---
đˇ KIERAN đˇ
Kieran stood in front of the canvas, sleeves rolled up, brush moving slowly across it. The only light on was the lamp beside him. Everything else in the room swarmed in the shadows.
At the corner of the studio, resting against the wall, was the first painting of Lyra. It was still unfinished, he hadn't touched it in days.
This one was recent. She stood in the center of the canvas, head slightly tilted. His brush dragged carefully along the curve of her neck, darkening the faint red marks he had left there earlier.
She was pretty. He didn't usually paint people twice. His jaw tightened slightly as he stepped back to examine it. Something about the way she looked at him earlier replayed in his head. It wasn't supposed to.
And then...Eloise. He hadn't heard that name spoken aloud in years. No one outside the high-class dorm knew about her death.
They made sure of it, so Lyra couldn't have known. Not about the door or the basement.
Unless she really did see her, his grip on the brush tightened slightly. That thought slightly irritated him.
His phone rang. He didn't look away from the canvas as he answered, switching it to his other hand.
"Yes."
Adrian's voice came through. "We found three bodies."
Kieran continued painting, adding shadow beneath Lyra's collarbone. "Did you."
"That sounds suspicious. Does this have anything to do with you?"
He almost smiled.
"How so?"
"You don't expect me to believe you're innocent," Adrian replied. "You're the only one who doesn't stick to the rules and act out of character."
Kieran dipped the brush back into paint.
"Why did you kill them?" Adrian continued. "Even if you did, you should've brought them back afterwards. We could've made good use of their blood. You know how long I've been waiting for something fresh."
"I did do a clean job." he said simply.
"You left them too close to the normal dorm, how is that a clean job?" Adrian sighed. "They do look awfully familiar, but then again I can't tell because I can't make out their faces. Well done, your royal highness."
Kieran studied the painting in silence for a second.
"I'm going to hand them over to Sebastian, he's going to have to figure out how to tell their parents. You know he's not going to like this."
"Isn't that why he's here."
"Fine. I'll handle it." He ended the call before Adrian could say anything else.
His eyes returned to Lyra's painted throat. Three bodies. He had almost forgotten, the girls who had bullied her.
Why had he done that? He didn't have an explanation himself.
They were irrelevant now. Sebastian would do what Sebastian always did, smooth it over and rewrite the narrative.
He set the brush down and reached for a smaller one instead, adding detail to the hollow at the base of Lyra's throat.
His gaze shifted to the unfinished painting in the corner, the first version of her.
For a second, he considered finishing it. But he didn't know where to start.
This new version was more accurate. Marked. His chest tightened, he didn't entertain that emotion. Possession.
She had looked at him like she was afraid of him, and yet she kept digging.
He returned to the current canvas and added one final stroke along her jawline.
If she really saw EloiseâŚthen she was already involved. And if she was involved, he would have to decide whether to protect her from it, or pull her fully into it.
---
𪡠LYRA đŞˇ
Lyra sat cross-legged on her bed, staring at nothing in particular while Sienna rummaged through her closet.
"Sienna," Lyra said after a moment of contemplation.
"Hmm?" Sienna answered, half distracted.
"Do you know anyone named Eloise?"
"Eloise?" She turned around. "No. Why?"
Lyra shrugged, keeping her face neutral. "I just heard the name somewhere."
"From who?"
"I don't know. Just⌠around."
"That's random."
"Yeah." Lyra looked down at her hands. "It just sounded familiar."
Sienna didn't push it. She went back to her closet, pulling out a hoodie.
"Oh... by the way," she added casually, "where did you disappear to during the game?"
"I went out for fresh air."
"For that long?" Sienna asked. "I thought you left."
"I didn't. It was just loud."
Sienna came to sit on the edge of Lyra's bed. "Did something happen?"
"Nothing happened."
"What's that mark on your neck?"
Lyra's hand moved there instantly. "Mark? Where?" she said.
"There. On the side. It's red."
"Oh, it's nothing."
"That doesn't look like nothing." Sienna leaned closer.
"It's probably just irritation or something."
"From what?"
Lyra shrugged, turning slightly so her hair covered it better. "I don't know. My skin reacts to everything."
