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I was on my way downstairs to check if the other four girls were still there, because what Vivienna, Amber, Kelly, and Grace didn't know was that Bayla, Larissa, and Emely were waiting upstairs in our room for us to get started on the first Umbra books at the dining room table, which – it should be noted – had significantly more space than upstairs.

The fact that the three of them had every right to be here did not change the fact that they had to hide from Vivienna and her friends.

Vivienna had threatened me that if I didn't stay away from Larissa and Bayla, she would tell Harlow and Gloria. We were lucky that she had no idea that Emely was also part of our group.

Vivienna could try as hard as she wanted to break us up, but the importance of the mission we were now dedicated to outweighed our fear of the consequences.

However, Larissa and Bayla had since made every effort to only show up here when the pretentious four left the house. But today, they had unexpectedly returned early from their shopping trip downtown.

“Oh. My. God!” I heard Kelly squeal and sighed inaudibly.

They had actually wanted to go to the campus bar, but it looked like that was going to be delayed as well.

“You have to see this, Amber!”

I peeked around the corner of the stairs and crouched down on one of the steps to get a better view.

“A girl from our class took a picture of our professor while he was jogging!”

My eyebrows involuntarily rose as Kelly held her phone in front of Amber with sparkling eyes, and Amber snatched it out of her hands with an annoyed look.

She couldn't be talking about...

Amber studied Kelly's display.

I caught myself trying to see past her shoulder, but the black fur of her winter jacket was too bulky.

God, why did I even care?

Amber snorted, shaking her head, and handed the phone back to Kelly, who grinned and zoomed in on something on the display.

A strange, annoyed feeling spread through my stomach, even though it could have been any professor Kelly was obviously inspecting in minute detail.

“I can't believe those stupid sluts can't keep their human fingers off that man,” Amber hissed, raising both eyebrows before reaching for her coffee cup on the kitchen island and walking around it to get her clutch.

Grace stood next to her, looking irritated as she glanced between her and Kelly, while Vivienna once again poured some green liquid from her shaker into a plastic bottle.

My gaze fixed on Grace.

She seemed different, had recently started wearing high heels and tight brown leather skirts, and was straightening her cocoa-brown corkscrew curls, which she had never allowed to be touched by heat before. I had also noticed that she had removed the feminism stickers from her laptop and taken the philosophy books I had gifted her from her shelf in Moenia.

I tried not to let it get to me, but even with Salma, an oppressive tightness settled in my chest whenever I thought about the old days.

Grace was the only one from my old life that I missed...

“You told me that you...” Kelly began suddenly, confused, as if it had taken her half an eternity to process Amber's words.

Amber hastily raised her finger to her full lips, which were covered in dark purple, almost black lipstick today.

“Shut up, Kelly!”

Kelly pressed her lips together, Grace looked even more confused as she glanced between the two of them, and Vivienna spun around in alarm.

“Amber?” Vivi began, looking questioningly at her before closing her plastic bottle. “Please tell me you're not planning to do anything that might upset Harlow.”

“Of course not,” Amber laughed in a strange tone.

“Oh, gosh,” Kelly sighed. “He’s so hot.” She turned her phone, this time toward Grace, and for a split second I caught a glimpse of Quentin’s professor profile on the Vanderwood website. “Do you think he would date a student?”