Chapter four: Blackwood
2000 Words
Eliana’s POV
I barely slept after all that had happened.
Definitely not because I was afraid, at least, that was what I kept telling myself.
Everytime I closed my eyes, my father’s words came back.
Tomorrow morning, you are going to black wood.
And then that name came; Jay Vale.
I already knew his name.
By six in the morning, I was already dressed.
My suitcase sat beside the door, and my mother’s envelope was tucked safely inside my bag.
I walked downstairs and found my father standing by the kitchen window.
He turned when he heard me.
“You are ready.” He said calmly.
“Yeah.”
His eyes moved to my bag, “you have everything?”
“I think so.”
He nodded.
Neither of us spoke for a few seconds which was strange.
We have literally spent years talking about everything and nothing.
Now, suddenly, there were too many things between us to even say anything at all.
Finally, I broke the silence as always
“Dad.”
He looked at me.
“Why did mum want me to go to Blackwood?”
“I don’t know.”
I stared at him, “for how long will you keep lying to me?”
He sighed.
“Eliana, there are things about your mother’s past that I don’t fully understand myself.”
“But you know something.”
“A little.”
“Then tell me.”
He looked down.
“Your mother believed Blackwood was important.” He said.
“Important? How?”
“I don’t know.”
That answer frustrated my soul.
“You need to be careful .” He said
“I know.”
“Stay away from trouble Eliana.”
“Dad, I am going to university not war.”
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“I wish I could believe that.”
I looked at his face.
He pulled me into a hug.
I froze for a second before hugging him back.
“Call me when you arrive.”
“ I will.”
“And Eliana..”
“Don’t trust anyone just because they smile at you.”
I pulled away.
Then I walked out..
By the time i arrived at Blackwood university, the sun was already high.
The campus was beautiful.
Huge stone buildings stood across acres of green space, students walked everywhere, and the entire place had this strange mixture of old money and youthful energy.
I texted my dad to inform him I have arrived.
“I am there dad.”
And then while waiting for his response, I kept looking outside.
“Okay my daughter.” Appeared on my screen.
I knew I was ready to go.
I stepped out of the car with a little excitement.
“So this is Blackwood.”I whispered.
New city, new beginning.
At least I kept telling myself that,
I adjusted my bag and looked around, then i immediately realized I had absolutely no idea where I was going.
“Where is this administration building?”
“Lost?” Someone from behind said.
I turned.
A girl stood behind me.
She had long dark curls, warm brown skin and the brightest smile I’d seen all morning.
She was holding a campus map.
“Completely.” I admitted.
She laughed.
“I knew it.”
“You did?” I asked
“Everyone has that look on their first day.”
She walked closer.
“I am maya, maya Carter.”
“Eliana rose.”
She smiled.
“Nice to meet you Eliana.”
She looked at my map.
“You are going to the administrative building?
“Yes please.”
“Come on, I am heading that way as well.”
I followed her.
“So , you are new too?” I asked her
“Yep.”
“Freshman.”
“Yeah.” She nodded.
“Same.”
Something about her was easy.
No awkward questions, no strange looks, no mysterious warnings.
Just normal conversations.
“So what are you studying?” She asked.
“International relations.”
Maya’s eyes widened.
“Okay, future diplomat.”
I laughed
“What about you?”
“Psychology.”
“Wow, that’s actually interesting,”
“I know, I am going to spend the rest of my life figuring out why people are crazy.”
I laughed again.
“Girl, you funny as hell.”
“I have been told.”
We have reached the administration building, and maya stopped.
“Here.”
“Thank you.”
“You are welcome.”
She started walking away.
Then turned.
“Wait.”
I looked at her.
“You don’t have anyone here right?”
“No.”
“Neither do I.”
She smiled.
“So now you know someone, me.”
I smiled back.
“Guess I do.”
“Good.”
She pulled out her phone.
“Give me your number.”
I blinked.
“Already?”
“Yes” she said.
“That’s fast.”
“I don’t believe in waisting time.”
I laughed and gave her my number.
She saved it.
A second later, my phone vibrated.
Maya Carter: best friend application pending.
I looked at her.
She grinned.
“Too soon?”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“Good.”
And somehow, within twenty minutes of arriving at Blackwood, I had found the first person who made me feel like I belonged.
Maybe my father was wrong.
Maybe Blackwood could actually be a fresh start.
By afternoon, maya had practically became my unofficial tour guide.
We basically spoke about everything,
Classes, music, movies, food, family.
She didn’t ask questions I wasn’t ready to answer and I appreciated that.
At one point, we sat beneath a large tree near the library.
Maya looked at me.
“So…”
“So?”
“You have been quite everytime family comes up.”
I looked down at my phone, “it’s complicated.”
She nodded
“You don’t have to tell me.”
