CHAPTER THREE_ An Unwanted Spotlight
1022 Words
Elowen stepped back into the courtyard, the warmth of the afternoon sun settling gently against her skin.
The atmosphere had changed since morning. The hesitation that had filled the space earlier was gone, replaced by a steady rhythm of movement and conversation. Students walked with more confidence now, gathering in small groups as if they had already begun to find their place.
Elowen followed the outer edge of the path, keeping a comfortable distance from the centre where the noise was thickest. It wasn’t discomfort that guided her steps, just habit. She preferred quieter spaces, places where she could observe without feeling pulled into everything at once.
A bench beneath a tall oak tree caught her attention. It sat slightly apart from the main flow of students, shaded just enough to feel like a small retreat in the middle of the courtyard.
She walked toward it and sat, placing her bag beside her before pulling out her notebook.
For a while, she focused on her notes from earlier, adding small details and underlining key points. The steady movement of her pen helped her settle. There was something reassuring about it—something structured in the middle of everything unfamiliar.
Nearby, laughter rose from a group gathered closer to the centre. Elowen glanced up briefly.
They leaned into one another easily, their conversations flowing without hesitation. It was the kind of ease that came naturally to people who already felt like they belonged.
Her gaze lingered for a moment before she looked back down at her notebook.
She didn’t compare herself to them, but she noticed the difference. The confidence, the familiarity, the way they seemed to fit into the space without effort.
Her grip on the pen tightened slightly, then relaxed.
She just needed time.
Across the courtyard, Sebastian Whitmore stepped out of the main building, adjusting the cuff of his sleeve as he walked. Lachlan moved beside him, talking about something that held only part of Sebastian’s attention.
“_and if you don’t show up, she’s definitely going to make it a problem,” Lachlan was saying.
Sebastian gave a brief, distracted response. “Then let her.”
“You’re unbelievable,” Lachlan muttered, though there was a hint of amusement in his voice.
They continued along the path, blending into the movement around them.
Then Sebastian’s attention shifted.
He didn’t stop abruptly, but his focus sharpened as his gaze settled in one direction.
Under the oak tree.
The same girl from earlier.
She sat with her notebook open, completely absorbed in what she was doing. There was nothing deliberate about her presence—no attempt to draw attention, no effort to avoid it either. She simply occupied the space as if the rest of the courtyard didn’t demand anything from her.
“She’s here again,” Sebastian said quietly.
Lachlan followed his gaze and exhaled. “So she is.”
Sebastian didn’t respond. His attention remained fixed, not because she was doing anything extraordinary, but because she wasn’t.
“She hasn’t even noticed you,” Lachlan added.
“I know,” Sebastian replied.
There was no irritation in his voice. If anything, it made the moment more interesting.
A light breeze moved through the courtyard, stirring the leaves above.
Elowen paused, lifting her hand to brush a strand of hair away from her face. For a brief moment, something felt different. Not enough to alarm her, just enough to register.
She finished the line she was writing before closing her notebook and lifting her gaze.
Her eyes moved slowly across the courtyard, taking in the movement around her without focusing on anything in particular.
Then she saw him.
She didn’t know who he was, but she noticed the way people seemed aware of him without being obvious about it. The space around him felt slightly different, shaped by quiet attention.
Her gaze rested there for a second.
And then she looked away.
Sebastian didn’t break eye contact when their gazes met.
He expected some reaction—curiosity, hesitation, even recognition.
But there was nothing.
She had looked at him the same way she had looked at everything else.
And then she had moved on.
“That was… different,” Lachlan said under his breath.
Sebastian didn’t respond immediately. Something about the moment settled in his mind, not loud, but persistent.
“Yes,” he said finally.
Not far from them, Arabella Vaughn had been watching the same exchange.
Her posture shifted slightly as her attention fixed on Elowen.
“That’s her,” she said.
Isla crossed her arms, her expression tightening. “She didn’t even react.”
“That’s exactly why she stands out,” Arabella replied.
Celeste remained quiet, her gaze steady and thoughtful as it followed Elowen.
“She’s not trying,” Isla added.
Celeste’s voice was softer, but more certain. “No. She just doesn’t see a reason to.”
That alone was enough to change the tone of the moment.
Elowen slipped her notebook back into her bag and stood. Whatever that brief feeling had been, it had already passed.
She adjusted the strap on her shoulder and stepped back onto the path.
There were still places she needed to find. Classes to get used to. A routine to build.
That was where her attention belonged.
She didn’t look back.
Sebastian watched her walk away, noting the steady pace, the lack of hesitation.
For the first time, the feeling settled more clearly.
This wasn’t just curiosity.
It was something he didn’t understand yet.
And that made it harder to ignore.
“Come on,” Lachlan said, nudging him lightly. “You’re not planning to stand here all day, are you?”
Sebastian glanced once more in the direction she had gone before looking away.
“No.”
He turned and continued on.
Behind them, Arabella’s expression had hardened, her attention still fixed on the path Elowen had taken.
Isla’s interest had sharpened.
Celeste was already thinking ahead.
This was no longer nothing.
And whether she realised it or not—
Elowen Hartley had just stepped into something that was already beginning to take shape around her.
- Writer
