DON'T TURN AROUND.
1558 Words
AURELIA’S POV
The days started blending together as I tried to settle into life at Westbrook Academy.
On the surface, everything looked perfect—beautiful buildings, top-tier facilities, and students who carried themselves like they already ruled the world.
But the longer I stayed, the more I felt something was deeply wrong beneath the polished exterior.
Certain hallways were restricted without any explanation. Heavily guarded doors and security cameras watching every corner.
Medical staff seemed to hover around the hockey players constantly after practice, checking them like machines that might go faulty at any second. I also noticed how some students would tense up or go completely silent whenever faculty members walked by.
It was strange…almost fearful.
The weirdest part of it all was the hockey team. I overheard players arguing in the cafeteria about injuries that should have taken weeks to heal but were already gone in days.
And before games, I caught a few of them slipping into a side room and taking injections. Everyone acted like it was normal, so I didn’t ask questions. I wasn’t stupid enough to draw more attention to myself.
Zane Miller, on the other hand, was making it impossible to stay invisible.
He kept appearing everywhere. In the library while I was studying, standing a few shelves away, always watching me. In the hallway between classes, leaning against the wall like he was waiting for me.
He never openly threatened me or said much, but his constant presence was stifling. Like he was keeping tabs on me at all times. Every time our eyes met, that same intense look from the arena returned. It made my stomach twist in ways I hated.
I was sitting alone near the edge of the courtyard one afternoon when Elias Mercer approached me. He was one of the assistant captains—tall, calm, with an easy smile that seemed genuine compared to everyone else.
“Hey, you’re Aurelia, right?” he said, stopping a respectful distance away. “I’m Elias. Saw you getting the cold shoulder from some people, I figured I’d say hi.”
I looked up at him cautiously. “Hi. You’re on the team with Zane.”
“Yeah,” he replied with a small laugh. “But I’m not as scary as the rumors say. Most of us aren’t. Are you settling in okay?”
“As okay as I can be,” I answered honestly. “This place is… intense.”
Elias nodded like he understood. “It is. Especially if you’re not from one of the big families. Just watch your back and if anyone gives you real trouble, you can come find me.”
We ended up talking for a while and he was surprisingly easy to talk to. He explained some of the academy rules and even cracked a few jokes about how obsessed everyone was with hockey.
For the first time since I arrived, I felt like someone was treating me like a normal person instead of a threat or a mystery.
That night, I went to bed feeling slightly better. But it didn’t last for long.
I woke up suddenly to loud shouting outside my dorm building. My heart jumped as I climbed out of bed and moved to the window. The snow outside was glowing under the security lights and what I saw made my breath catch.
Zane was attacking another hockey player near the side of the rink.
He had the guy pinned against the wall, throwing serious punches that landed with sickening force, blood from his face bespattered across the white snow.
The other player tried to fight back, but Zane was completely out of control, his eyes had gone wild and his movements were even wilder.
I looked closer and recognized the guy he was beating. It was the same player who had grabbed my arm earlier that day during lunch, laughing at me like I was telling a sick joke when I told him to let go.
Security finally rushed in and dragged Zane off the bleeding player. But even as they pulled him away, Zane’s head turned and his eyes locked directly onto my window. Onto me.
He didn’t look ashamed. He looked furious….possessive even, as if he would do it again without hesitation.
I stepped back from the window, my hands were shaking as I wrapped my arms around myself. That wasn’t normal anger, it was way darker than that and the way he stared at me….it sent chills down my spine.
The next morning, the whole academy was buzzing about the fight. I sat in the cafeteria trying to eat breakfast when Elias found me again and this time he looked tired
“You saw it last night, didn’t you?” he asked quietly as he sat across from me.
I nodded. “Why did he do that?”
Elias sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “The guy grabbed you yesterday. Zane found out. He doesn’t… handle that kind of thing well.”
“He almost killed him,” I said in a low voice.
Elias leaned in closer. “Look, Zane’s complicated. He’s been getting worse for a long time. But ever since you got here…” He paused, choosing his words carefully. “He’s different. Well not completely better, but different. Just be careful, okay? Both of you.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. Part of me wanted to hate Zane even more for what I saw last night. But another part couldn’t forget the way he looked at me through the window.
Later that afternoon, Zane found me again.
I was walking back from class when he stepped out from beside the building, blocking my path. Up close, I could see faint bruises on his knuckles from the fight.
“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” he said.
I crossed my arms. “And you shouldn’t be beating people half to death just because they touched my arm. What is wrong with you, Zane?”
His eyes darkened. “He touched you. I don’t like people putting their hands on what’s mine.”
“I’m not yours,” I snapped, stepping closer to him. “You rejected me years ago, remember? You humiliated me in front of everyone. So don’t act like you have any claim now.”
Zane’s jaw tensed up a bit. For a second, an expression like pain flashed across his face. “You don’t understand what really happened that night.”
“Then explain it,” I challenged.
He stared at me for a long moment, breathing heavily. The air between us felt charged and I could practically feel the heat coming off his body. Finally, he stepped back.
“Just stay close to Elias if I’m not around,” he muttered before turning and walking away.
I stood there watching him walk away, my heart pounded harder than it should have. Just stay close to Elias if I’m not around.
The words replayed in my head the entire walk back toward the dorms.
The snow had started falling heavily again by the time I reached the side path behind the arena. The campus was unusually quiet, most students had already gone inside because of curfew.
I had almost reached the dorm building when the sound of heavy footsteps suddenly came from behind me. Before I could even turn properly, a hand grabbed my arm and yanked me backward.
My back slammed lightly against the wall beside the arena entrance, and for one terrifying second I thought someone had attacked me.
Then I looked up. It was Zane.
His chest was rising rapidly like he had been running after me, there was snow clinging to his dark hair while his eyes looked straight into mine.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I snapped, trying to pull away. “You can’t just grab people like that—”
“Lower your voice,” he muttered sharply.
I froze. There was blood on his mouth, it wasn’t a lot. But it was enough to make my stomach twist. Before I could ask what happened, I heard voices echoing nearby. It was security. “They came this way!”
Zane cursed under his breath and suddenly pulled me closer against him. The space between us disappeared completely.
One of his hands pressed beside my head against the wall while the other stayed firmly around my waist, holding me still against his chest.
The footsteps got louder and closer. But all I could focus on was him.
The heat of his body, the sound of his breathing, the way his eyes kept dropping to my mouth like he was fighting himself not to do something reckless.
“You need to stay away from me,” he said quietly. His voice sounded strained, painfully strained.
“Then stop following me,” I whispered back.
His grip on my waist tightened slightly, then his gaze suddenly shifted over my shoulder and every bit of warmth disappeared from his face.
I frowned slightly. “Zane?”
He didn’t answer, he was staring at something behind me with a look that made fear crawl slowly down my spine.
A look I recognized from the night of the fight…pure violence. “Don’t turn around,” he said softly.
- Writer