I looked at her, “thanks.”
“I am serious.”
She smiled.
“We just met, you don’t owe me your life story.”
I smiled.
“Maybe one day I will tell you.”
“I’ll be here Eliana.” She said calmly.
For some reason, I believed her.
“What building is that?” I asked maya
Maya looked over where I was pointing.
“That’s Blackwood hall.”
“Can students go inside?”
“I think so, why?”
I shrugged.
“I don’t know it just looks familiar.”
Maya raised an eyebrow.
“You have never been here before?”
“No.”
I looked at the building again.
Something about it bothered me, not because it looked dangerous but because it feels like I have seen it somewhere before.
Then I remembered…..
The photograph from my father’s house.
My mother, the stranger, the old photograph and the name my father had refused to explain
And I reached into my bag and touched the envelope hidden inside.
Maybe my mother had left me more than one clue.
Maya stood.
“Come on, we have orientation in twenty minutes.”
I nodded and got up.
We had barely taken five steps when the sound of an engine rolled across the courtyard.
Maya stopped.
I looked at her and asked, “what?”
Her eyes were fixed on the university gates.
A black car rolled through them.
And somehow, it didn’t look like it belonged to other cars in campus.
Students began whispering.
A few turned, then more.
The reaction spread through the courtyard like a wave.
Maya folded her arms.
“Oh.”
“What?” I asked.
She looked at me.
“You are about to meet someone.”
“Who?”
Before she could answer, the car stopped.
Two men stepped out first, the security guards.
Then the rear door opened.
And Jay vale stepped out.
I had heard his name, I had imagined someone dangerous, someone cold in fact.
Maybe even cruel.
I hadn’t imagined him.
He was tall, dressed in black trousers and a fitted dark shirt beneath a black jacket. His sleeves were pushed slightly up his forearms, revealing a silver watch on his wrist and a silver ring.
He didn’t rush.
He walked in the confidence that made people move before he even reached them.
Students stared, some whispered his name, others simply watched and, embarrassingly, so did I.
There was something about him.
Not fear, presence.
He looked like someone who had never needed to ask for attention because attention had always found him.
His expression was unreadable but there was something almost effortless about the way he carried himself.
I looked away quickly.
Maya noticed.
A small smile appeared on her face.
“That’s Jay vale.” She said.
“I know.”
She looked at me.
“You know?”
“My father mentioned him.”
Her smiled faded.
“Oh.”
“What?”
“Nothing o.”
I looked back.
Jay was waking across the courtyard then he stopped.
His eyes lifted and found mine.
My breath caught.
There was not reason for my heart to suddenly beat faster.
I didn’t know him, yet there was something strangely compelling about his gaze.
He wasn’t smiling.
Jay started waking towards us.
Maya leaned closer.
“Why is he coming here?”
“I don’t know”
But with every step he took, I became more aware of him.
His calm expression, the slight tilt of his head, the way everyone seemed to give him space.
Then he stopped in front of us.
His eyes settled on me.
“Eliana rose.” He spoke calmly with a cold voice.
My stomach flustered.
He knew my name.
“You are Jay vale.” I said with fear.
The corner of his mouth lifted.
“So you have heard of me.”
“My father mentioned you.”
Something changed in his expression.
“Your father.”
“You know him.”
“Unfortunately.”
I frowned at those words.
“Why?”
He glanced at Maya and then back at me.
“That’s a conversation for another time.
His voice was calm, deep.
He looked at the bag on my shoulder and his eyes paused.
My mother’s envelope was inside.
I knew it.
He knew it too.
“You brought it? He asked.
My heart stopped.
“How do you know about that?”
He didn’t answer.
Instead, he stepped slightly closer.
Not enough to touch me, just enough that I could catch the faint scent of his cologne.
His eyes remained on mine, “Don’t open it yet,” He said.
I swallowed.
“Why?”
“Because once you do…”
His gaze hardened.
“There’s no going back.”
Before I could ask what he meant, someone called his name from across the courtyard.
Jay straightened.
The moment between us disappeared and then he looked at me again.
And this time, there was something different in his eyes.
Not coldness, not fear, something almost like curiosity.
Then he turned and walked away.
I watched him leave and meanwhile, maya kept staring at me.
“You are quiet.”
“I am thinking.” I said.
“About him?”
I immediately looked at her.
“No.”
She laughed.
“That was very convincing.”
I rolled my eyes, but when I looked back towards the courtyard, Jay was already gone.
Only the black car remained.
I touched the strap of my bag, and my mother’s envelope suddenly felt heavier than before.
And despite every warning my father had given me, one thought refused to leave my mind.
Maybe Jay vale wasn’t someone I needed to fear.
Maybe he was someone I needed to understand.
And somehow, I had a feeling that once I did…
I wouldn’t be able to stay away from him.
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