Victoria did not speak about the eyes in the fog.
Not to Selene. Not to herself.
Some things felt dangerous even when they were only memories.
Morning came too quickly at Bloodright Academy. The sky above the towers was pale and uncertain, like the world itself hadn’t fully decided what kind of day it wanted to become.
Victoria moved through the corridors with Selene, trying to memorize paths that kept shifting slightly every time she looked away.
“That’s intentional,” Selene said when Victoria slowed again. “The academy doesn’t like people mapping it too easily.”
“That sounds paranoid.”
“It is,” Selene replied. “But also accurate.”
Students passed them in clusters, voices low but constant. Victoria could feel the weight of attention again—subtle, measuring. Like she had become a p