"That doesn't...It looks like someone grabbed you."
Lyra's fingers stilled. "No one grabbed me."
Sienna's eyes narrowed slightly. "Lyra."
"I'm fine. Seriously."
Sienna studied her for a moment longer, then sighed. "If something's going on, you better not be handling it alone."
"There's nothing to handle."
Sienna stood up, breaking the tension. "Fine. But if you're getting yourself into something, at least let me know."
"I'm not getting into anything."
Sienna moved back to her side of the room, returning back to what she was doing.
Lyra stayed still. Her fingers brushed lightly over the mark on her neck again.
Sienna was quiet for a minute, folding one of her hoodies neatly before tossing it onto her chair.
"And...don't skip tomorrow."
"Why?"
"Medical tests."
Lyra finally glanced at her. "What?"
"Medical tests," she repeated. "Every student has to go to the infirmary. They're doing routine blood screenings."
"For what?"
"Infections. Deficiencies. Whatever." She waved her hand. "They said it's just standard protocol. Something about maintaining health records after the⌠incidents this semester."
"All students?"
"Everyone."
"That's random. I've never heard of this before."
"It's not random. It's organized." Sienna laughed lightly. "You're so suspicious."
"They've done this before?" she asked.
"Twice last year, I think. I tried to skip the second time, but couldn't," Sienna admitted. "But this time they said it's mandatory. You miss it, you get written up."
"Written up." She repeated to herself.
"Relax," Sienna said. "It's just a needle. Five minutes and you're done."
"Okay."
Sienna went back to what she was doing, conversation already forgotten.
___
Students lined the hallway outside the infirmary, some pale, some joking loudly to hide their nerves. Sienna clung to Lyra's sleeve dramatically.
"I hate this," Sienna muttered. "I actually hate this. Why do they need blood? They could just, I don't know, scan us."
Lyra chuckled at Sienna's reaction, she was the one acting all tough earlier.
When their turn came, they were ushered inside together. The infirmary smelled sterile, sharp antiseptic and faintly metallic.
Two narrow beds sat parallel to each other, and they climbed onto separate ones.
"See?" Sienna said, trying to sound brave. "We'll be done in five minutes."
They were still talking when one of the nurses drew a blue curtain between them.
"Please stay still," the nurse said calmly. "And no excessive movement."
The curtain muffled Sienna's voice. "Lyra? You still there?"
"I'm here."
"You may feel a small pinch." The needle slid into her arm, she barely flinched.
A thin tube filled quickly, but instead of a small vial, the nurse attached a collection bag. It wasn't tiny, not at all.
Lyra swallowed. "Do you⌠need that much?"
"It's standard," the nurse replied smoothly, eyes fixated on what she was doing.
Her arm felt warm. Slightly cold at the same time. It felt weird.
On the other side of the curtain, she heard Sienna's laugh "See? It doesn't even hurt."
"Sure."
The nurse's eyes were fixed on the dark red filling the bag. There was something intent in that stare.
The needle slid out of her arm, cotton pressed against her skin.
"Hold that," the nurse said and she did.
The blood bag was sealed and set aside with practiced ease. Was it done? She hoped it was, because the nurse was beginning to give her the creeps.
"Interesting," the nurse murmured, almost to herself. But Lyra picked up what she said.
Lyra looked at her. "What?"
"You have a rare blood type." How did she know by just looking at it?
The nurse smiled brightly, almost delighted. "That's a good thing."
It didn't feel like a compliment. Lyra sat up slightly, but the room tilted, her vision blurred slightly.
"Easy," the nurse said quickly. "Stay still for a while. You may experience sudden dizziness if you stand immediately."
The nurse adjusted the tray, then picked up another syringe.
"What's that for?"
"Supplement, to help with recovery. Some students feel faint after larger draws."
Before Lyra could question it, the needle slipped into her arm again. Her vision blurred at the edges.
"That's not-" she started.
"Just relax," the nurse said softly. The ceiling lights stretched strangely above her and everything tilted.
The last thing she saw was the nurse removing her gloves carefully. Then everything went dark.