Ashes and Accolades

The room was too quiet. Suspiciously quiet. Karina Reed’s pen tapped against her notebook, steady as a heartbeat. Front row, center seat, posture perfect - like always. Her notes were flawless, every bullet point a masterpiece of clarity. The lecture on quantum metaphysics buzzed in the background, but Karina was already ten steps ahead. She had read the required material twice, annotated the optional sources, and even submitted her paper a day early. She didn’t need to be this extra. But when you had an academic rival breathing down your neck - no, sitting three rows behind you and two seats to the left - you couldn’t afford anything less than perfection. “Curse you, Holloway,” she muttered under her breath, not looking back. As if summoned by sheer disdain, Ethan Holloway’s voice floated over the hushed lecture hall. “Something you’d like to share with the class, Reed?” The professor stopped mid-sentence, eyes narrowing. Karina clenched her jaw. “No, Professor,” she said sweetly, not turning around. “Just surprised some people are awake back there.” A soft wave of muffled chuckles rippled through the room. Ethan’s smirk practically vibrated through the air. “Funny,” he said lazily. “I thought I heard someone reciting the textbook. Must’ve been an echo.” Karina rolled her eyes so hard it almost gave her whiplash. She didn’t have to look at him to picture it - dark tousled hair, sleeves rolled up just enough to show the veins in his forearms, that arrogant lean in his chair like the whole universe owed him something. Ethan Holloway had “black cat energy” written into his DNA. He was chaos in a button-up, and worse - he was brilliant. Not that she would ever admit that to him. But not more brilliant than her. Never that. “Miss Reed,” Professor Langford interrupted, pushing his glasses up his nose. “If you're so confident in your understanding, why don't you walk us through the implications of duality in metaphysical dimension theory?” Karina stood immediately. “Of course, Professor.” As she launched into her explanation - flawless, sharp, and annoyingly calm - she caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye. Holloway. Elbow on desk, chin in hand, watching her with that damn smirk. She could feel his gaze like static on her skin. By the time she finished, Langford nodded approvingly. “Well done, as expected. Holloway - care to challenge her?” The entire room shifted. The tension between them was so tangible it could have been bottled and sold as cologne. Ethan stood, smooth as a shadow. “Well, since Reed left out the nuance in the third dimensional overlap theory -” “I did not,” she snapped. “- I’ll do my best to fill in the gaps,” he finished, ignoring her. His voice was a drawl of intellect and arrogance. And damn it, he was good. As much as she wanted to throw a textbook at his head, Karina couldn't deny the way her stomach flipped when he spoke. It made her hate him more. By the end of class, the professor dismissed them with a sigh that screamed I’ve had enough of these two. Karina packed quickly, shoving her notes into her bag like they personally offended her. “Slow down, sunshine. You’ll crease your perfectly highlighted color-coded notes,” came Ethan’s voice behind her. She whipped around. “Don’t call me that.” “Sunshine?” He tilted his head. “What else am I supposed to call someone who radiates stress and superiority like UV rays?” She stepped closer. Too close. “You’re just bitter because you can’t beat me.” “I don’t have to beat you,” he murmured. “You unravel all on your own.” Karina blinked. Her breath hitched. Just for a second. Then her expression snapped back into place. “Go to hell, Holloway.” He smiled. “Already there, Reed.” And with that, he walked off, hands in his pockets, leaving behind the echo of tension and something else- something neither of them were ready to name. The campus buzzed with life as Karina made her way to the library. The leaves in the courtyard rustled unnaturally, though there was no wind. She chalked it up to her frayed nerves. The school—Aldwych University—was a place wrapped in mystery. Set far from the city, with ivy-covered buildings, candlelit hallways, and a graveyard that shouldn’t have existed on school grounds, it felt less like a university and more like something out of a gothic novel. And sometimes, Karina swore she felt… watched. Not in the obvious way, like Holloway’s annoying stares, but deeper. Primal. Like something in the walls was awake and aware of her. She shook it off and slipped into the library. Scarlett and Izumi were already there, lounging at their usual table near the stained-glass window. “Let me guess,” Scarlett said without looking up. “He got under your skin again?” Karina dropped into the chair. “He’s infuriating.” Izumi smirked. “Which means you're obsessed.” “I absolutly am not - !” Scarlett cut her off, eyes gleaming. “Please. The s****l tension between you two is practically illegal.” “There is no tension,” Karina muttered, pulling out her books. Izumi leaned forward. “And yet you know exactly how many degrees left he was sitting today.” Karina opened her mouth. Closed it. Dammit. Later that evening, she stayed behind in the library after her friends left, unwilling to go back to her dorm just yet. Something tugged at her. A whisper in the air. A pull in her chest. She wandered toward the restricted wing. It was closed off—always locked. No students were allowed. But tonight, the door was open a c***k. Curiosity won. She stepped inside. The air was colder here. Dustier. Older. Rows of ancient books towered around her. She moved slowly, fingertips trailing along worn spines, until— A whisper. She froze. “Karina…” She spun around. No one. Her heart pounded. The lights flickered. Something moved at the edge of the shelves. A shadow. “Who's there?” she demanded, voice stronger than she felt. No reply. She backed away slowly—and bumped into a solid chest. She screamed. “Woah, calm down.” Ethan’s hands steadied her. “Are you stalking me now?!” she hissed. “I could ask you the same thing.” His eyes narrowed. “What are you doing in the restricted section?” “I—I heard something.” He looked past her, toward the shelves. “So did I.” They both went quiet. Then, from the far end of the row, came a sound. A single book falling to the ground. They didn’t speak as they turned and walked out together, side by side, the air behind them humming with something they couldn’t explain. Outside, under the pale moonlight, Karina stopped. “Holloway.” He turned. “If you tell anyone I screamed—” He grinned. “I wouldn’t dare. You’ve got a reputation to uphold, Reed.” She hesitated. “Still think I unravel on my own?” His smirk softened just slightly. “Every genius needs an equal.” And with that, he walked off into the night, leaving Karina standing there, her heart beating too fast, her thoughts a tangled mess of rivalry, fear, and the first, dangerous flicker of something she didn’t dare name.