Light flooded the room, and I looked down. My stomach lurched at what I saw.
Blood.
My blankets were drenched in it. Dark red, almost black in places, soaking through the fabric and into the mattress beneath. It was on my hands, my arms, streaked across my pajamas.
A scream caught in my throat, and I jerked backward, nearly falling out of bed.
That was when I finally noticed the wall across from my bed. The cream-colored paintwork had been devoid of any marks when I went to bed, but now three huge, dripping words were painted there in the same blood that had soaked through my blankets.
STOP ASKING QUESTIONS
8
Violet
I was still shaking.
Even three hours later, my hands wouldn’t stay still. They trembled in my lap as I sat across from the dean of students in her office, the morning light slicing through the blinds in clean, sterile lines.
“I’m so sorry this happened to you, Violet,” she said, her tone careful but sincere. She was younger than I'd expected. Maybe mid-forties, with sharp eyes that didn't miss much. “Can I get you anything? Water? Tea?”
“No thanks,” I murmured. “I don’t think I can stomach anything right now.”
“I understand. But the offer stands if you change your mind." She gave me a brief, sympathetic smile before opening a manila folder with my name on the tab. "Now, I wanted to update you on where things stand. Campus security finished sweeping your room about an hour ago, and they've turned everything over to Blackthorne Harbor PD. The detectives should be wrapping up soon."
I nodded, though my throat felt too tight to speak. The taste of fear hadn’t left my mouth yet. It was metallic and bitter, likeI’d bitten down on a coin. Or maybe that was just from the blood that had been splashed across my bed as I slept.
"We've arranged for a professional cleaning service to handle your dorm," Weiss continued. "Everything will be taken care of, so you won’t have to see any of it when you return.”
Return.
The word caught in my chest.
“I… I don’t know if I can,” I managed. My voice cracked halfway through the sentence. “At least… not for a few days.”
“That’s completely understandable,” she said quickly. “You don't have to decide about this right now, but if you don't feel safe going back to your dorm at all, we can arrange a permanent room transfer.”
I wasn't sure I'd feel safe anywhere on this campus. Not when I was almost certain I knew who'd done this to me.
“For now, we’ve booked you a room at the Harbor Inn,” Weiss added. “It’s a small hotel just off campus, but you’ll have full security coverage and staff members on-site at all times. You’ll be perfectly safe there.”
“Thanks,” I murmured. “I already packed a bag, like the police told me to. It's outside.”
“Good. That's good.” Weiss leaned back slightly, her expression softening. “I also want you to know that counseling services are available to you. Free of charge, for as long as you need them.”
My gaze drifted past her to the window. Outside, students were crossing the quad in lazy morning patterns, laughing, holding coffee cups, completely unaware that a few hours earlier, someone had broken into my brand new world and shattered it into pieces.
“You said you spoke to the police already?” Weiss asked, forehead wrinkling.
I swallowed. “Yeah. They said it might be a prank. Apparently someone did something similar a few years ago. They got animal blood from a butcher and poured it all over a lecture hall.”
Weiss's jaw tightened. “Even if it was intended as a prank, what happened to you crosses every line. When we find who did this, I can promise you they'll face serious consequences.”
If you find them,I thought.And only if they're not untouchable.
She tilted her head, studying me. “The message on your wall.'Stop asking questions'. Do you have any idea what that might refer to? Or who might have written it? That could help us track down the perpetrator.”
I hesitated. I’d initially planned on keeping quiet about everything for two main reasons. Firstly, I was ninety-nine percent certain that the awful ‘prank’ wasn’t a prank at all, and was actually a warning from the Dionysus Club about my search for answers. But I didn’t want to mention their name to anyone in case it somehow got back to them, as that could cause even more trouble for me.
