One by one, groups walked up to submit their assignments.
Amara reached the professor first.
"Ma'am, we've completed it to the best of our ability," she said politely. "If there are any errors, please let us know. We'd be honored to correct them."
Nyx rose from her seat.
"There won't be any," she said calmly. "I helped with it."
Amara glanced back at her, surprised, then smiled sweetly at the professor.
"Oh ma'am, I completely forgot—two top scorers helped us."
The professor adjusted her glasses."Well then," she said lightly, "looks like they finally have competition."
Amara blinked. "Who, ma'am?"
"Adam," the professor replied. "After the recent test—Nyx, Lucien, and Adam are sharing first position."
A small murmur rippled through the class.
Amara simply nodded.
Lunch was loud.
Trays clattered. Chairs scraped. Conversations overlapped.
Nyx stood midway through eating.
Lyra frowned. "Where are you going? You haven't finished."
"I need a soft drink."
Lucien closed his notebook. "Same. I'll come."
They walked off together.
Amara leaned toward Adam. "We didn't know you were a nerd like them."
Adam scoffed dramatically. "Me? A nerd?"
He made a mock-offended face. "That's just common sense. Honestly, I'm dumb most of the time. You don't know how clumsy I am—my mom still taunts me for it."
Amara giggled.
Nyx and Lucien returned with their drinks.
Nyx sat.
Adam leaned forward. "So… how long have you guys known each other?"
Isha smiled. "We're all from the same school. Except Lyra and Nyx."
Adam nodded slowly.
Then his eyes drifted to Nyx.
"Nyx intrigues me," he said casually. "That mysterious aura? Makes her even more attractive."
Nyx didn't react.
She continued eating.
Ella spoke instead. "We think so too. She never talks about herself—but we respect personal space."
Adam turned to Nyx. "You seem like someone who gets bothered when people cross your boundaries."
Nyx finally looked at him.
"No one ever knows what my boundaries are," she said quietly. "That's what gives me relief."
Adam blinked.
Then laughed lightly, glancing at Lucien.
"Man, you're quiet just like her."
He clapped his hands. "Can I tell a joke?"
Nyx didn't look up. "Spare me."
Adam grinned. "I've got a better one."
He gestured between Nyx and Lucien.
"Whenever I'm with you guys, I feel like I'm talking to two walls."
Amara burst out laughing.
Alex leaned back. "Guys, we're hanging out at our place today. No excuses. We need to get to know each other better."
Adam jumped up. "I'm in! That'll be so much fun—yes!"
Amara shook her head, smiling. "Adam, you're too energetic."
Adam smirked. "I know. People love me. Tell me something new."
Nyx took a slow sip of her drink.
Around her, everyone laughed.
But she could feel it again.
Adam watching.
Always watching.
And Lucien, quiet beside her—
just as alert.
By evening, everyone had gathered at Alex's place.
The living room was buzzing.
Snacks were spread across the table—chips, cookies, chocolates. Cold soft drinks lined the counter. Someone had connected music to a speaker, low volume, just enough to fill the silence between conversations.
Evan clapped his hands.
"Alright, enough eating. Let's play something."
He grabbed a deck of cards from the shelf.
"Cards first. It'll be fun."
They all pulled cushions closer and sat in a loose circle on the floor.
Adam shuffled dramatically.
"Okay, rules," Evan said, taking the deck back.
He explained:
Each player gets five cards.They play in rounds.
Every round, everyone places one card face-down.
On Evan's count of three, they flip.
Highest card wins the round.
But here's the twist:
Each player has two bluff tokens (coins from Alex's drawer).You can use a token to swap your card with someone else before the reveal—without showing what you switched.
Once your two tokens are gone, you're done bluffing.
Winner of each round collects a point.First to five points wins.
Simple.
But dangerous.
Adam rubbed his hands. "Oh I love manipulation games."
Nyx leaned back against the couch, expression unreadable.
Lucien said nothing—just studied everyone's faces.
They were dealt their cards.
Round one.
Everyone placed their cards down.
Evan counted. "One… two… three."
Flip.
Nyx had a king.
She won effortlessly.
Lyra groaned. "Already?"
Nyx merely shrugged.
Round two.
Adam suddenly slid a bluff token forward.
"Switching with… Isha."
Isha gasped. "Hey!"
Adam grinned. "Trust me."
Cards flipped.
Adam now had Nyx's queen.
Nyx had a low six.
Adam won.
Nyx raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Lucien watched Adam carefully.
Round three.
Lucien quietly pushed his bluff token toward Nyx.
Nyx didn't react.
They swapped.
Reveal.
Lucien now had an ace.
Point to Lucien.
Adam laughed. "Wow. Silent alliances?"
Nyx sipped her drink. "No alliances. Just probability."
By round five, everyone realized something.
These three weren't just playing.
They were reading.
Adam joked loudly, distracted people, pretended to mess up.
Lucien stayed silent, memorizing patterns—who panicked, who hesitated, who smiled before bluffing.
Nyx?
Nyx destroyed everyone.
She predicted Evan's moves.
She baited Lyra into wasting her bluff tokens.
She deliberately played low cards early, letting others grow confident.
Then she struck.
Ella stared at her. "Nyx, how are you doing this?"
Nyx replied calmly, "People repeat behaviors. You just have to notice."
Adam whistled. "Terrifying."
James shook his head. "She's taking us all down."
Nyx already had four points.
Lucien had three.
Adam had three.
Everyone else was out of bluff tokens.
Final rounds.
It became a three-way war.
Adam started pretending to misread his cards.
Lucien delayed his flips by half a second—just enough to make Adam second-guess.
Nyx stared directly into Adam's eyes while placing her card down.
Adam chuckled nervously.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Nyx replied softly, "Because you lie with your eyebrows."
Lucien smirked.
Adam froze.
"…Do I?"
Reveal.
Nyx wins again.
She reaches five.
Everyone groans.
But Evan raises a finger. "Wait. Sudden death rule."
They all looked at him.
"If two players cross four points in the same round, final face-off between top three."
Adam had just reached four.
Lucien had four.
Nyx had five.
Adam clapped. "Final boss fight!"
They reshuffled only between the three of them.
Everyone else leaned forward, fully invested.
Last round.
Dead silent.
Nyx placed her card slowly.
Lucien followed.
Adam hesitated… then smiled and used his last bluff token, swapping with Lucien.
Lucien didn't react.
Flip.
Adam had Lucien's ace.
Lucien had Nyx's queen.
Nyx had Adam's king.
Adam wins.
For a second, no one spoke.
Then Adam threw his hands up.
"Yes! I survived the ice queen!"
Everyone erupted.
Amara laughed. "I can't believe it."
Alex stared at Nyx. "You almost wiped us all out."
Nyx leaned back.
"Tactical error," she said simply.
Lucien looked at Adam.
"You waited for the last bluff."
Adam nodded. "You taught me patience."
Their eyes locked briefly.
Something unspoken passed between them.
Adam broke the tension with a grin.
"Man… playing with you two feels illegal."
Nyx picked up her drink.
"This wasn't even serious."
Adam blinked.
Lucien exhaled quietly.
Everyone else stared.
And for the first time that evening—
they realized.
These weren't just classmates.
They were dangerous minds in human form.