Endora's heart stopped. She'd been so focused on avoiding Elion that she hadn't seen Zayden coming. Now she stood frozen, staring up at him as his piercing gaze swept over her from head to toe.
"Running from someone?" Zayden asked, glancing around before turning back to her. Before she could stammer a reply, he continued, "No harm done. Just watch where you're going next time." With that, he walked past her, leaving Endora able to breathe again.
As she watched him go, a surprising thought crossed her mind: Maybe he's not as bad as everyone says. Then another thought came in: Maybe he was indeed trouble, considering the fact that he made her climb a tree.
Turning back, she finally took in the library before her. The building rose like a stone tower, its circular shape formed by connected sections. When she stepped inside, her breath caught - polished marble floors gleamed under her feet while the walls displayed framed pictures and gleaming awards.
Ahead stood the librarian's desk, its rich wood glowing under the warm library lights. Endora moved forward slowly, drinking in every magnificent detail of this unexpected sight.
Endora approached the library desk, where a young woman sat typing briskly on her computer. "Good day," she said politely.
The librarian looked up, her face brightening. "Good day to you too!" she replied with a warm smile. "You're new here, I haven't seen you before."
"Yes, I just started yesterday," Endora admitted.
"Oh! That means you're a week late, but no worries. Welcome to Nightshade University. I hope the place is treating you well?"
"It is, thank you," Endora said, though her mind flashed to the chaos of her first day.
"Glad to hear it! I'm Shanelle, but everyone calls me Shasha. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Endora. Nice to meet you too." They shook hands.
Shasha tilted her head, studying her. "You're very pretty. Hope we can be friends?"
Endora blinked, then laughed softly. "Thank you, you're stunning too. And sure, I'd like that."
"Yay!" Shasha grinned. "So, what brings you here?"
"I wanted to look around, maybe find some books for class assignments."
"Perfect! First, I'll need your student ID."
Endora unclipped the lanyard from her neck, students were required to wear them at all times outside their dorms; and handed it over. Shasha scanned it, then passed it back. "Now, just write your name, the time, and sign here." She slid a logbook toward her.
Endora scribbled her details and returned it.
"Here are the library rules," Shasha said, handing her a small pamphlet. "Read them, but the big one? No noise. This is a quiet zone."
"Got it. Thanks!" Endora smiled and waved before stepping further into the library.
The space was massive; towering shelves packed with books, rolling ladders for reaching the highest ones, and sections neatly organized by subject. She wandered between the aisles, trailing her fingers along the spines of books.
Eventually, she drifted toward the walls, where framed paintings and photographs hung, each one holding a story she had yet to learn.
The pictures in the frames all seemed connected. The first showed Lord Julian and his wife, then others followed. Their clothes looked old-fashioned, from another time. As Endora walked down the hall, she noticed every name had "Lord" or "Lady" before it. There were so many portraits "How many generations of this family had lived and died here?" She thought.
She examined each picture carefully, fascinated. When her feet grew tired, she decided to continue another day. Heading to the shelves, she found the book she needed and took it to an empty table. Other students sat reading quietly around her.
She began studying earnestly. With a test coming in three weeks and so many missed classes to catch up on, the work felt overwhelming. The single class she'd attended already had her struggling.
Her watch beeped, it was time for the next class. She returned the book to its shelf, waved to the librarian Shasha, and rushed out. Even a slight delay would make her late.
She arrived just as class was starting. The professor entered minutes later. Again, she had to introduce herself and again got the same reactions as before. Thankfully, the rest of class passed without incident.
When the long classes finally ended, it was nearly 4:00, time for detention. Stepping into the hallway, she realized she didn't know where to go. Spotting Jamian, she called out.
"Hey," she greeted with a tired smile.
"Hey! We missed you earlier," he replied.
"Yeah, I went to the class after leaving the library. Do you know where detention is held?"
Jamian's face fell. "Oh right...sorry about that."
Endora sighed. "I can't pretend it's okay, but I'll manage."
"Come on, we should hurry. Professor Cassiodor won't accept even one minute late."
"What's his problem with me anyway?" Endora grumbled.
Jamian laughed. "Trust me, he's like that with everyone."
They reached a door marked "Detention" in bold letters.
"Want me to wait for you?" Jamian offered.
"No, it's just an hour. I'll be fine," Endora replied, not wanting to burden anyone.
"But I don't mind," Jamian insisted, ready to wait for.
"Really, go ahead. I've got this," She replied and entered to find Professor Cassiodor standing with a stern woman.
"You're late," he declared.
"But sir, it's exactly 4:00."
He glared. "4:00:59 is still late. One second is still disobedience. You'll clean the library for a week."
"But...I..."
He stormed out before she could protest. The woman at the desk barely reacted, as if this was normal.
Endora sat down, stunned. She'd always been a perfect student - quiet, rule-following, top grades. Now she sat in detention for something she didn't even do.
A blank notebook and pencil waited before her.
"Write what you did wrong, what you learned, and how you'll improve," the woman instructed tonelessly.
