Seven days had passed since orientation, and Auriella could barely believe how fast time had flown. The days blurred together in a rhythm of nightmares and early mornings, back-to-back lectures, late-night study sessions, and the constant pressure to keep up.
Blackthorn wasn't just academically rigorous—it was brutal.
Every professor expected perfection. Every assignment was graded harshly. And the unspoken threat of expulsion hung over everything like a dark cloud. Bad grades meant you were out. It didn't matter how much money your family had or what strings they'd pulled to get you in. If you couldn't keep up, you were gone.
And everyone knew it.
The campus buzzed with anxiety. Students walked around with textbooks under their arms, dark circles under their eyes, coffee cups permanently attached to their hands. The library—despite closing at nine—was packed every evening until the last possible minute.
For the wealthy families whose children attended Blackthorn, having a student graduate from here was a badge of honor. It meant prestige. Status. An edge over everyone else. So the pressure to succeed wasn't just academic—it was social. Reputational.
Auriella and Penny had kept their heads down. They attended every class, turned in every assignment on time, avoided the restricted areas, followed curfew. They were model students.
Boring, maybe. But safe.
It was late afternoon, and Auriella sat cross-legged on the grass in the courtyard, her back against the stone fountain. Penny was sprawled out beside her, a textbook open on her lap, groaning dramatically.
"I swear to god," Penny said, rubbing her temples. "If I have to read one more essay on classical symbolism, my brain is going to explode."
Auriella laughed. "You're the one who chose literature."
"I know!" Penny threw her hands up. "And I'm so grateful I didn't let my dad talk me into medicine. Can you imagine? If literature is already killing me, medicine would've buried me alive."
"You'd have survived," Auriella said, flipping through her own notes.
"Barely." Penny shook her head. "How are you keeping up with all this? You actually seem calm."
"I'm not calm. I'm just good at pretending."
Penny snorted. "Fair."
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the autumn breeze rustling the leaves overhead. The campus was beautiful in the fading light—golden and warm, almost peaceful.
Then a voice cut through the quiet
.
"What are you girls up to?"
Both Auriella and Penny jumped, heads snapping up.
Celeste stood there, grinning, hands in her jacket pockets. She looked completely unbothered, like she hadn't just appeared out of nowhere.
"Jeezzz, Celeste!" Penny pressed a hand to her chest. "We didn't see you there. Where have you been? It's been a week!"
"I've been around." Celeste dropped down onto the grass beside them, crossing her legs. "This school is just too big. If you're not careful, you might get lost."
"We were starting to think you disappeared," Auriella said.
"Nah, I'm too nosy to disappear." Celeste grinned. "I've been exploring. Poking around. Trying to figure this place out."
"Find anything interesting?" Penny asked.
"Maybe." Celeste's eyes sparkled with mischief, but she didn't elaborate.
Celeste complained about her history professor who apparently hated everyone and was driving her nuts
Penny vented out about literature . Auriella mostly listened, grateful for the company.
Penny leaned forward, lowering her voice slightly. "Can I ask you something?"
"Shoot," Celeste said.
"The elite students," Penny said. "You mentioned them last week. I've been looking, but I still haven't seen anyone who seems... I don't know, that different. Are they even real?"
Celeste's grin widened. "Oh, they're real."
"Then where are they?" Penny pressed.
"They're rare to see," Celeste said, leaning back on her hands. "The school is massive, remember? And they don't exactly mingle with the rest of us. They have their own dorms, their own dining hall, their own everything. You'd have to be in the right place at the right time to spot them."
"That's so weird ," Penny muttered.
"That's Blackthorn." Celeste shrugged. Then her expression brightened. "But hey, speaking of mingling—there's a party this weekend."
Auriella's heart skipped a beat.
"A party?" Penny's eyes lit up.
"Yeah. Close to the boys' dorm. There's this secret chamber—like a hidden room—where students party,hookup and hang out. It's been a thing for years, apparently. The school doesn't even know about it " Celeste grinned. "You guys should come."
Penny looked thrilled. "Oh my god, yes. Finally, some fun that isn't books and lectures."
Auriella's stomach twisted. "Wait—"
"Everyone's going," Celeste said, standing up and brushing off her jeans. "It'll be low-key. Just music, hanging out, blowing off steam. No big deal."
"Sounds amazing hey give me your number ," Penny said
.
"Cool. I'll text you the details." Celeste said while typing in her number in Kelly's phone.
She gave them a two-fingered salute and strolled off, humming to herself.
The moment she was out of earshot, Auriella turned to Penny.
"Penny—"
"I know what you're going to say," Penny interrupted, holding up a hand.
"We promised," Auriella said. "No boys, no parties, no getting into trouble."
Penny's smile faltered slightly. She looked at Auriella, her expression almost pleading. "I know. But Auri, it's been a week. One week of nothing but studying and stress and rules. I feel like am going to die .Just once. Just one party. Everyone's going."
"That's not the point—"
"Please," Penny said softly. "Just this once. I need a break. Don't you?"
Auriella stared at her best friend. She could see the exhaustion in Penny's eyes, the desperation for something normal. Something fun.
And honestly? Auriella felt it too, the constant nightmares were beginning to get to her ,she really wasn't the party type ,maybe trying something new wasn't that bad .
"I don't know, Pen," she said quietly.
Penny reached over and squeezed her hand. "We'll be careful. In and out. Just a couple of hours. No one will even know we were there."
She wanted to say no.But the hopeful look on Penny's face made the words stick in her throat.
"We'll see," Auriella finally said.
Penny grinned. "I'll take that as a maybe or a yes."