BEYOND THE CAMPUS WALLS

Chapter 8: Whispers and Chants

ARIANA’S POV

The clinic door clicked shut behind me, its sharp snap echoing in the sterile hall. I clutched the pill bottle Nurse Lana had shoved into my hand, the label blurring as my eyes stung with unshed tears. My ankle throbbed beneath its bandage, a dull pulse with every step, but it was nothing compared to the humiliation scorching my chest. Bella’s voice—you f*****g slut—sliced through my mind, each word a jagged blade.

She wasn’t wrong. I mean even I can’t believe that my first time was with Logan Donovan, Ravenswood’s golden boy, in his car, of all places. I never thought of myself as reckless and shameless, I’ve always thought that I was a girl raised with morals but his hands burning trails across my skin, his growls vibrating through me burnt out the morals in me.

I’d loved it—God, I’d loved it, the heat, the surrender, the way he’d claimed me. But now? Now it was a stain, a rumor spreading like poison, and I was the i***t who’d let it happen.

I shuffled across the quad, morning air cool against my flushed cheeks. My sneakers scuffed the damp grass, my red hair sticking to my neck as I kept my eyes down. Whispers drifted past, soft but cutting, like thorns hidden in silk. A girl in a sundress flicked her gaze at me, her lips curling into a smirk. A guy by a lamppost nugged his friend, their laughter sharp and quick. My stomach churned, my fingers trembling as I tugged my hoodie tighter. Were they talking about me? About Logan? The storm last night had been brutal, rain hammering so hard no one should’ve been out to see us, fogged windows or not. But someone had, and now the campus was alive with it.

The dorm loomed ahead, its brick walls stern and unyielding. A cluster of girls lingered near the entrance, their eyes darting to me before sliding away, their whispers a low buzz. I hurried past, my pulse spiking, and fumbled with my keycard. The door buzzed open, their giggles chasing me inside. My cheeks burned, but I didn’t look back. Let them talk. I had class to get to, a shred of normalcy to cling to.

In my room, I dropped my bag and stripped my clothes off, the pill bottle clattering onto the dresser. The mirror caught me—freckles stark against pale skin, green eyes shadowed with exhaustion, red hair a tangled mess. I looked like a wreck, not a cheer captain, not the girl Logan Donovan had wanted. My fingers grazed my lips, his kiss flashing back, and heat sparked low in my belly, unbidden. I shook my head, shoving it down. Regret clawed at me, but the truth lingered—I’d wanted him, still wanted him, and that made the shame worse.

The shower’s hot spray stung my skin, washing away the clinic’s antiseptic stink but not the guilt. I scrubbed harder, as if I could erase last night, erase Bella’s venom, erase the whispers. My ankle ached as I stepped out, wrapping a towel around me, when the door swung open. Sarah, my roommate, breezed in, her blonde curls bouncing, her blue eyes narrowing as she sized me up.

“Rough morning?” she said, tossing her bag into her bed. Her tone was light, but her gaze was sharp, like she was peeling me apart.

I forced a laugh, pulling on jeans and a sweater, my hands shaky. “You could say that. Something up?” Her silence felt heavy, her usual chatter gone, and my stomach twisted.

She leaned against the desk, arms crossed. “You haven’t heard, have you?” Her voice dropped, conspiratorial, and my heart sank. “The rumours? About you and Logan Donovan?”

My breath caught, my fingers freezing on my shoelaces. “What rumors?” I croaked, but I knew. God, I knew.

Sarah’s eyes widened, savoring the drama. “Everyone’s saying you two hooked up. In his car, Ariana. Logan Donovan—hockey star, every girl’s crush at Ravenswood, even at Yule college f****d you in his car at the parking lot during the storm last night.

My face burned, my pulse roaring. I wanted to deny it, to laugh it off, but the truth choked me. I’d done it. I’d given myself to him, and now it was campus gossip. “That’s… insane,” I managed, my voice thin, my hands tugging at my sleeve. “Who’s saying this?”

Sarah shrugged, her lips twitching. “No clue who started it, but Bella’s the loudest. She’s telling everyone you stole her man.” She snorted, shaking her head. “I mean I would’ve believed her but the car part? Really? That’s wild, even for you.”

I forced a smile, my stomach lurching. “Just gossip,” I lied, grabbing my backpack. “I’ve got class. I’ll deal with it later.” My voice shook, but I bolted for the door, Sarah’s skeptical hum trailing me.

