REYNA

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I GASP.

The evening air cuts sharp against my lungs as I stare at the sight before me.

I had been sitting on a bench in the city outside campus, headphones muffling the city's hum, sketchbook balanced on my lap.

My pencil traced the outline of the high-rise building across the street, its windows catching the sun's setting light.

The sketch was almost finished.

Then my sketchbook slipped and fell.

And before I could grab it, a stray dog barrelled past, so fast its paws tore straight across the open page.

Now, I lunge for my book, but before I can salvage it, the sketch rips off.

My perfect high-rise crumples beneath my fingers.

I glare after the dog, but it’s already gone, its tail disappearing into the dark.

Something about the way it ran, like it was being chased, leaves a cold twist in my stomach.

I sink back onto the bench.

The plate of Gulab Jamun I made glistens beside me like tiny suns covered in syrup.

I pop one into my mouth.

But the usual sweetness tastes wrong, thick in my throat.

It pulls memories of sharing these with Varna.

Memories I don’t want to touch tonight.

A sigh escapes my lips.

Varna Soni was my first real family.

She was nothing like my biological parents, who always threatened they'd dump me in an orphanage.

Those monsters.

I notice a pigeon feather at my feet, pale against the fading light.

I pick it up, slipping it into my tote.

I always take souvenirs from the places I sketch.

But this one… this one feels different, wrong.

Like a bad omen.

I start to pack my bag.

But my body goes rigid.

I glance over my shoulder, my eyes darting as I scan my surroundings.

There's a strong, tangled feeling in my stomach.

Like…

Someone or something is watching me.

~~~

A pungent shiver crawls up my spine as I head back to the dorm, taking hurried steps as cold air bites my cheeks.

The field between the city and the dorm is deserted, lined with trees that cast looming shadows upon me.

My fingers clutch my bag tighter.

I glance over my shoulder.

I am very certain. Someone is watching me.

Then—

My phone buzzes with a call.

I jump with a yelp.

Then I realize it's just him.

My nostrils flare.

Evander.

Memories of Varna immediately flood my head, momentarily replacing the sinister feeling of being stalked.

My chest tightens with anger, and my knees weaken with pain.

I don't even remember giving him my number.

Tears blur my vision.

I sniffle them away and ignore the call.

But the idiot keeps calling.

Again.

BUZZ…

And again.

Finally, I hit the answer button.

“What?!” I snarl.

“If it isn’t my favorite grumpy neighbor.” Evander's voice is calm, and I can hear a smile in it.

CRUNCH!

The sound comes from behind me. Like twigs snapping beneath feet.

I feel my face turn pale.

The feeling of being watched comes back, stronger this time.

My chin begins to tremble.

I clutch my bag even tighter, my knuckles turning white.

Quickening my pace, I glance back.

But there's nobody.

Still, my chest rises and falls rapidly, and I focus on getting to the dorm as fast as I can.

Facing forward, I try to strain my ears for more movement, but Evander won't stop talking.

“I’ll call you back later,” I say, cutting him off and ending the call without looking at my phone screen.

What I hear next sends my heart dropping into my stomach, and my stomach… into my feet.

A metallic scrape of metal on the ground.

Behind me.

Slow. Deliberate. And dragging.

Like…

A chain.

Ice slides down my spine.

Every single hair on my body stands.

With a heart thumping against my ribcage, I turn around.

~~~

A girl stands there.

Her green eyes are narrow and puffy, her face red as she glares at me.

At first, I don’t recognize her.

Then memory clicks.

It's the girl from the hallway.

The reason Evander kissed me.

My stomach twists.

Ó cac.

Her eyeliner is smudged, like she'd been crying… for a long time.

Her blonde hair is matted and tangled, and she's barefoot.

With a face twisted with rage, she looks like she crawled her way out of a nightmare.

She steps closer.

I gulp and stumble back.

“You think you can take what’s mine?” She growls, voice slurred, like she'd been drinking too. “You think you’re special?”

I hear the metallic scrape again.

She brings the weapon out from behind her.

I gasp with wide eyes.

A heavy metal chain glints in the moonlight.

My mind snaps into survival mode.

I’ve seen this pattern before. She’s impulsive. Volatile. Borderline psychotic.

Psychology lectures blur into my instinct.

Fight or flight. Don’t freeze.

Breathe, Reyna.

Watch her hands, her stance.

Every second.

Calculate, Reyna.

Bloody breathe, Reyna!

But I see the length of the chain and realize making any sudden movements could be the end of my life.

She could whip my head off in a second.

Beads of sweat trail down my forehead.

My voice trembles.

“I… nothing’s happening between Evander and me,” I stammer.

She stalks closer and starts to circle me like… I'm prey.

“He’s mine!” She snarls, and I jerk. “He never looked at me like that! Not after practice. Not ever!”

Her breathing is heavy, desperate… terrifying.

Her bare feet crunch the grass.

She drags the chain like she enjoys the sound.

Then she stops, less than six feet away, in front of me.

Her brows furrow as the next words come out in an anguished whisper.

“He’s never even let me get close… talk more of kissing me!”

I back up.

My shoes scrape dead leaves.

My brain yells at me.

Run, Reyna, Run!

But… running could make her swing the chain.

Standing still, I try to think fast.

But before I can—

She raises the chain above her head, holding it like a garrote.

Her eyes flash in hatred and an intense stare.

“I’m going to squeeze the life out of your throat.”

Then, like a raging lion—

She leaps—