into a hoodie and left the room.
The university looked completely different at night.
Empty hallways.
Dark windows.
Long shadows.
Almost beautiful.
Almost.
As I crossed the central courtyard, I noticed a light glowing inside the humanities building.
Strange.
The building was supposed to be closed.
Curiosity won.
It usually did.
I pushed open the front doors and stepped inside.
Silence greeted me.
The lobby stood empty.
Then I heard voices upstairs.
Someone was arguing.
I moved closer.
A male voice spoke sharply.
"I told you to leave it alone."
Another voice answered.
"I can't."
The conversation stopped.
Footsteps approached.
Fast.
I immediately stepped behind a pillar.
A second later, someone emerged from the stairwell.
Tall.
Dark-haired.
Dressed in black.
His expression was cold enough to freeze water.
He looked directly at my hiding place.
And somehow I knew he had spotted me instantly.
For several seconds neither moved.
Then he spoke.
"You shouldn't be here."
His voice was calm.
Dangerously calm.
I stepped out from behind the pillar.
"And who are you?"
The boy's eyes narrowed slightly.
As if he couldn't decide whether I was stupid or brave.
"Asher Vance."
The name hit me like a slap.
The text message.
Don't trust Asher Vance.
I tried not to react.
Failed.
Asher noticed.
Of course he noticed.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing."
"You're a terrible liar."
I folded my arms.
"You're very friendly."
"I'm not trying to be."
For some reason that made me even more annoyed.
"Good. I'd hate to see you unfriendly."
A flicker of amusement crossed his face.
Gone almost instantly.
Then his expression changed.
He looked past my shoulder.
Toward the elevator at the end of the hallway.
The doors were opening.
Slowly.
No one stood inside.
Yet the elevator had moved.
On its own.
Asher went completely still.
For the first time, he looked concerned.
"Leave," he said.
"What?"
"Now."
Something in his tone made my heartbeat quicken.
The elevator doors finished opening.
Inside, a single button glowed.
A button marked:
7
And then the lights in the building went out.