The hallway was a blur, students brushing past, their chatter a low drone. I kept my head down, my hoodie pulled up, as I headed for the lecture hall. The rumors clung to me like damp clothes, Bella’s venom at their core. She’d spread this, twisted it, and I hated how it made me feel—small, exposed, like I’d traded my dignity for one night of fire. Logan’s face flashed—his golden eyes, his growl—and my body ached for him, even now, betraying me.

The corridor to the lecture hall stretched ahead, fluorescent lights buzzing, casting stark shadows on the tiles. My ankle twinged, but I pushed forward, desperate for class, for normalcy. A gust rattled the windows, and I glanced out, where fog curled thick around the campus, swallowing the lawns in gray. My skin prickled, a chill slithering up my spine. The air felt wrong, heavy, like it had in the gym, in the woods.

A growl rumbled, low and guttural, and I froze, my bag slipping from my shoulder. My eyes darted to the hallway’s end, where shadows pooled, dark and shifting. Students milled around, their laughter fading as they hurried past, oblivious. The growl came again, louder, vibrating through the floor, and my heart slammed against my ribs. Not again. Not here.

I backed up, my sneakers squeaking, and the shadows moved—a flicker of yellow eyes, glinting like coins. My breath hitched, claws and snarls flooding back. The boogeyman. It was here, in the hallway, and no one else saw it. A girl brushed past, her backpack knocking mine, and I stumbled, my eyes locked on those glowing orbs. They blinked, unhurried, and the air thickened, rancid with rot.

“Move!” someone yelled, and chaos erupted. Students screamed, scattering like leaves, their footsteps pounding as they fled. I turned to run, my ankle screaming, but my legs felt heavy, rooted by terror. The shadows surged, a hulking figure emerging—tall, cloaked in black, its claws glinting as it barreled toward me. My scream tore free, raw and desperate, and I sprinted, my backpack bouncing, my lungs burning.

The hallway stretched, doors blurring past as I ran. My ankle buckled, pain shooting through, but I pushed on, the boogeyman’s growl shaking the walls. Students vanished, their screams fading, and I realized—it wasn’t chasing them. It was chasing me. Why me? My mind screamed Logan’s name, his cryptic warnings—It wants you—but this wasn’t him. This was real, monstrous, its yellow eyes boring into me like I was it's only prey.

I veered left, my sneakers slipping, and slammed into a dead end—a locked door, a concrete wall, no escape. My chest heaved, my back pressed against the cold metal, and the boogeyman loomed, its claws scraping the tiles, its grin wicked and sharp. Its stench—rotting flesh, damp earth—choked me, and I froze, my scream trapped, my body trembling. This was it. I was done.

“Stay back!” I choked, my voice breaking, my hands raised like they could stop it. Its eyes narrowed, claws flexing, and it lunged, a blur of black and yellow. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for pain, when a voice—clear, fierce—cut through the air.

“Lumen ardeat, tenebrae fugiant!”

My eyes snapped open. A girl stood before me, her wild curls bouncing, a thick spellbook clutched in her hands. Her voice rang out, chanting words I didn’t understand—Latin, maybe, sharp and rhythmic. “Umbras vincite, lucem tenete!”

Light flared from her fingertips, golden and searing, and the boogeyman recoiled, its growl twisting into a shriek. She stepped forward, shielding me, her chants growing louder, faster, the air crackling with energy.

The creature thrashed, claws slashing wildly, but the light pushed it back, its form fraying like smoke. “Ego te expello!” she shouted, slamming her spellbook shut, and a final burst of light erupted, blinding me. The boogeyman’s scream echoed, then faded, and the hallway fell silent, the air clearing.

I slumped against the wall, my legs giving out, my breath ragged. The girl turned, her brown eyes sharp, her curls wild under the flickering lights. “You okay?” she asked, her voice steady but urgent, tucking the spellbook under her arm.

I nodded, my throat too dry to speak, my heart still pounding. “Who… who are you?” I managed, staring at her, this stranger who’d just saved me.

“Beatrice,” she said, her lips twitching into a half-smile. “And you—you’re special, Ariana. Seeing that thing? It means you’re marked. Ill fated, maybe.” Her eyes darkened, scanning the hallway. “Stay away from the shadows for now.”

Before I could ask what she meant, she turned, her boots clicking, and vanished around the corner, leaving me alone, trembling, with the echo of her chants and the boogeyman’s growl in my head.