One Rule
1082 Words
Elyana's POV
By the next morning, everyone knew my name. I hadn't even attended a single class. Yet somehow, I was the most talked-about girl at Blackmore Academy.
The moment I stepped out of my dorm, heads turned.
"That's her. Kaden's girlfriend.”
“I heard she's human.”
“She doesn't look special."
I tightened my grip on my backpack and kept walking. Ignoring people had become a survival skill long ago.
But this was different. It felt like every pair of eyes on campus was following me.
A few even pulled out their phones when I walked past.
I kept my eyes on the ground. I hadn’t come here to become famous. I’d come here to finish school.
My phone vibrated and I frowned.
It was an unknown number.
But I answered anyway.
"Hello?"
"Meet me at the hockey arena."
Kaden.
"I don't want to."
"You don't have a choice."
"There you go again."
"Elyana." His voice was unusually serious.
"If you don't show up in ten minutes, the academy will assume you've breached the contract."
"So?"
"So they'll cancel your scholarship."
The line went dead. I stared at my phone.
I hated that he was right.
********************
The hockey arena was enormous. Players were already on the ice, skating at impossible speeds while coaches shouted instructions from the sidelines.
I had never watched hockey before. Honestly, it looked terrifying.
"Kaden!"
One of the players passed him the puck. He dodged two defenders effortlessly before slamming it into the net.
The entire team cheered. Another player laughed.
“Captain’s showing off again.”
Kaden only smirked before skating back into position.
I had to admit he was good. Very good.
Watching him on the ice was completely different from seeing him in the admissions office.
Here, he looked confident. Like this was the one place where nobody could control him.
"You're staring."
I nearly jumped. A guy with messy brown hair stood beside me, smiling.
"I wasn't."
"You were."
"I was watching practice."
He laughed. "I'm Joshua. Kaden's best friend."
"Oh."
"You must be Elyana."
I sighed. "So everyone knows."
"The entire academy knows."
"Great."
Joshua smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry about yesterday."
"You don't have to apologize."
"I know. But someone should." He glanced toward Kaden. “Don’t judge him too quickly.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“He can be difficult.”
“I already noticed.”
Joshua laughed. “But he’s not a bad person.”
Before I could ask another question, Kaden skated toward us.
He stepped off the ice and pulled off his helmet.
Sweat clung to his forehead, making the strands of dark hair fall into his eyes.
He looked at Joshua.
"Give us a minute."
Joshua nodded and walked away. I crossed my arms.
"What now?"
Kaden grabbed a towel and wiped his face.
"The academy wants us eating lunch together. And walking to class together. And sitting together during assemblies. And attending hockey games together."
"No. No. No. No."
He sighed.
"You really like saying no."
"I really like having choices."
He looked at me for a long moment. Then he spoke.
"I get it."
I frowned. "You do?"
"I don't like this either. I don't know you. You don't know me. But if we're going to survive this semester, we should stop treating each other like enemies."
I hesitated.
"Friends?"
"I didn't say that."
A tiny smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.
"I almost thought you were becoming nice."
"Don't get used to it."
Before I could reply, a loud voice echoed through the arena.
"Kaden!"
A blonde girl marched toward us. She was beautiful, confident and definitely furious.
She stopped directly in front of me.
"So you're the replacement."
I frowned. "I'm not replacing anyone."
She ignored me and looked at Kaden.
"You embarrassed me."
"Jessica…."
"No."
Her voice cracked despite her obvious attempt to stay calm.
"I defended you after the scandal. I stood beside you when everyone else walked away. And this is how I find out you've got a girlfriend?"
Several players stopped practicing. They pretended not to watch.
But everyone was listening. The pain in her eyes caught me off guard. This wasn't jealousy. This was heartbreak.
Kaden rubbed the back of his neck.
"You know this isn't what it looks like."
Jessica laughed bitterly.
"Oh, I know exactly what it looks like."
She finally looked at me again.
"I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into."
Without waiting for a response, she walked away. The silence she left behind felt heavy.
I looked at Kaden.
"She loves you."
He didn't answer. Which was answers enough.
A few seconds later, Coach Mason blew his whistle.
"Captain!"
Kaden glanced toward the ice.
"I have to go."
He started walking away, then suddenly stopped. Without turning around, he spoke.
"One more thing."
"What?"
"Whatever happens, don't wander around campus after dark."
I frowned.
"Why?"
"There are places you're not supposed to see."
Before I could ask what he meant, he skated back onto the ice. Strange.
Shaking my head, I decided to head back to my dorm.
The campus looked different now that the afternoon sun was beginning to disappear.
Halfway there, I realized I'd taken a wrong turn.
I checked the map on my phone. The signal had disappeared.
“Seriously?” I turned at the next corner. Then another.
A few minutes later, I knew I was already lost.
The surrounding buildings became quieter. Older. The neatly paved paths disappeared, replaced by a narrow trail leading into a wooded area behind the academy.
There was only one building standing there. An old stone structure surrounded by a tall iron fence.
A rusted sign hung from the gate.
RESTRICTED ACCESS
I should have turned around.
Instead, I heard a low growl. It came from inside the building.
My heart started pounding. Another growl. Louder this time. Then a terrifying howl split the silence.
I took one shaky step backward. Suddenly, someone grabbed my wrist.
I gasped and spun around. Kaden.
His grip was firm. His breathing was uneven.
For a brief second, his blue eyes flashed a bright, unnatural gold.
I froze. The color vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
His expression hardened.
"I told you not to wander after dark."
"What… what was that sound?"
He looked toward the old building before meeting my eyes again.
"You didn't hear anything."
"I did."
"No."
His voice turned cold. "You didn't."
- Writer
