I curved my hand into a fist. My fingertips still stung after grazing her skin earlier. Washing my hands with sodium hydroxide wouldn’t be enough to get rid of the feeling of her.
“I’m going to break her.” I cut their daily squabble, a tic working in my jaw. “But slowly. I don’t want to drive her out of Pantheon because what would the fun be in that? She wants to be here so badly? Well, I’ll make sure she feels the constant reminder of my presence everywhere.”
She made me feelpowerless,and I’d sworn that I would never ever feel that way again.
I’d killed that weakness called feelings a long time ago.
Dalia was all alone, and this time, it was my turn to haunt her. My loathing for her didn’t vanish; if anything, it became even more maddening.
I would take everything from her. I’d peel away her layers and expose her vulnerabilities. I’d shape her into a weapon to use against Daddy dearest. Bullies like him deserved to fall. Four years ago, I decided I’d end his reign and found a strange error in his enterprise. A gut feeling, but it wasn’t not enough to bring him down. Yet.
Who’s fucking powerless now?
Kay chuckled. “It’s going to be entertaining to watch. I’ll be glad to assist you—”
“No.” I interrupted. “She’s mine.”
My phone vibrated. I only had ten seconds left before the end of the game. I pre-moved all my moves, and…checkmate.The black won.
“Good afternoon, new students and returning students!” Mr. Morgan basked in the crowd’s applause, which gave him what his narcissistic personality craved. He played the humility card, laying a hand across his heart as my two idiotic friends applauded. “As you know, our university policy is acceptance. We want each student to find their place and believe in your potential. This is why Pantheon founders created the four houses and the head of each house to guide you during your studies. Think of your house like a fraternity or a sorority, building long-lasting friendships. We’ll give you all the keys to succeed, thanks to our rigorous academic curriculum—”
The pompous speech was boring, that was a given, but the moment he fully lost me was when his disgusting PowerPoint slide appeared on the screen. He even struggled to switch slides with his remote. How had no one updated those slides? Were they all blind to mediocrity?
I needed a distraction, so in a matter of seconds, I downloaded the data I had intercepted when I’d connected Dalia to my Wi-Fi. Pantheon was a vast network of potential victims and opportunities for chaos, and with every keystroke, I solidified my reign. No one was safe from my reach. My reputation had been built upon ruthless precision because no one was innocent in this world of the elite and powerful.
Dalia’s passwords, browsing history, messages, photos, contacts—all laid bare before me. It was a treasure trove of ammunition. This time,Iwas the one infiltrating her life like a malware. Her last Google searches were about “how to make friends,” “how to fit in at a new school,” and “how to leave your family behind without feeling guilty.” My lips curled.How sweet.Going on to the next, I noticed most of her life revolvedaround the violin and music.Looks like she hasn’t changed.No pictures with friends, and her contacts included mostly older people from church. She was lonely. Nothing unusual to report, apart from the fact that she seemed deeply intrigued by ways to get an orgasm. Probably a virgin.
“This year, our talented artist Tara Ahmad will be the headmistress of the Pioneers. She’s shone with her leadership skills, and she has the top grades in most of her classes.”
More applause.
Tara’s brown eyes narrowed on me since she couldn’t bear to be ignored. I indulged her earlier only because Dalia was watching us when I delivered her the news that the little sexual game we’d been playing was futile and over. I was utterly bored, and all of her best efforts couldn’t spark anything. Not that she wanted me—or worse, liked me. She probably hated my guts, but what she hated even more was failing. A true Pioneer at heart.
“For the Guardians, our future lawyer, Lidia Brickel, who published a best-selling book about women’s rights!”
Applause again even though no one cared about the Guardians. They were invisible. However, the worst house, with their idealistic ideologies and team-building activities, was the—
“For the Unifiers, Sylas Archambault! He showed impeccable academic records and is active with many charities; he is a role model to follow.”
“Obviously.” Kay flung his legs onto the seat before him, his platinum-toned sneakers dangling above. You wouldn’t believe he was the heir to a French luxury fashion empire. “The look on your face when you’ll be elected headmaster will be priceless.”
“I don’t want to deal with a bunch of terrified idiots and tell them what to—”
“And Levi Delombre will be the headmaster of the Tacticians since he’s shown great academic expertise and is deeply involved in thecampus’s activities.”
I didn’t miss Mr. Morgan’s irony since my involvement at the university gave him more problems than anything. He motioned for me to stand—he’d dared to write my name on this awful slide with our house emblem—and I raised my hand briefly in acknowledgment.Shit. The bastard had won this round.
Maybe I could find a loophole to expel myself from this dreadful task. Maybe the fact I was one year ahead for my age—I could definitely play on the immaturity card.
“Now, it’s time for our new students to discover which house they’ll belong to for the rest of their studies.”
He finally started listing the students’ names, and I straightened my posture.
“We really have to stay for the whole thing? There are hundreds of them,” Kay groaned, jerking his head back.
“It’s part of the whole ‘we welcome you in’ tradition,” Cillian quoted, scrolling through his Kindle for a nonfiction book he hadn’t read yet.
More names.
