Isabella walked slowly across the school’s football field, trying to take everything in. The place was huge, buzzing with new students laughing, chatting, and introducing themselves during orientation.

She was scared, feeling completely out of place. She could tell she would end up being nothing more than a loner. No friends. No one to talk to.

She let out a small sigh and began to search for her faculty table to pick up her documents and student ID, and her gaze caught a handwritten sign on a board reading Chemistry, with a couple of upperclassmen helping the freshmen.

She walked forward with a small, hesitant smile on her face that was a bit hidden beneath the black hoodie she was wearing.

"Hi,” she said quietly.

One of the student volunteers, a girl with straight brown hair, gave her a look. “Who are you?”

Madison swallowed hard. “I-Isabella. Isabella Danvers.”

They tried peeking under her hood to get a good look on her, but she lowered her gaze, keeping her face hidden under the hood.

What's she hiding?

"This your major?” the girl asked, pointing at the sign.

Isabella lifted her chin just enough to glance at the word Chemistry. She gave a quick nod. “Yeah. It is.”

They gave her a weird look, and after a brief silence, they shuffled through a stack of folders. Finally, one of them found her name and handed her an ID and some papers.

“Thanks,” Isabella muttered before walking away.

"She’s kinda weird,” one of the volunteers whispered.

“Yeah,” the other smirked. “In school, there's always a weird one."

Isabella scanned the crowd, trying to spot her future classmates. She recognized a few faces from the admission list photos, then her eyes caught one, then another beside her, and sure enough, a small group had already formed.

Apparently, they’ve all met each other.

She sighed, having cold feet to walk towards them. There were two guys and three girls talking together like they’d known each other for years.

They were laughing easily, and she had to admit, the girls were especially pretty, which only made her more self-conscious.

Still, she forced herself to take one step toward them… then another.

One of the girls noticed her staring and raised a brow. Isabella hadn’t realized she was already close.

“Who are you?” the girl asked.

The question brought Isabella to reality.

The whole group turned to look. For a second, they all just blinked at her. Isabella looked small in her fitted jeans and oversized black hoodie, almost swallowed up by it.

“Geez,” one of the guys muttered under his breath.

“H-hi,” Isabella stammered, her heart pounding so hard it felt like everyone could hear it.

They glanced at the ID in her hand, then at each other with raised eyebrows.

“You’re in the chemistry department too?” one of the boys asked.

Isabella gave a small nod. “Yeah. I am.”

“What’s your name?” a blonde girl chimed in.

“Isabella Danvers.”

One of the guys snapped his fingers. “Oh, right. I remember seeing that name. You’re the girl who didn’t have her ID yet.”

Isabella nodded again. “Yeah.”

"So… why are you hiding your face?” A brown-haired girl just had to ask since it was a bit bothering.

Isabella’s stomach tightened. She tugged her hoodie lower. “I, um… I just…”

"You guys are all chemistry majors, right?”

The group’s focus immediately diverted to the one who spoke. Standing there was a tall redhead, elegant in the kind of way that made everyone stop and stare. The boys’ jaws practically dropped.

"Uh, yeah,” a girl with dark, straight hair answered, rolling her eyes at the way the guys were gawking.

Isabella stole a glance at the redhead and froze for a moment. She was stunning, like someone out of a magazine. Embarrassed, Isabella quickly looked away before anyone caught her staring.

She didn't want to feel like a freak.

"I’m Kayla Rowan,” the redhead said with a graceful smile. “Nice to meet you all.”

"Ethan Brooks,” one of the guys said eagerly, stretching out his hand.

Kayla looked at it for a beat, then gave a polite shake.

“And I’m Cole Maddox,” the other guy added, grinning wide.

The girls rolled their eyes in unison, clearly unimpressed, then their attention shifted back to Isabella, whose hood was still pulled low. She looked freaky.

The blonde girl folded her arms. “So what’s the deal? You afraid of crowds or something? Some kind of phobia?”

Kayla studied Isabella for a moment, and saw the girl was really looking weird, and fragile, almost skittish like she wanted to disappear into her hoodie.

"Uh, not really,” Isabella said softly, answering the blonde’s question about having a phobia.

The group exchanged quick glances but they nodded, deciding to let it drop. No point pushing her.

"We should probably head to the buses,” said the dark-haired girl, adjusting her bag. “I just want this orientation over with.”

“Yeah, me too, Juliana,” the blonde agreed. Then she glanced back at Isabella. “Come on. Stick with us.”

Isabella quickly nodded and followed.

_______

Everyone filed into Harrison Hall, the massive auditorium where orientation was set to begin. The place looked almost like a concert venue with hundreds of seats stretched back in neat rows, and a giant screen glowed at the front with the university’s logo.

The students made their way down the aisles, buzzing with chatter, before settling into their spots.

In the far corner, two upperclassmen stood watching the incoming crowd.

“There are so many gorgeous girls this year, Luc,” Ezekiel muttered, his eyes sweeping the room with a grin.

But his friend, Luc, wasn’t paying attention. His sharp green eyes scanned the hall, narrowed and unreadable. He was clearly looking for someone.

"Lucien,” Ezekiel said louder, knowing his buddy wasn’t listening.

Luc finally looked at him, sighing in disappointment. “Not again. I’m leaving. Got things to handle. Urgent.”

Ezekiel just rolled his eyes, and watched as Luc strode out the hall. He knew exactly why Luc was like that.

Meanwhile, Kayla slowed her steps, her mouth parting slightly at the perfect figure walking straight toward her.

He was tall, dressed in all black, his hands shoved casually into his pockets. Every movement was calm, controlled, but impossible to ignore.

"Oh shit,” she muttered as he was looking so heavenly handsome, so rich.

His dark hair was perfectly styled, sharp against his pale skin. And as he walked even closer, she saw his eyes… it was… an intense, electric green that seemed almost unreal.

He looked like a god.

Kayla froze in place, whispering under her breath, “Holy crap… someone like that goes here?” She asked no one in particular.

Luc’s gaze flicked toward her shocked expression for a brief second before walking away as if she were invisible. He walked right past her without a word.

Kayla blinked, turning to watch his retreating back. “Okay… who is he? I need to know who he is.”

“Don’t stare too hard,” a voice said from behind her.

Kayla spun around, startled. “W-what?”

The girl behind her gave a cool shrug. “He’s out of reach. Not a fish you can catch. Consider that a warning.”