The day after Lysander’s arrival, the air in the corridors felt different—charged, expectant. Whispers darted like arrows between lockers, carrying half-truths and stretched shadows of what people thought they saw.
And Moira was smiling.
Scene 1 – The Plotting
Moira sat in the West Wing, legs crossed elegantly, her hands folded like a queen presiding over her court. Lian leaned close, eager as always, while Aria lounged lazily, but her sharp eyes never missed a detail.
“So,” Aria said, twirling his pen, “you’ve been muttering about teaching Elara a lesson. What’s the grand plan?”
Moira’s lips curled. “Simple. She walks in here like she belongs, dances with Kaeli, makes herself visible. Fine. But visibility cuts both ways.”
Lian tilted her head. “Meaning…?”
“Meaning,” Moira said smoothly, “all it takes is one rumor, just one, to tilt the school’s opinion. Something sticky. Something that spreads.”
Aria smile sharpened. “Like smoke.”
“Exactly.” Moira leaned back, her eyes glittering with satisfaction. “Elara’s from out of town. No one really knows her past, no one knows what she did before Reverend Watt. Which makes her… pliable.”
Lian giggled nervously. “So what kind of rumor?”
Moira tapped her chin thoughtfully. “That she didn’t just transfer here. That she was forced to. Because she couldn’t… control herself. Maybe she was expelled. Maybe it had to do with a boy. Or two.”
Aria chuckled. “Classic. That’ll spread before lunch.”
Moira’s smile widened. “And when Kaeli hears it—he’ll think twice before looking at her again.”
Scene 2 – Kaeli’s Silence
Across the campus, Kaeli leaned against the brick wall outside the science wing, his hands jammed in his pockets. From a distance, he looked like stone, but Eshon and Valen knew better.
“You’ve been… off,” Valen said bluntly, tossing a crumpled paper ball into the trash can. “Don’t think we don’t notice.”
Kaeli didn’t answer. His eyes flickered toward the quad where Elara was showing Lysander another corner of the school, laughing lightly at something he’d said.
Eshon followed his gaze and whistled low. “Ah. Now it makes sense.”
Kaeli’s head snapped toward him. “Nothing makes sense.”
“Sure,” Eshon said easily, a crooked grin pulling at his lips. “And I’m the Pope. Come on, Kael. You’re watching her like you’re waiting for the floor to split open.”
Valen folded his arms. “Admit it. You don’t like seeing her with Lysander.”
Kaeli’s jaw tightened. “It’s not about him.”
“Of course not,” Eshon said, clapping him on the shoulder. “It’s about her. Which is worse.”
Kaeli shoved his hands deeper into his pockets and muttered, “Drop it.” But the flicker in his eyes betrayed him.
Scene 3 – The Call
Later that evening, Eshon sprawled on his bed, phone pressed to his ear. His room was messy—clothes hanging off the chair, textbooks scattered—but his smile was soft, unguarded.
“…so you’re really at Ravensworth?” he asked, twirling a pen idly.
“Mm-hmm,” came the girl’s voice, warm and teasing on the other end. “And I’m telling you, it’s nothing glamorous. We don’t have your kind of drama.”
Eshon chuckled. “Trust me, you don’t want it. You’d drown in it by day two.”
She laughed, and the sound settled something restless inside him.
Valen poked his head in, raising a brow. “Who are you talking to?”
Eshon quickly muted the call. “Nobody. Just… homework help.”
Valen smirked. “Yeah, sure. Since when does homework giggle like that?”
“Shut up, Val.” Eshon tossed a pillow at him, but his grin gave him away.
Later, when the house was quiet, he returned to the call. “Sorry about that. My friend’s nosy.”
The girl’s voice softened. “It’s fine. I didn’t even tell you my name yet, did I?”
“No, you didn’t.”
A pause. Then: “It’s Selene.”
The name slipped into his chest like a secret flame.
Scene 4 – The First Whispers
By the next morning, the rumor was everywhere. It curled through the halls, whispered behind textbooks, traded in the cafeteria.
“Elara was expelled from her last school…”
“…it was over some scandal, something with a teacher, maybe…”
“…no, it was with two boys. That’s why she moved here…”
Elara walked past clusters of students, their eyes following, their whispers sharp. She straightened her back, refusing to let them see the sting, but each word dug in like a thorn.
Across the hall, Kaeli heard the murmurs too. His fists clenched at his sides, his mind warring with itself. Was it true? Or was it just Moira’s poison, carried on the wind?
And from the far corner, Moira watched, satisfied. Smoke was already rising. Soon, fire would follow.
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and then Add to home screen.