Chapter 2
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Wren Academy — Lunchtime
They called it the Rose Court.
Not officially. Not in any student handbook. But those born into old money, polished manners, and inherited legacies called it that without hesitation.
Sunlight bled through iron-wrought lattices, casting twisted shadows across cream-colored marble. In the center bloomed a rose garden, perfectly trimmed and obscenely lush,even in autumn. The red petals shimmered like spilt blood under the midday light.
The elite sat there. Always.
Alina Vale occupied the central seat like it was carved for her birthright. She sipped her iced coffee as if the world moved to her rhythm. Her manicured nails matched her glossed lips,soft, pink, and deceptive.
Beside her, Selene Harrow laughed,soft and doll-like. Her dress was designer, her tone delicate, but her smile was made of razors. On Alina's other side lounged Mori Elen, resting her chin on a polished hand, eyes deadpan and amused.
Kai Ren stretched out with calculated boredom, his jacket unzipped, one foot lazily tapping the table leg. Opposite him, Noah Virelle leaned forward, tossing golden hair from his face. His grin was slow, charming, but never touched his cold, reptilian eyes.
They laughed, but their laughter didn't echo. It fell flat,carefully timed and empty.
A shadow fell across them.
Ryn Vale had arrived.
She didn't announce herself.
She didn't need to.
Her mere presence was ice in the bloodstream.
She stood on the steps above the courtyard, the wind gently tugging at her dark braid. The blazer she wore was crisp, her posture unyielding. Her eyes swept across the table like a blade assessing its target before the first strike.
A beat passed.
Then two.
She descended slowly,measured, graceful, terrifying.
Alina saw her first.
She froze mid-sentence. Her smile faltered for half a heartbeat before reforming like lacquer.
"Well, well. The prodigal Vale returns," she said, tilting her head. "Didn't think you'd show your face this term."
Ryn's lips curled in the ghost of a smile.
"I know," she murmured. "It must be disappointing."
The words were smooth. Quiet.
But they carried the impact of a guillotine.
Alina's smile tightened.
Mori arched a brow. "You've been gone, what,two weeks? Come back looking like a marble statue and talking like a Bond villain."
Selene leaned forward sweetly. "We were so worried. Thought maybe you had a breakdown."
"I did," Ryn said flatly. "But I got bored."
A flicker of surprise. A ripple of unease.
She walked past them, silent heels clicking against the stone.
Noah chuckled lowly. "You've got teeth now, Vale."
Ryn stopped.
She turned,just slightly.
"No," she said. "You just never noticed I've had them all along."
Then she walked away.
Not a single glance back.
But the silence she left behind dragged longer than any words could.
Headmaster Renwick's Office — Later That Day
The office smelled like old paper and stronger scotch.
Headmaster Renwick sat behind his oversized oak desk, peering over the rims of his glasses like a lazy king. His thinning grey hair was slicked back, and his maroon tie hung slightly askew.
"You want to switch into Political Ethics? At this point in the term?"
"I do," Ryn said, voice calm. "It aligns better with my... trajectory."
He frowned. "It's irregular."
"So is nepotism," she said smoothly, placing the folded recommendation letter on his desk.
He unfolded it slowly. Read. Blinked.
A perfect forgery. Her father's signature, stamp, even the family crest.
"Very well," he said stiffly.
She stood. "Thank you."
He didn't speak again.
Wren Academy Gardens — Twilight
The cherry tree was bare. Autumn had stripped it of everything but its crooked bones.
Beneath it stood Jace Wren, the boy with smoke in his lungs and storms in his eyes.
His black uniform was rumpled, his collar undone. A cigarette balanced between his fingers, half-forgotten. The way he watched her was not passive,it was hungry.
Ryn walked the garden path like a queen surveying her ruined kingdom. Her steps were soft, but final.
She passed the tree. Didn't look at him.
He dropped the cigarette.
"She's not the same," he muttered.
Zayne, leaning on the railing nearby, gave a dry chuckle. "Took you long enough."
"She walks like she owns the world."
"She did before," Zayne replied. "You just didn't notice until she stopped wanting your approval."
Jace didn't answer.
His hands curled in his pockets. His eyes never left her.
Library — After School
The east wing was abandoned. Cold and quiet, like the belly of a cathedral.
Ryn sat at the last table between two forgotten bookcases, lit only by the flicker of an old brass lamp.
Before her lay two notebooks.
One open. One closed.
She opened the black leather one.
THE LIST.
Phase One.
In neat, precise handwriting:
Alina Vale — "Imitation is your only talent."
Clarissa Vale — "A mother in name only."
Selene Harrow — "Silk hides steel."
Mori Elen — "Laughs when others bleed."
Kai Ren — "Flirt. Spy. Snake."
Mrs. Durnham — "Ignored the bruises. Graded the silence."
She tapped her pen against the paper.
A whisper clawed its way back into her memory.
A face.
Noah Virelle , "Smiles too much. Eyes too dead."
She added his name.
And underlined it.
Twice.
Her phone vibrated.
A number she didn't save.
She answered anyway.
"Vale," came Jace's voice, low, sharp. "Behind the gym. Now."
She said nothing.
She simply stood.
And went.
Gym Rooftop — Dusk
The sky cracked open in violet and crimson as the sun bled out behind the hills.
Ryn stood at the edge of the rooftop, arms folded against the wind.
Jace arrived, footsteps slow and deliberate.
"You've changed," he said finally, stopping a few feet behind her.
Ryn didn't turn.
"People do that when they die."
He flinched. "What happened to you?"
"You," she said, voice like glass. "All of you."
He didn't deny it.
"I used to think you were fragile," he said, walking closer. "You were so easy to break."
She turned to face him now.
"I wasn't fragile. I was trusting."
He nodded once.
Silence.
Then,
"I don't want to break you anymore," he said quietly. "I want to keep you."
Her eyes darkened. "That's not romantic. That's ownership." And I don't like either.
"I know."
She stepped closer.
"Do not follow me," she said. "Do not try to protect me. Do not pretend you understand what you helped destroy." Do you get it.
Then she turned and walked past him.
But his voice followed:
"I watched you burn."
She paused at the rooftop door.
"I didn't try to put you out."
She didn't respond.
She simply disappeared into the shadows, her silence louder than any scream.
Jace stood alone beneath the dying sky.
For the first time in his life, he wasn't chasing power.
He was chasing a girl who had become untouchable.
And it thrilled him.
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Jace and Ryn has their first interaction after her rebirth, what do y'all think will happen next.