The Girl They All Hunger For

Midnight. The clock hit twelve. On stage, the old headmaster—white beard, endless energy—was still going on and on with his painfully long, overly passionate speech. I was dying. Sitting in the far corner of the auditorium, I felt my consciousness slipping. My head was heavy. My thoughts blurred. Today was the entrance ceremony for Elaris Academy. A school built for nobles. To match their “lifestyle,” classes ran at night. So yeah—morning classes at eight? Nope. Now it was 8 p.m. Midnight was “lunch break.” Classes ended at six in the morning, just before sunrise, so we could crawl back to the dorms and sleep. Seriously? It’s the 21st century. Why does a school like this even exist? I slouched in my seat, hands folded over my stomach, staring up at the intricately carved ceiling. Totally bored. The pillars along the walls were engraved with different emblems. Family crests, supposedly. Noble houses and all that. …If I sneak in a quick nap now, no one will notice, right? I came in late anyway. Picked a seat way in the corner. Perfect crime. With that thought, I slid lower in my seat and rested my head against the backrest. Then— Something blocked my view. A pale face suddenly filled my vision. I blinked. He blinked back. Soft, honey-colored eyes. Puppy-like. There was a tiny beauty mark under his right eye. His hair was the same warm shade—light, fluffy, slightly long at the ends. His features were defined, but not sharp. No edge. No threat. Like… a honey sponge cake. The sudden visual hit made my heart slam hard against my ribs. Once. Twice. And then faster. Wait—where did this guy even come from? “You—” He raised a finger to his lips. “Shh.” His voice dropped with the sound. At the same time, the heavy doors of the auditorium creaked open. A group walked in. They wore red and black uniforms. Men and women, all ridiculously good-looking. Broad shoulders, narrow waists. Long strides. Confident. Their faces were sharply sculpted, almost too perfect. Skin pale to the point of glowing—like they hadn’t seen sunlight in years. At the front was a guy with black hair and red eyes. A blood-red gem at his collar caught the light. Cold. Arrogant. My head turned like a standing fan in summer, following them all the way to the front row. “So this is—” Before I could finish— The doors opened again. This time, a group in white and gold uniforms walked in. Compared to the first group’s cold, lethal aura, these ones felt… softer. Elegant. Almost romantic. And as they passed— I swear I smelled roses. My eyes widened. Again. And again. Okay. Elaris Academy’s schedule is insane. But the visuals? They make up for it. “Those are the fencing club and the drama society.” The honey cake guy hopped over the seat with one hand, landing right next to me like he’d known me forever. From this angle, I noticed something— He looked at people from slightly below, eyes tilted upward. The corners lifted just a bit. Cute. Too cute. He stared at me without blinking. “I’ve never seen you before. Transfer student?” His voice matched his face perfectly. Sweet. Almost too sweet. I nodded before I could stop myself. “What class?” “I’m in Class III.” His eyes lit up instantly. “Ah… that’s great.” …Great? What’s great? I waited for him to continue. He didn’t. He just turned his head and smiled. Soft. Sweet. Like nothing mattered. No introduction. Just questions. …Fine. He’s cute. I’ll let it slide. Probably another latecomer like me. This area near the side door made sense. A teacher walked past, so I didn’t push the conversation further. On stage, the representatives from the two clubs gave their speeches. Fast. Efficient. Then the dean came up to “share expectations for the future.” Right. Whether it’s a regular school or a noble academy, school leaders all talk too much. Just as I was about to pass out again— The ceremony finally ended. Time to head to our classes. New schedules. New teachers. New classmates. I glanced at the honey cake beside me. “You’re not going to class?” He turned, smiling up at me. “Not yet. I’m waiting for someone.” I nodded and followed the crowd out. The auditorium slowly emptied. Colored light filtered through stained glass windows, scattering across the floor. Footsteps echoed in the vast, hollow space. Someone stepped into the light. The black-haired guy from earlier. He stopped and looked up. Perched on the railing above—knees bent, balancing on the narrow edge—was the honey-haired boy. If I were here, I’d recognize him instantly. That posture was dangerous. No support except his toes. Like a bat hanging in the dark. The black-haired boy’s voice was cold. “Get down.” So he’d been spotted. But the boy didn’t look embarrassed at all. He just smiled. “So fierce.” A flicker of impatience crossed those blood-red eyes. “This is the third time you’ve left formation without permission, Savi.” Savi’s eyes curved with amusement. “Relax, Demira… It’s just a formality. Doesn’t matter if I’m there or not, right?” After all, not everyone from the drama society showed up either. He rested his elbows on his knees, propping his face in his hands. His body swayed back and forth on the railing—like he might fall any second. Below, Demira didn’t move. Didn’t react. Just watched him. Expressionless. “Class III… Class III…” Savi murmured, a faint, almost sick smile tugging at his lips. “The freshmen are going to love her.” He tilted his head. “And if she doesn’t get drained dry…” A pause. “Give her to me on Hunting Day, okay?” The academic building blended perfectly into the night. Dark. Rich colors. Old architecture. Vines crawled up the walls, adding a kind of decadent decay. Beautiful. And a little unsettling. I followed the crowd toward the building. Most students already knew each other—they’d moved up from the middle division. I was alone. So I looked around. This place… felt heavy. Like the air itself had weight. Walking in a group was fine. But alone? Those forest paths would be creepy as hell. If it weren’t for the restricted areas—places only Elaris students could enter—I wouldn’t have bothered applying to a night school like this. I was just thinking I should make some friends— When the trees rustled. A sharp scream cut through the air. A girl in front stumbled back and slammed right into me. “There—there’s something up there!” I steadied her and looked up. A shadow darted past. “It’s a bat.” Probably because the school sat right next to a forest. The ecosystem here was… thriving. These bats were way bigger than the ones I knew. The girl flushed, embarrassed. “Sorry… I overreacted.” I smiled. “It’s okay. Just watch your step next time.” Bats were nocturnal. With night classes in a place like this… Yeah. We’d be seeing a lot of them. Good thing I wasn’t scared. She thanked me again, cheeks red, then ran off with her friends. Inside the building, the crowd split off. I found Class III pretty quickly. But— The classroom location was weird. There were ten classes in this grade. Class III should’ve been somewhere in the middle. Instead— It was shoved into a corner. And this was a noble academy? Why were the hallway lights here dimmer than everywhere else? “…What the hell?” Don’t tell me this class has some kind of haunted backstory. I walked up to the door. A seating chart was posted outside. Only twenty students. Small class. Nice. I found my seat. Back row. Second from last. Near the hallway. Close to the back door. Perfect. I pushed the door open and walked in. Someone was already sitting behind my seat. A guy. Golden, slightly wavy hair. Pale skin. Long lashes. High nose bridge. His whole vibe was… light. Like something out of mythology. An angel. People in the room kept sneaking glances at him. But he just sat there, head slightly lowered, staring at the desk. Lost in thought. Looking at that face— I forgave this school all over again. Damn. Worth it. Maybe my stare lingered too long. He slowly lifted his gaze. Across the empty space between us— I saw his eyes. Red. Beautiful. Too beautiful. —What kind of person has eyes like that? The thought flickered through my mind and disappeared. Instinctively, I looked away and sat down. The second I settled into my seat— Tap. Tap. Someone knocked lightly on the back of my chair. I was just about to turn around and ask what the hell he wanted— Before I could— The boy behind me pushed himself up with one hand, leaning forward. His desk scraped slightly as it moved. It bumped into my chair with a dull thud. Then— Cold breath brushed against my ear. His voice was lazy. Low. “…You smell so good.” I froze. …Excuse me? “Dude—what?”