The sun had barely stretched its golden rays across the campus skies when chaos erupted. Elias, just 18, stood in the middle of the courtyard, stunned, breath caught in his throat. Around him, a storm of whispers swirled like a cyclone.
"Did you hear? He harassed Seraphina!"
"The audacity—touching the most beautiful girl on campus?"
"He's always been weird...creepy even."
Phones pointed at him. Disbelief, confusion, fear—Elias felt every possible emotion exploding at once. A few students threw wrappers at his feet. One spat in his direction. He didn't even flinch.
Seraphina Valentine—crowned beauty queen of Eastveil College, number one on the beauty ranking board run by the Student Council's Rich Boys' Club—stood a few feet away, tears welling up, eyes fixed on the ground. She didn't say a word. That silence was louder than any scream.
The day before, Elias had bumped into her accidentally in the hallway. She had smiled kindly at him—he was sure of it. But now...
Elias stumbled away from the crowd, dazed. His steps led him unconsciously to the only place that still felt safe—the old library at the edge of campus. Cold, forgotten, and dusty. There, amid cracked leather chairs and ancient wooden shelves, a soft voice called out.
"You look like hell."
He turned. It was her again. The quiet girl with the raven-black hair and oversized glasses. She was always tucked in the corners of the library. He didn't even know her name.
"You shouldn't be here," he murmured.
"Neither should you," she replied, placing a small brown paper bag beside him. Inside—bread, cheese, a small water bottle.
She didn't ask if he was okay. She just sat there.
That night, Eastveil's scandal blew across the internet. A doctored clip of Elias tripping near Seraphina, cleverly edited to make it look like he grabbed her. The views soared. Hashtags trended. #EliasTheCreep.
No one noticed the anonymous comment under the clip: "You're all wrong. He saved her from falling."
The next day, school resumed like normal. Except Elia's world was burning. Teachers looked away. Friends disappeared. Even the janitor avoided him.
In the locker room, he found a scribbled message inside his textbook:
"The mask they forced you to wear doesn't define you. I saw what really happened."
He clutched the note like a lifeline.
That evening, the Rich Boys' Club met in their secret lounge behind the gym. Leather couches, expensive cigars, and arrogance floated in the air. Blake, their leader, smirked. "This is what happens when trash tries to touch treasure."
Elsewhere, in the teachers' staffroom, quiet murmurs circled.
"Have you ever wondered about that boy Elias?"
"His records are... strange. No parents listed. Fees paid in cash."
"And that watch he always wears... I've never seen anything like it."
In his room, Elias stared at the silver watch again. It buzzed. A blue screen blinked.
Task: Endure the storm without a word. Reward: Truth will find you.
He didn't cry. He didn't scream. He simply clenched his jaw and whispered, "Then let the storm come."