By the next morning, my little hallway stunt had already spread into a living, breathing rumor. It raced across campus like wildfire, reshaped, retold, exaggerated. By the time I made it to class, I had apparently not only stood up to the K-Girls but also threatened to punch one in the face, slapped another, and left them sobbing in a bathroom stall.
None of that had actually happened.
But people whispered anyway.
"That's her."
"She stood up to the K-Girls."
"She's insane."
Insane, maybe. But invisible? Never again.
I hugged my notebook against my chest as I slid into a new classroom, letting out a breath of relief when I realized the quadruplet clones weren't there. My shoulders relaxed, my jaw unclenched. No icy stares, no predator-like smirks. Just regular students scribbling notes and scrolling their phones.
For once, maybe I'd get a normal day.
Or so I thought.
"Hey."
The voice pulled my attention. A girl with curly brown hair and round glasses leaned across her desk toward me, grinning like we'd been friends for years. She dropped into the seat beside mine without waiting for permission.
"You're the American, right? Kaylee?"
I narrowed my eyes. "Depends. If you're here to spill coffee on me, you've got the wrong girl."
Her laugh rang out bright, too loud for a classroom. A few students turned to stare. "I'm Zara. No coffee, I swear. But… that was badass yesterday. The way you shut down the K-Girls? Priceless."
Before I could come up with a reply, the room shifted again. Two more girls strolled in together, carrying the kind of presence that made people look up.
The first was tall, her braids long and neat, her sharp jawline set in a permanent expression of "don't try me." She carried herself with the kind of posture that screamed authority. The second was smaller, petite, with pink streaks running through her black hair and a smile that was equal parts charm and trouble.
"We're sitting here," the tall one announced, sliding into the desk on my other side like it was already hers. "I'm Tiana. That's Mia."
"Hiya," Mia chirped, dumping her books on the desk with a thud. "So. How does it feel to be Public Enemy Number One?"
I blinked at them, lips twitching. "Wow. You girls don't waste time, do you?"
"Nope," Tiana replied flatly. "We don't exactly… fit in with the Barbie army."
Zara leaned across me with a grin, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Translation: the K-Girls hate us almost as much as they're about to hate you."
"Correction," Mia added, twirling a pink strand around her finger. "They already do. Which means you're one of us now. Congrats."
I raised a brow. "Do you people just… recruit enemies of the K-Girls like some anti-cheerleader club?"
"Yes," Zara said immediately, stone-faced. Then she cracked into a grin. "Okay, maybe not officially. But close."
Despite myself, I smiled. Their bluntness had a disarming quality, like they weren't afraid to stand where everyone else ran. And in that moment, I realized just how much tension I'd been holding in my shoulders.
"Well, lucky me," I said, smirking. "Day three and I already have a fan club."
Mia gasped dramatically, throwing her hands up. "Not a fan club, sweetheart. A survival squad."
"Survival?" I echoed.
Tiana leaned back in her chair, arms crossing over her chest, her expression dead serious. "You'll see. This campus is split in two: people who bow to the Knights and their little fan club… and the rest of us. You? You just made yourself their top target. And trust me, they play dirty."
—
The professor finally shuffled in, launching into a lecture on literary theory. His voice droned, words washing over me without sticking. Around us, students passed notes, scrolled through TikTok, stifled laughter.
It should have felt normal.
But it didn't.
Because even without the Knights in the room, their presence lingered. Heavy. Unseen but undeniable. Like smoke after fire, clinging to your clothes long after the flames are gone.
When the professor excused himself briefly, the room erupted into chatter. Zara wasted no time, leaning in until her glasses nearly slid off her nose.
"Did you hear what happened last semester?" she whispered.
"No," I said slowly. "Do I want to?"
Tiana's gaze hardened. "Some guy — big, tough, thought he was untouchable — decided to 'challenge' them. Wanted to prove the Knights weren't as scary as everyone believed."
My stomach twisted. "And?"
Mia tapped her pen against her desk, her smile sharp but not amused. "He's gone."
I frowned. "Gone where?"
"Exactly," Zara muttered, her tone grim.
The air in the classroom seemed to thicken. Whispers crawled around us like insects.
Don't mess with them.
They own the place.
Even the professors are scared.
I forced a laugh, but it fell flat. "So, what, they're like… mafia princes or something?"
The three of them exchanged a look that made my skin prickle.
"No one knows exactly," Tiana said. "But whatever they are, they don't play by the same rules as the rest of us. If you're smart, you won't attract their attention."
Too late.
I thought of the smirk in the lecture hall, the one that had silenced an entire room. My gut told me I'd already attracted more attention than I could ever undo.
—
By the end of class, I'd learned three things.
Zara was the brainy one — quick, witty, the kind of girl who had three backup plans in case Plan A and Plan B failed.
Tiana was the protector — the one with a backbone of steel, who'd fight even if the odds were stacked.
And Mia? She was chaos wrapped in glitter and sarcasm, living for the thrill of drama but never without a smile.
They weren't polished like the K-Girls. They didn't strut like models or speak like queens. But they were real. And I hadn't realized how much I needed real until now.
When the bell finally rang, the four of us walked out together. The stares followed, a wave of whispers rising as though the hallway itself was alive.
"Great," I muttered. "Now it looks like I'm leading a rebellion."
"Better than looking like a victim," Tiana said firmly.
"Or a K-Girl," Mia added with a gagging sound.
I snorted. "You girls have issues."
"Correction," Zara said, pushing her glasses up with a smug grin. "We're the only ones with common sense."
For the first time since landing in Melbourne, something warm settled in my chest. Friends. Not just classmates. Not just allies. Friends.
And something told me I was going to need them.
—
But the warmth didn't last.
As we stepped out of the building, the hairs on the back of my neck rose. That familiar prickling sensation again — like someone's gaze pressing between my shoulder blades.
I stopped mid-step, scanning the courtyard. Students poured out of classrooms, laughing, chattering, their voices rising like a tide. But behind the normality, I felt it. Eyes. Watching.
The others noticed my pause. "What?" Zara asked.
"Nothing," I lied, forcing a smile. "Thought I saw someone."
But I knew.
Even if I couldn't see them, I knew the Knights were there. Hidden in plain sight. Waiting.
And watching me.