“Ah!” I yelp, spinning around, only to find him standing just inches behind me, cloaked in shadow. “I’m sorry, I—” I stammer, my pulse quickening.
“You what? Decided to snoop through my room?” He steps forward, the dim light finally catching his face. That familiar, chiseled smirk. Those cold, icy blue eyes.
“N- no, I was just trying to find a quiet place,” I manage, my voice shaking. “I didn’t mean to read anything, I swear.”
Silas’s eyes flick to the desk, to the scattered papers I’d been reading. For a brief moment, I see it—a flash of vulnerability as he realizes I’ve seen somethingreal, something he wasn’t ready to share with anyone. But just as quickly, that vulnerability hardens into the bitter, calculating coldness I know so well. His gaze returns to me, sharp and unforgiving, like a predator ready to strike.
“They’re very good,” I blurt out, trying to diffuse the situation, “really.”
His lips curl into something that’s not quite a smile. “Did I ask for your opinion?”
“No, no, you didn’t. I just?—”
“Just what?” He takes another step, his voice low and dangerous. “You think flattering me will make me forget that you invaded my privacy?”
I back up instinctively until I feel the edge of the desk press into my spine. Trapped. He’s too close now, too intense, and my mind scrambles for a way out. “I’ll leave, okay? You don’t have to see me again,” I say quickly, trying to sidestep him.
But Silas blocks my path, his body a wall I can’t escape. My heart pounds against my ribcage, and I don’t understand why he’s stopping me if he wants me gone. The tension in the room thickens, oppressive, as his gaze shifts from my eyes to my lips. Then he doessomething I don’t expect. His hand reaches up, slowly, and his fingers graze my lips with a touch so light it sends a jolt through me—fear and something else tangled together in a knot I can’t unravel. I freeze, completely paralyzed. I’ve never had him this close before, and every instinct screams at me to move, to run, but I can’t. His breath is warm against my skin as he leans in, so close his lips hover millimeters from mine. He doesn’t kiss me. He just stays there, savoring the moment before the kill. My breath catches in my throat, my heart hammering louder with each passing second.
“Leave.” His voice is a soft command, full of tension and barely restrained power.
Without thinking, I bolt. My body moves before my mind catches up, and I’m out of his room in an instant, running down the hallway as fast as my legs can carry me. The cool air hits my face, but the rush of adrenaline doesn’t stop. I glance over my shoulder once, but there’s no sign of him. It’s just me, and the sound of my own frantic footsteps echoing through the empty corridors. But I can’t leave yet. Emma’s still somewhere in this sprawling house, and as the older sister, it’s my job to get her home safely.
I slump onto the grand staircase, trying to calm my racing heart, but Silas’s presence clings to me like a shadow I can’t shake. His eyes, that touch—what just happened?As I sit there, people stumble past me, sneaking into rooms, giggling, making out, pretending I don’t exist. Those who do notice me don’t hold back. They never do.
“Bunny! The grass is outside!”
“What are you doing here? Your kind doesn’t belong in this place. Get out!”
“Where’s your lettuce, Bunny?”
Each taunt lands like a stone. Everyone has an opinion about me—what I eat, what I don’t, how I act, how well I do on tests. It doesn’t matter what I do. They always find something. No matter how hard I try to be invisible, I can’t escape their judgment. But tonight, the insults slide off me, barely leaving a mark. My thoughts are elsewhere, trapped in that room with Silas, in the tension that hung between us, in the questions I can’t answer. And as much as I try, I can’t shake thefeeling that this night has changed something. Something I can’t quite name yet.
At least Silas is nowhere to be seen, and that’s a relief. He’s probably with some girl, doing who knows what. I sigh, trying to ignore the discomfort that thought brings. It’s pathetic, really—how I can’t help but be drawn to him, despite knowing how vile he is. But there’s no denying he’s the most beautiful boy I’ve ever seen. His sapphire-blue eyes, light brown hair that turns golden in the summer, sun-kissed skin, and a body straight out of a sports magazine.
It’s infuriating how someone so awful can look so perfect.
Why can't I find him physically repulsive? My life would be so much easier if I did. The guy who torments me, who seems to hate me with every fiber of his being, somehow makes my stomach twist in ways I don’t want to admit. I hate myself for it, and it's my most closely guarded secret. Can you imagine how much they'd laugh if they knew that instead of hating him, I secretly ache for him?
Boredom takes hold, and I keep replaying what happened with Silas over and over in my mind. Out of all the rooms in this massive house, I had to pick his as my refuge! Was he the one who wrote those words? Who is the alchemist? I never imagined Silas had a love for writing. He's always so quiet in class, rarely participating, and when he does talk to me, it’s only to throw insults.
My sister always says to stay away from beautiful men because they bring nothing but trouble. In this case, she might be right. Though she doesn’t exactly practice what she preaches—she's definitely not staying away from Luca Walker, who is just as undeniably attractive.
Suddenly, something hard slams into the back of my head, and pain explodes like a white-hot fuse igniting behind my eyes. My vision blurs instantly, the shock of it sending waves of agony through my skull. I reach up instinctively, my fingers pressing against the throbbing spot, but when I pull my hand away, I’m staring at blood—thick, dark, and far too much for my brain to process. Panic surges, the pain sharpening with each heartbeat, turning the world into a series of blurry, distorted images. I spin around, dazed, and see a group of guysstanding on the second-floor landing, laughing like this is all some kind of joke.
“For your collection, Bunny!” Matt shouts, his voice laced with a cruel smirk.
At my feet lies a shattered ceramic rabbit, broken into jagged pieces, one of which is smeared with blood.My blood.
Before I can fully grasp what’s happening, Emma is here, her voice distant, muffled, like she’s underwater. I can barely hear her through the ringing in my ears. My legs feel weak, my head heavy, and the world starts to tilt. I stumble, unable to respond, my body swaying on the edge of collapse.
“Get a cloth, now!” Emma screams, her voice frantic as she presses her hands hard against my head, trying to stem the bleeding.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” she yells at Matt, fury and desperation blending in her voice. “Dickhead!”
More laughter erupts from the boys. The sound is harsh, jagged, cutting through me like a blade.
“Here, use this,” someone says, shoving a towel into Emma’s hands. She presses it firmly against my wound, and I gasp as the pressure sends a new jolt of pain racing through me. The world around me spins faster, a chaotic blur of sound and light. The noise, the screaming, the laughter, the chaos—it’s all too much.