Since she'd done nothing wrong, Endora ignored the assignment and began drawing instead, a rose tangled in thorns. She didn't notice someone watching her.
When detention ended, she tore out the page, crumpled it, and tossed it in the hallway trash. Drawing had been her private escape in high school and she was good at it.
As she walked away, someone picked up the crumpled paper from the bin. Carefully unfolded it, studied the drawing of the thorn-pierced rose, then smiled and tucked it into their pocket before disappearing down the hallway.
Endora dragged herself back to her dorm after detention. With no more lectures for the day and the weight of Professor Cassiodor's punishment hanging over her, she felt completely drained. She'd lost all appetite, not caring that she hadn't eaten since morning. All she wanted was to disappear.
She lay on her bed staring blankly at the ceiling, her mind empty and face expressionless. After some time, a knock came at the door. She didn't respond or move.
"Endora, are you in?" Luci's voice called through the door. When there was no answer, Luci opened the door and entered. "Oh my God, you scared me! I thought something happened to you," she said, sitting on the bed beside Endora's still form.
"Endora, are you okay?" Luci asked, growing worried.
Finally, Endora turned her head to look at her friend. "No, I'm not," she admitted, sitting up. "Professor Cassiodor gave me another punishment - I have to clean the library for a week just because I was one second late. I already have disciplinary marks on just my second day. I feel completely drained, both emotionally and physically."
"I'm so sorry," Luci said, hugging her. "Maybe we can talk to Professor Cassiodor for you?"
"Don't," Endora said, pulling away. "That might make it worse. I'll be fine."
"Then I'll help you with the cleaning," Luci declared. "That's what friends are for."
"Thanks, Luci," Endora said, managing a small smile.
"Now let's go get dinner. It's after 5 and the cafeteria will be emptying out," Luci suggested.
"I don't want to go. I'm not hungry."
"Wait - have you eaten since morning?" Luci asked staring at her suspiciously.
"No," Endora admitted.
"That's not okay!" Luci insisted, pulling Endora up from the bed. She grabbed Endora's bag and practically dragged her out of the room, locking the door behind them. Holding Endora's hand, she marched them toward the cafeteria.
"Why are you treating yourself like this? I don't like it," Luci scolded.
"I'm fine. I'm used to it," Endora replied automatically.
"That's not something you should get used to," Luci said firmly. Endora just nodded, not wanting to argue.
As they walked, Endora mentioned, "I ran into Zayden today when I was trying to avoid Elion."
"You did?" Luci asked, alarmed. Endora explained what happened.
"Just keep avoiding them," Luci advised.
"Honestly, I'm tired of running away. From now on, I'll face my problems head-on. Running always makes things worse," Endora declared with sudden determination.
"Okay, slow down there, tough girl," Luci said with a laugh. "Just be careful."
"Do you really think Zayden is that bad? He seemed... kind of okay," Endora ventured.
"Endora, no," Luci said seriously. "Remember what he did? Made you climb that tree!"
"That's just an assumption though. We don't have proof it was him. The bigger questions are: how did whoever did it, was able to return my phone to my room, and who convinced them to reduce my punishment? I can't stop thinking about it."
"I don't know," Luci admitted. "But I still think it was Zayden. I've heard he can get access to anything he wants. He's dangerous."
"I hear you," Endora said as they reached the crowded cafeteria. After getting their food, Luci led them to a table where Jamian and two others sat.
"Everyone, this is Endora," Luci announced as they sat down.
"Hi Endora," Jamian said with a warm smile.
"These are Fiona, we call her Fifi - she's in third year, and Roxley, Jamian's friend in second year. We call him Rox," Luci introduced.
"Nice to meet you," Endora said, waving at them.
"Nice to meet you too," they replied in unison.
"I kind of know you, you're the girl from the tree yesterday," Rox said.
"Yeah, that's me," Endora admitted.
"What were you even doing back there? Didn't you read the rules?" Fifi asked.
"What rules?" Endora asked, confused.
Fifi pulled a paper from her pocket. "Rule 38: Stay away from the school's backyard. Rule 39: No one outside after 9 PM. Rule 40: Everyone in their dorms by 10 PM. Rule 41: Always wear your bracelet. Rule 42: Always listen to senior prefect." She pointed to the rules on the page.
"That's not in my rulebook! The last page must have fallen out. Wait! what bracelet?" Endora asked.
Everyone at the table raised their wrists, showing identical bracelets.
"You didn't get one?" Jamian asked, surprised.
"No, I didn't," Endora said, growing uneasy. "What's it for?"
"We don't really know," Luci admitted. "But everyone wears one."
"How do I get mine? First missing rules, now this... Am I even safe here?" Endora asked, looking around at their concerned faces.
A prickling sensation crept up her neck - someone was watching her. She turned slowly, only to lock eyes with Zayden across the crowded cafeteria. Her breath hitched. When she quickly looked away, her gaze accidentally found Elion staring right at her from the opposite direction with a cold glare. A silent gasp escaped her lips as she realized she was trapped between the two most dangerous boys in school.