I DARE YOU

Chapter 8-Branded

ISLA'S POV

“Skull? What the f**k is that?” I asked.

Valerie’s smile only got wider. She and her little gang started moving back slowly, but their eyes never left me. Like they were already enjoying whatever was coming next.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” she said, voice sweet and poisonous. “Just know your life is about to become a living hell.”

She gave me a mock little wave, and then all three of them turned and walked away like they had just finished the best part of their morning.

I stood there with my heart pounding so hard it hurt. I still had no idea what the hell was going on. Everyone was still staring. Some people looked almost sorry. Most of them looked hungry for whatever came next.

Somehow I found the orientation hall. It wasn’t any better. The second I stepped inside, people shifted away from me like I was contagious. Seats that had been open suddenly filled. Bags got moved onto empty chairs. No one wanted to be near me.

I ignored them and sat down anyway.

The woman on the podium was talking about the school and how important it was to follow every single rule. I tried to listen, but the list of rules sounded more like a prison handbook than a university guide.

On no account should you visit the East Library.

Why even have a library if no one was allowed inside?

Lights must be turned off after midnight. No exceptions.

What kind of school treated midnight like a lockdown?

And never, under any circumstances, wander into the forest.

That one almost made sense. The whole campus was buried deep in the trees, far from everything. Students could get lost. But the way she kept repeating it, the way her voice tightened when she said the word “forest,” made my skin crawl. Something about it felt wrong.

She kept talking. Rules upon rules upon rules. I stopped hearing most of them. All I could think was why. Why so many? Why this strict? What was everyone so afraid of?

Someone else took the mic after her. A senior. He talked about studying hard and joining activities. There was a short question-and-answer session. I tried to focus on him, but my mind kept circling back to the skull and the way everyone had been treating me.

I didn’t notice someone sit beside me until a voice spoke.

“Hey.”

I turned.

A guy sat there, relaxed, like none of the tension in the room touched him. He had green eyes that looked too familiar and a face that reminded me of Ryder, only softer, and his hair was blond.

“I’m Blake,” he said.

I ignored him at first.

He chuckled. “You hurt my feelings.” He placed a hand over his chest like I’d stabbed him.

I stared at him. “What do you want? Aren’t you going to ignore me like everyone else?”

He scoffed. “I don’t engage in petty stuff.” His eyes stayed on mine. “They want you to leave. But are you going to?”

“No way in hell.”

Silence sat between us for a second. I didn’t know this Blake and I sure as hell didn’t trust him, but he was the only person who had spoken to me all morning without looking disgusted.

“The skull,” I started carefully. “What is it?”

Blake raised a brow. “So you got it.”

“You can say that.”

He leaned back a little. “Getting the skull means you’re currently the most hated person in this university. You’re not welcome. Students will make your life hell until you beg to leave.”

I froze.

The skull.

Did my sister get it too? Did they do this to her? Did they push and push until she finally broke and left?

My heart started racing again as the pieces tried to click together.

“This skull…who has that kind of power?” My voice came out sharp. “This is a university. Everyone has the right to study.”

Blake looked at me for a long second.

“Ryder.”

The name landed like a punch.

I clenched my hands in my lap. “Who exactly is he?”

Blake’s expression didn’t change much, but something quieter moved behind his eyes. “Ryder thinks he can control everyone. He doesn’t care about anyone’s feelings. He just does whatever the f**k he likes. Things are going to be tough for you. Don’t let him win.”

He tapped my shoulder lightly, then stood up and walked away before I could ask anything else. Why I was the target. Why Ryder wanted me gone so badly. What the hell my sister had been through.

I sat there with rage and hatred sitting heavy in my chest.

What gave him the right to decide how I should be treated? Did he think he was some kind of god and everyone else just had to worship him?

He could pull whatever trick he wanted. There was nothing any of them could do to send me away. Not until I found out the truth about my sister. Not until I made them pay.

I took a deep breath and tried to focus on the rest of the orientation. I couldn’t. The words just floated past me.

Finally it ended. Students stood up and filed out quietly. I stayed behind for a minute, just trying to gather my thoughts. I hadn’t even been here two full days and already I was the most hated person on campus because one asshole decided he didn’t like my face.

I stood up and walked out of the empty hall.

I hadn’t even made it three steps outside when something wet and cold slammed into me from the side.

I screamed.

Laughter exploded all around me. My eyes were squeezed shut. Whatever they poured on me wasn’t water. It was thick. Sticky. It clung to my skin and clothes and hair. My lashes felt heavy. I forced my eyes open.

Red.

I was covered in red.

Valerie and a group of students stood a few feet away holding empty buckets. Red paint dripped from the rims. Valerie had the most smug look I had ever seen on a human face. She dropped her bucket with a loud clang and walked straight up to me. She leaned in close enough that I could smell her perfume under the sharp scent of paint.

“Now everyone can tell you’re the freak,” she whispered, “and you don’t belong here.”

People laughed. Phones came up. Someone actually cheered.

Nobody expected what I did next.

I reached out, grabbed Valerie by the shoulders, and pulled her into me so hard she almost lost her balance.

My arms locked around her in a tight, crushing hug.