THEY CHOSE THE WRONG PREY

CHAPTER 3 - TRANSFER STUDENT

The two students standing near the fountain lowered their voices, but somehow Selene could still hear them.

"...they found tracks."

"What kind?"

"I don't know. Security thinks it was a dog."

Selene frowned.

The students were across the courtyard. She shouldn't have been able to hear them that clearly. Zoe was literally standing beside her, talking directly to her, yet the conversation near the fountain sounded louder.

"...Selene?"

"Huh?"

Zoe raised an eyebrow.

"I asked if you're listening."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Definitely something wrong."

Selene forced a smile.

"I'm fine."

"You've said that like five times today."

"Because I am."

Zoe didn't look convinced.

The truth was, Selene wasn't sure what was going on.

The strange feeling followed her throughout the day.

When she got to class, every little sound seemed louder than usual. She could hear pens scratching across notebooks, pages turning, keyboards clicking, chairs shifting across the floor.

Normally those sounds blended into the background.

Today they didn't.

They all stood out individually until it became impossible to ignore them.

By lunchtime things were even worse.

The moment Selene stepped into the cafeteria, her nose was assaulted by dozens of different scents.

Coffee.

French fries.

Perfume.

Soap.

Cleaning products.

Freshly baked bread.

The smell of everything hit her at once.

She stopped in the doorway.

"What now?" Zoe asked.

"Nothing."

Selene shook her head and continued walking.

It had to be stress.

That was the only explanation she had.

Either stress... or she was losing her mind.

That afternoon, Professor Reyes entered the lecture hall carrying a stack of folders.

The conversations gradually died down as students returned to their seats.

"I have an announcement."

Everybody immediately looked up.

Announcements usually meant one thing.

A canceled assignment.

A postponed quiz.

Good news.

Unfortunately, Professor Reyes ruined that hope almost immediately.

"A transfer student will be joining our class today."

Several students groaned.

A few others didn't even bother looking up.

Selene returned to her notes.

Then the classroom door opened.

The room grew unexpectedly quiet.

Selene looked up.

A young woman stepped inside.

Long dark hair.

Sharp features.

Confident posture.

The kind of person who could walk into a room full of strangers and somehow become the center of attention without doing anything.

Professor Reyes smiled.

"Everyone, this is Raven Hale."

The newcomer gave a small nod.

"Nice to meet you."

Her voice was calm and steady.

For some reason, Selene couldn't stop looking at her.

Then Professor Reyes glanced around the room.

"Raven, there's an empty seat beside Miss Laurent."

Selene's stomach dropped.

Raven started walking down the aisle.

The room followed her with their eyes.

Not because she was doing anything special.

There was just something about her.

Something that made people notice.

Selene looked away and pretended to focus on her notebook.

A few moments later, the chair beside her moved.

Raven sat down.

Almost immediately, a familiar scent drifted toward her.

Selene froze.

Rain.

Pine trees.

Forest.

The exact same scent from the dream.

Slowly, she turned her head.

Raven was already opening her notebook.

Then, without looking at her, she spoke quietly.

Just loud enough for Selene to hear.

"Happy birthday, Selene."

Selene's blood ran cold.

Very few people knew her birthday.

And she was absolutely certain she'd never told Raven Hale.