The day after the attack, campus is quieter, but not peaceful. There's an edge to every conversation, shadows pooling under the archways where bright sunlight cannot reach. It's as if a thin layer of panic has been shellacked over the usual mess of university chatter, and everyone is careful not to scrape it away.I walk through the quad with my coat buttoned up tight, fingers buried deep in my pockets, feeling the drag of tension in my chest.
Adrian stands by the gate, his posture even straighter than usual, eyes flicking between faces with methodical precision. His white hair catches the wind; it's almost uncanny, the way he stands as if already braced for disaster."Your morning report," he says, slipping his phone into my palm. "Security has increased patrols. No sign of anyone suspicious near the library, but rumor says three students have withdrawn overnight. All connected to the Black Sea Guild, if my sources are right."I glance at the phone screen—a neat line of photos, social media profiles, encrypted threads. Adrian is more than a secretary: he's a sentinel, a shadow, a gleaming blade at my side. I never ask him how he gets the information. I'm not sure I want to know."Did they find the attacker?" I ask, aware of the tremor in my voice."Not yet. Police are keeping details close. The administration is pretending nothing happened."
His eyes turn sharp—a hint of frustration. "No witnesses. No clear motive."We cross campus, passing students in clumps, heads bent together. I catch snippets: "—all over the news," "—Rose family was right there," "—no way the guild reached us." My last name trails after me like perfume, never as heavy as today.Inside the library, every light is brighter than usual, every shadow deeper. I head for the restricted archives, passing shelves of battered textbooks and silent study cubicles.
Noah—the librarian—greets me with a wary smile, gestures me over."Illiana," he says, voice wrapped in concern. "Are you alright? You… saw the incident yesterday?"I nod. "Just in passing. Any news?"He hesitates, glancing toward the locked glass door where the missing documents were last seen. "Some files are still unaccounted for. I checked the visitor logs, but they're incomplete. Management thinks it was a prank, but…" He lowers his voice. "Someone forced the lock after hours. They knew exactly what to take.""What kind of files?"Noah leans in, voice barely above a whisper. "Guild histories. Espionage records—things that should never be accessible."My heart stumbles. "Is anyone investigating properly?""Only campus security. They don't know what they're dealing with. Honestly, Illiana, I think you should stay away from this." His eyes flash—genuine fear."I'll be careful," I promise, though we both know I won't.The rest of my day passes in slow-motion.
Between lectures, Jay meets me for a late lunch at the edge of the art garden. He balances his fork on a napkin, eyes scanning the courtyard, posture loose but tense."You look tired," he comments, not looking at me."Long night."Jay shrugs, pushing food around his plate. "Security's everywhere. Some idiot tried to break into the gym last night. No motive, or at least that's what the dean says.""Did you see anything?"He shakes his head, but there's a flash in his storm-grey eyes—a shadow he's not sharing. "Just campus stuff. I can handle myself.""And me?" I ask with a half-grin.Jay laughs, but it's hollow. "You're tougher than you look, little sister."We retreat to the lecture hall, where Professor Reed paces before the electronic whiteboard. He's sharp today, gestures clipped, voice resonant as he lectures on market economics with a sudden ruthlessness. Midway through class, his gaze catches mine—a searching look, unsettling. I look away first.After class, Reed corners me outside. "You seem distracted, Miss Rose.""It's been a tense week," I say, voice quiet.He studies me, smile thin. "Just remember: not everything is as it seems around here. Be careful with your friends." He lets that hang in the air before leaving. For the first time, I suspect the rumors about him—about hidden connections, about darkness under the surface—might be true.I meet Adrian in the corridor. He watches my face closely, as if scanning for cracks. "I checked surveillance footage," he says. "Footage from last night is missing. Someone wiped the servers.""That's impossible," I whisper."Not for the Black Sea Guild," he replies, lips curling into something like contempt.The implication sinks in, heavy. The Guild is moving faster than I imagined. My own spy network has picked up only fragments—a cryptic message here, a vanishing face there—but now, danger is here, and I am caught between it and my own fragile innocence.As dusk falls, I slip away to my private quarters above campus, a place few know even exists. My spy guild is embedded everywhere—in libraries, labs, coffee shops. Messages ping my phone, coded phrases only I understand.The latest:
"Black Sea eyes on campus. Reed compromised. Move carefully."I tap out a reply, then pause as the anxiety claws up my throat. For all my training, all my clever tricks, I am still Yulian's daughter—raised to hide, taught to smile. Sometimes, the mask feels too tight.Jay texts:
"Don't walk alone. Campus is off tonight."
Kai emails:
"Stay out of the news."Father calls, his voice warm, familiar. "Are you alright, Illiana?""I'm fine, Papa."He laughs. "The world will always try to break you, darling. Just be sure it doesn't."I want to tell him everything—the shadows, the threats, the bleeding marble—but I hold back. We are a family built on secrets.That night, Adrian stands watch outside my building. Noah's warning echoes in my mind. I stare at the moon through my window, thinking of security tapes scrubbed clean, of lectures that turn into interrogations, of brothers who pretend not to know fear.The world is changing. And I am learning—sometimes, innocence is the greatest disguise of all.But every disguise cracks, eventually.