LINDSAY
I don't knowwhere I am.
At first, I just needed air, space to breathe, to shake off the pressure building behind my ribs since Raiden walked into that hall with someone else and didn’t even acknowledge me. I’d meant to stick to the main path, the one lit by flickering mage-lamps that wind between the dorms and the dining hall.
But the grounds are bigger than I thought. And emptier.
Now the lights are gone, the path unfamiliar, the fog low and curling over the grass like it’s reaching for my ankles almost reminds me of the shadows from my apartment. The trees around me are dense, their shapes barely visible in the growing dark. I probably passed a sign or marker at some point, but I wasn’t paying attention.
I was too busy thinking about how Raiden would barely even look at me.
My boots crunch over gravel—thin, uneven. The kind of sound that makes you feel exposed. I stop walking, heart thudding, and glance over my shoulder.
No one’s there.
But the silence is too complete.
No crickets. No wind. Just…nothing.
I take another step, slower this time. Every instinct in me is telling me to turn back. The problem is that I don’t know which way is back.
A whisper of motion moves behind me.
I whip around.
Nothing.
A trick of the wind. Probably. Maybe.
I rub my arms, suddenly freezing. The warmth of the dining hall feels like a lifetime ago.
I exhale slowly, trying to focus. I’m probably near the outer edge of campus. There were training fields somewhere near here, I think. Maybe I’ll circle around and find?—
A branch snaps to my left.
This time I don’t pretend it’s nothing.
My body reacts before my mind does; magic bubbling up beneath my skin, unformed and unsteady. I take a step back, then another.
That’s when I see the figure.
Just a glimpse at first. A shadow. Moving between trees as if it belongs there.
I freeze.
“Hello?” My voice sounds small. Weak. Stupid.
No answer.
My heart hammers against my ribs. I try to call the magic again, but it stutters—like it’s trying to obey too many conflicting instincts. Or like I shouldn't be using it for twenty-four hours like that old lady instructed.
Fight. Flee. What can I do against someone wanting to do me harm?
Then the figure steps fully into view. Cloaked. Masked. Tall.
And moving fast.
They don’t speak. They don’t pause.
