Thursday night draped its cloak over the campus, the moon hanging like a pale eye in the sky. Ellie sat in the back corner of a dimly lit café off school grounds, her posture regal but her eyes sharp with malice. Across from her were three rough-looking men, their faces hidden beneath caps and hoods.
She slid a thick envelope across the table. "Money is no concern. What I want is simple: tomorrow during school hours, take Anastasia and Patricia. Make it clean. Make it quick."
The leader of the goons smirked, tapping the envelope with a calloused finger. "Consider it done. Nobody will see a thing."
Nikki sat to the side, her hands trembling under the table. Her face was pale, her lips pressed tight as though holding back a scream. Every fiber of her wanted to protest, but Ellie's earlier threat still echoed in her head: One word out of you, and you'll never see another sunrise.
So she said nothing.
Ellie leaned back, her smirk widening. "Perfect. By the time Elise returns, her little support system will already be in pieces."
---
The next day, as classes wound down, Anastasia found a folded slip of paper tucked neatly into her locker. She frowned, pulling it out, her curiosity instantly piqued. The note was short, written in hurried letters:
Meet us behind the school at sunset. —Devin & Lucian
Her heart fluttered as her cheeks warmed. She clutched the note, rushing to find Patricia.
"Patricia, look!" she said breathlessly, waving the letter.
Patricia took it and read it carefully. Something about it felt… off. "Are you sure they wrote this? The handwriting doesn't look like theirs."
Anastasia shook her head, smiling nervously. "You're being paranoid. Who else would write this? Maybe they just want to talk privately."
Patricia narrowed her eyes but didn't argue further. Reluctantly, she agreed to go with Anastasia.
---
By evening, the sky burned with streaks of crimson and gold as the sun slipped low. Devin and Lucian were prowling the campus halls, a flicker of unease in their eyes.
"Where are they?" Devin muttered, frustration lacing his voice as he scanned the quad.
Lucian's jaw tightened. "They said they'd be in the library after class. But they're not there. I've checked twice."
Devin clenched his fists, his chest tightening. "Patricia wouldn't just disappear. And Anastasia—" He broke off, his voice thick with tension. "Something's wrong."
Lucian exhaled sharply, his crimson gaze sweeping the campus like a predator. "Then we find them. Now."
The two brothers moved swiftly, their angelic charm replaced by a sharp, dangerous edge as the shadows deepened around them.