The morning arrived reluctantly, a pale smear of light that clung to the horizon but never fully broke the gray veil. Selene had been awake long before the alarm, staring at the ceiling as if it might offer her answers. Every whisper of the wooden beams, every distant call from the forest had chased away sleep like a cruel trick.
She dragged herself from bed and crossed to the balcony. The glass was cool against her palm, breath fogging faintly against it. Beyond the railing, the forest stood like a wall of secrets—its branches too dense, too tangled, shadows folding into one another. She could swear it stared back at her.
Something shifted deep in the treeline, a faint rustle where the mist clung low. Her chest tightened. By the time she blinked, it was gone.
Her father’s voice downstairs broke the silence. “Selene! You’re going to be late!”
---
Adrian Vale was already dressed in his uniform when she reached the kitchen. The lines on his face looked deeper this morning, carved by something heavier than lack of sleep. A file folder sat open on the table, papers scattered like broken glass.
He shut it quickly when she entered. “Eat something.”
She grabbed a piece of toast, the edges burnt, and tried not to stare at the folder. “Another case?”
His jaw tightened. He didn’t answer immediately. When he finally spoke, his voice was flat. “A teenager didn’t come home last night. Party out near the ridge. His bike was found abandoned at the trailhead.”
Selene froze. “The forest?”
Adrian’s silence was confirmation enough.
“Do they think it was…?” She couldn’t finish the sentence.
“Animal attack is the theory.” His tone made it clear he didn’t quite believe it himself. “No signs of him yet. Search parties are out.”
The toast turned to ash in her mouth.
Her father’s eyes softened, but only for a moment. Then he went to the drawer by the sink and pulled something out. A pistol. He set it on the counter between them with finality.
Selene’s stomach dropped. “Dad, I can’t—”
“You can and you will.” His voice was steel. “Keep it with you. This isn’t negotiable. If something happens—if you feel unsafe—you use it. Understand?”
Her fingers curled reluctantly around the cold weight. It felt wrong, like holding a promise she didn’t want to keep.
“I don’t want you frightened,” Adrian said, softer now. “But I do want you prepared.”
---
Blackthorn University was already humming with chaos by the time Selene arrived. The bell tower’s chimes split the mist as students rushed across the courtyard, voices clashing like an orchestra tuning before a storm.
She moved carefully, clutching her bag close, but her eyes kept wandering. Gothic spires scraped the sky, gargoyles crouched along the rooftops, and ivy clawed up the walls as though the buildings themselves were alive.
She nearly walked straight into someone.
“Whoa!”
Selene stumbled back, mumbling an apology. The girl she’d collided with laughed lightly, brushing a curtain of auburn hair from her face.
“Don’t worry, happens to everyone the first week.” Her voice was bright, a sharp contrast to the heavy air. She tilted her head, studying Selene with curious green eyes. “You’re new here, right?”
Selene nodded. “First week. Is it that obvious?”
“Obvious enough,” the girl grinned. “I’m Vivienne, but everyone calls me Vivi. And you are?”
“Selene.”
“Well, Selene, lucky you—you just bumped into the best unofficial tour guide on campus. Stick with me, and maybe you won’t get lost in this madhouse.” Vivi linked her arm through hers before Selene could protest, steering her toward the main hall.
---
The day unfolded in a blur of lecture halls, crowded corridors, and whispers that clung to the walls. Selene caught fragments whenever Professor Lucian Duskbourne’s name surfaced.
“He doesn’t even live in town.”
“Strict doesn’t cover it—he’s merciless.”
“Some say he watches people in class. Like he can see inside you.”
Each word lingered longer than it should, leaving Selene uneasy even before she stepped into his classroom.
The lecture hall was cavernous, light fractured through tall stained glass windows. Lucian entered without announcement, his presence commanding silence more effectively than any shout could. He moved like shadow given form—sharp, deliberate, unyielding.
His voice filled the room, low and smooth, weaving through the air like smoke. He spoke of Gothic literature, of darkness and beauty intertwined, and though Selene tried to focus on the words, she felt his gaze instead.
When it landed on her, the air thickened. Time faltered.
Her pen stilled. Her pulse hammered.
And then he looked away, leaving her both shaken and oddly hollow.
---
By the time classes ended, the fog had thickened into something oppressive. Selene walked home quickly, each step echoing in the hollow streets.
Her father wasn’t home yet. The house felt cavernous, the silence heavy. She set her bag down carefully, the pistol’s weight inside it pressing like an unspoken warning.
She tried reading. Then music. Then pacing. Nothing silenced the gnawing awareness that the forest was there, just beyond the balcony doors.
Eventually, she gave in. She stepped outside.
The night was cold, the mist curling like breath against her skin. The trees stood tall and waiting.
Something shifted. A figure between the trunks. Tall. Still. Watching.
Her breath caught. She reached instinctively for her bag—but a voice stopped her.
“You shouldn’t be out here.”
Her head snapped down.
There he was. Professor Duskbourne.
The moon carved silver edges across his face, leaving his eyes unreadable shadows.
“Professor—what are you—”
He didn’t step closer. His tone was calm, measured. “The forest isn’t safe after dark.” His gaze flicked to the treeline. When Selene looked again, the figure was gone.
Her throat tightened. “Do you live near here?”
Lucian’s lips curved faintly, though it wasn’t quite a smile. “Across the forest,” he said softly. “Close enough to keep watch.”
Before she could speak again, he turned, his silhouette dissolving into the mist as though it welcomed him back.
Selene gripped the railing, her heart pounding.
Across the forest.
Her professor.
Her neighbor.
And someone who carried more secrets than the night itself.
---
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