Rain fell gently over Blackwood University.
Students hurried across campus beneath colorful umbrellas, trying to avoid getting soaked between classes.
Stacy stood beneath the entrance of the Humanities Building, staring at the gray sky.
It had been two days since the man outside the café.
Two days since Lucien had appeared without explanation.
And still...
Nothing.
No more phone calls.
No strangers watching her.
No impossible incidents.
It almost made her wonder if she had imagined everything.
Almost.
"Earth to Stacy."
Emma waved a hand in front of her face.
"You've disappeared again."
Stacy blinked.
"Sorry."
"I swear, if you keep zoning out like this, Professor Carter is going to think you're sleeping with your eyes open."
"I'd like to see him prove it."
Emma laughed.
"There's the Stacy I know."
The lecture passed quietly.
For the first time in weeks...
Nothing unusual happened.
No mysterious messages.
No strange headaches.
No Lucien.
By lunchtime, Stacy had almost convinced herself life was returning to normal.
She and Emma walked toward the student café.
As they rounded the corner...
Someone called her name.
"Stacy!"
She turned.
Noah jogged toward them, slightly out of breath.
"I've been looking everywhere for you."
Emma grinned.
"I'll leave you two alone."
Before Stacy could protest, Emma disappeared into the crowd with a mischievous wave.
"...She's impossible."
Noah laughed.
"I noticed."
I actually came to ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Our journalism club is interviewing students for a feature called 'Faces of Blackwood.'"
Stacy tilted her head.
"Why me?"
"You've become surprisingly popular."
She looked horrified.
"Please don't say that."
"I'm serious."
"People know your name."
"Mostly because you keep getting seen with Lucien Ashford."
She sighed dramatically.
"I was afraid you'd say that."
Noah smiled.
"So?"
"Would you do the interview?"
"It'll only take ten minutes."
Stacy thought about it.
"...Sure."
"Great."
He handed her a small card.
"Tomorrow."
"Three o'clock."
"Media Building."
As Noah walked away...
Someone else had been watching.
From the second-floor balcony of the Business Building...
Lucien quietly lowered his gaze.
Ethan appeared beside him.
"You've been staring in that direction for a while."
"I wasn't."
"You were."
Lucien didn't argue this time.
Instead, he asked,
"What's the journalism club working on?"
Ethan looked surprised.
"I have no idea."
"Why?"
Lucien looked toward Noah.
"...Just wondering."
Ethan smiled to himself.
"You're fooling everyone except yourself."
Later that afternoon...
Stacy arrived at the library to return a book.
Mr. Howard stood behind the front desk.
When he saw her...
His expression softened.
"Miss Bennett."
"Good afternoon."
She smiled politely.
"Hi."
As he scanned her library card, he paused.
Then quietly asked,
"Have you been sleeping well?"
The question caught her off guard.
"...Not really."
"I thought so."
He reached beneath the counter and placed a small, worn book in front of her.
Its cover was faded blue.
No title.
No author.
"It's an old collection of university folklore."
Stacy looked confused.
"I didn't borrow this."
"I know."
He smiled gently.
"Think of it as... recommended reading."
Before she could ask another question...
He turned to help another student.
The conversation was over.
Curious, Stacy slipped the book into her bag.
That evening...
Rain continued to fall against her dorm room window.
Emma had already fallen asleep while pretending to study.
Stacy quietly pulled the old blue book from her bag.
The pages were yellow with age.
Most of it contained harmless campus legends.
Ghost stories.
Old traditions.
Superstitions.
Then...
One page caught her attention.
A faded sketch of Blackwood University.
Beneath it were handwritten words.
"Every generation believes Blackwood has only one campus."
"Every generation is wrong."
Stacy frowned.
"...What does that mean?"
She turned the page.
It had been torn out.
At the very back of the book...
A small piece of folded paper slipped onto her desk.
She unfolded it carefully.
There was no message.
No explanation.
Only...
A hand-drawn map.
One building was circled in red.
The Old Observatory.
Beneath it...
Three handwritten words.
Come Alone.
Across campus...
Lucien's phone vibrated.
A single notification appeared.
Movement has begun.
His expression hardened.
Without another thought...
He grabbed his coat and rushed out into the rain.