Marked By Four

Three.

Isla's POV:

I spent the next hour trying really hard to pretend I didn’t see all the stares. It didn’t work at all.

Every hallway I walked into got quieter the second I showed up. People stopped talking mid-sentence, heads turned, and then the whispering started again once I'd passed, like a wave following me everywhere.

I only caught little pieces of what they were saying.

“…that’s her…”

“…can’t believe she actually came back…”

“…the Ashbourne girl…”

I held my class schedule tighter in my hands. None of this made any sense. How did they even know my last name? Why were they looking at me like I had done something terrible, like I was some kind of criminal?

But the question that kept repeating in my head was bigger: Why did Ryker, Kael, Jace, and Damon hate me so much?

These were the same four boys who used to get mad at anyone who even made me cry a little when we were kids. Now they looked at me like I disgusted them.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Damon’s face. He didn’t insult me. He didn’t laugh. He didn’t accuse me of anything. He just took one step back, like being near me was too much. For some reason, that hurt worse than anything the others said.

“Isla!”

I looked up. Tessa was jogging toward me, breathing a little fast. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. This campus is huge!”

She slowed down and stopped right in front of me, studying my face carefully. “Are you okay? You look upset.”

I tried to force a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Really.”

“Liar,” she said, folding her arms. “I saw what happened earlier in the courtyard. That was pretty rough.”

Heat rushed up my neck and face. “It wasn’t… it wasn’t what it looked like.”

“What did it look like to you?” she asked gently. “Because from where I was standing, it looked like four guys treated you like you were nothing.”

I opened my mouth to explain, but nothing came out. Because honestly, I still didn’t understand it myself.

Tessa let out a long sigh. “Come on. Let’s go get some lunch. You need a break.”

“I’m not really hungry,” I said quietly.

“You don’t have to eat anything,” she replied, linking her arm through mine before I could argue. “You just need to sit with at least one person who isn’t staring at you like you’re a celebrity or a criminal. Whichever one it is today.”

Even though everything felt heavy, I let out a small laugh. “Thank you, Tessa. I mean it.”

She shrugged like it was no big deal. “You can pay me back by helping me survive combat class later. I heard it’s brutal.”

For the first time since I got to campus, my shoulders felt a little lighter. Maybe I could still make one real friend here. Maybe things would get better—

The second we stepped into the student center, every single conversation stopped again.

Just like that.

A table near the windows suddenly cleared out. Students grabbed their trays and moved to other seats. They weren’t done eating. They just didn’t want to sit near me.

My small smile disappeared completely.

Tessa frowned. “What is wrong with these people? It’s like they all lost their minds.”

Nobody answered her. A group of girls whispered behind their hands. One of them looked straight at me, then quickly turned away like she got caught.

Tessa muttered something under her breath that definitely wasn’t nice.

“We’re sitting right here,” she said firmly. She marched toward an empty table, and I followed quietly behind her.

Halfway there, someone stuck their foot out on purpose. I saw it too late. I lost my balance, the tray flew from my hands, and food went everywhere. Soup splashed all over my jeans and the floor.

Loud laughter exploded across the cafeteria.

“So clumsy.”

“I heard she always causes problems wherever she goes.”

“Figures.”

I stood there staring at the mess for a second, then crouched down to start cleaning it up with shaky hands.

A pair of shiny boots stopped right next to the spilled food. Then another tray was dropped on purpose right on top of mine. French fries, soda drink, and a half-eaten sandwich scattered everywhere.

I looked up slowly. It was Kael.

He stared down at me with zero regret on his face. “You missed a spot,” he said.

The whole cafeteria burst into louder laughter. My fingers squeezed the broken tray so tight it hurt.

Tessa stepped forward quickly. “What the hell is your problem? That was completely unnecessary!”

Kael finally looked at her. “You should be more careful about who you pick as friends. Bad company rubs off.”

“I’ll decide who I hang out with,” Tessa shot back. “You don’t get to tell me—”

Ryker’s voice cut through the noise before she could finish. “Kael.”

He didn’t even raise his voice, but Kael stepped back right away.

Ryker was standing near the entrance with Jace and Damon next to him. His face showed nothing. He looked at the food all over my clothes for just a second, then turned away like I wasn’t even worth his time.

The four of them walked past our table. Every student in the room moved aside automatically to give them space. They carried power, respect, and fear with them without even trying.

Jace glanced at me as he passed. For a tiny moment, something like guilt crossed his face, but it disappeared fast under a careless smile. By the time they left the cafeteria, the laughter had died down. Now people just looked uncomfortable.

Tessa helped me pick up the broken tray and the mess.

“I swear,” she muttered angrily, “if he does that again—”

“He won’t,” I said quietly.

She frowned. “How do you know that?”

Because bullies don’t usually do the same thing twice. They always find something worse the next time.

That afternoon, all the first-year students packed into the university’s big assembly hall.

Dean Cassandra Whitmore stood on the stage. Her silver hair was tied in a neat bun as she looked out at all of us.

“Blackridge has always believed that true leaders are made through tough times and challenges,” she said.

The room went quiet.

“This semester, you will all take part in the Alpha Integration Program.”

Groans went through the hall.

The dean continued like she didn’t hear them. “You will be assigned to leadership houses.” A big screen behind her lit up. “Each house has five students. You will live together, train together, do every assignment together, and get one group grade. If one person fails…” She paused. “…everyone fails.”

The hall got loud with complaints and excited whispers. Students started guessing who they would be paired with.

Tessa nudged me. “Please don’t let me get stuck with total psychopaths.”

I gave her a weak smile. “I’ll be happy if I just get roommates who don’t hate me.”

The dean pressed a button. Names started appearing on the screen. House after house popped up with cheers and groans from the crowd.

Then the whole room suddenly went strangely quiet.

HOUSE OBSIDIAN

Captain — Ryker Knight

Kael Mercer

Jace Holloway

Damon Cross

The last name appeared.

Isla Ashbourne.

Complete silence. For one second I thought I must have read it wrong. Then every head in the hall turned to look at me.

Slowly, I lifted my eyes. Across the room, Ryker was staring at the screen. All the color had drained from his face. Kael stood up so fast his chair fell over with a loud crash.

“Absolutely not!” His voice boomed through the hall. “I refuse to do this.”

Students gasped.

Dean Whitmore didn’t even flinch. “There are no refusals in this program.”

Kael laughed, but it sounded bitter and angry. “Then change the assignment right now.”

“I won’t,” the dean said calmly.

Ryker finally spoke. His voice was calm, but in a dangerous way. “There has clearly been a mistake here.”

“There hasn’t,” Dean Whitmore replied. “The house assignments were decided months ago.”

“By who?” Ryker asked.

“By me.”

"Correct it." Ryker ordered.

Another heavy silence filled the room.

The dean looked at the five of us. “You will all move into House Obsidian by six o’clock this evening.” She gave a small, pleasant smile that looked more like she knew about our dispute. “I suggest you start getting to know each other better.”

Kael looked ready to walk out. Ryker's jaw had locked so tightly I thought his teeth might crack. Jace rubbed a hand over his face as though he already had a headache.

Then Damon...Damon never looked away.

His expression was unreadable. Somehow that frightened me more than Kael's shouting and bullying.

I had spent ten years wondering if I'd ever see them again. I never imagined we'd be forced to share the same roof under these circumstances.

Six o'clock suddenly felt much too close.