The day faded into evening, yet Cora hadn't seen Damien again. She exhaled heavily, the weight of the day pressing down on her shoulders.
It wasn't just the lingering stares or the hushed whispers trailing behind her—it was the direct, unrelenting questions.
"Are you really Damien's girlfriend?"
Some had asked with curiosity. Others, with jealousy laced into their voices like poison.
"You've been sighing since we left. What's wrong?" Amelia's voice pulled Cora back from her thoughts as they walked side by side.
Cora glanced at her friend and smiled, grateful for her presence. Amelia had been a constant source of light in this suffocating school, and Cora dreaded the day that light might dim because of the truth.
"If you found out that beneath this mask, I was something… inhuman, would you still be my friend?" The words left her in a whisper, barely carried by the evening breeze.
Her heart pounded. It was the one fear that never left her. What if Amelia saw what lay beneath and recoiled in disgust?
Amelia halted, gripping Cora's hand firmly. "Cora," she said with a reassuring smile, "I don't know why you're asking this, but trust me, when I decided to be your best friend, it was for eternity."
Warmth bloomed in Cora's chest, but before she could respond, their path was blocked.
Three girls stood by the door of their dorm.
The leader—undeniably beautiful with sharp features and an air of arrogance—stood tall, her eyes gleaming with superiority. The other two lingered behind her like shadows, their gazes sharp and assessing.
Cora didn't need to ask who they were. The way the leader's lips curled into a smirk told her everything she needed to know.
"Which one of you is Damien's girlfriend?" she asked, voice laced with disdain.
Amelia immediately stepped in front of Cora, her protective nature flaring. "Why do you want to know?" she snapped.
Cora, however, wasn't one to hide. She stepped beside Amelia, keeping her posture firm.
"I am."
A flicker of amusement danced in the girl's eyes before she laughed, a cold and cruel sound. "You? You have to be joking." She closed the distance between them, scrutinizing Cora's masked face with disgust. "I wonder what Damien sees in someone so… unsightly."
Cora didn't flinch. She had heard worse.
One of the girls behind her sneered. "Take off your mask."
Cora's hand immediately flew to her face, ensuring it stayed in place.
"I said, take it off." The demand came again, sharper this time.
Cora met their gazes head-on. "If you have a problem with me, maybe you should confess your feelings to Damien instead."
The leader's expression twisted into something dark. "The nerve. Humans like you always think you can do as you please."
Amelia tensed beside her. Humans?
Cora's stomach clenched. These girls weren't ordinary students.
She tightened her grip on Amelia's arm, a silent warning. These weren't people they could afford to challenge.
The leader, unimpressed by Cora's defiance, lifted her hand. "Are you going to take it off, or should I help you?"
The girl behind her smirked and pulled out her phone, ready to record.
Cora inhaled sharply. This could be bad.
"I've told you before—" Cora started, but the girl lunged.
Before her fingers could even graze the mask, Amelia moved.
In a blur, she twisted the girl's wrist, forcing a sharp gasp from her lips.
The leader, Blake, recovered quickly, her expression shifting to cruel delight. She retaliated in a flash, pinning Amelia to the wall with inhuman speed.
"How satisfying it would be to break some bones." Blake's voice was eerily calm, her eyes fluttering closed as if savoring the thought. "The sound is truly… heavenly."
Cora reacted instantly, swinging her bag into Blake's jaw.
Blake staggered for half a second before she turned, her gaze now solely on Cora.
Amelia took the opportunity, driving her knee into Blake's stomach.
One of the other girls grabbed Cora by the hair, yanking her back while twisting her arms behind her.
Pain shot up Cora's spine as she gritted her teeth, her body resisting the cruel grip.
"When Senior Blake gives you an order," the girl sneered, "you obey."
Blake slammed Amelia against the wall once more, the sickening crack echoing in the hallway.
The metallic scent of blood filled the air.
Cora's pulse pounded in her ears. Amelia…
A cold hand reached for her face.
"Now," Blake murmured, "let's see what you're hiding."
Her fingers brushed the mask.
"Touch her, and I'll make sure you lose those fingers."
The voice was lethal, dark, and amused all at once.
The air shifted. The temperature seemed to drop.
Cora barely had time to register relief before Blake's entire body stiffened.
The girl holding Cora immediately released her, stepping back so fast she nearly tripped.
Blake paled. "Your High—"
"Continue," Damien interrupted, his tone light but laced with venom. "I dare you."
He strolled forward, his steps lazy, calculated—like a predator taking its time.
His sharp gaze landed on Cora's wrists, on the red, angry marks where she had been restrained.
His expression didn't change.
But in the next second, he had the girl who had been holding Cora in his grasp.
A sharp crack echoed in the hallway.
The girl's scream was instant.
Blake and the others turned ghostly white.
Leonard, who had arrived beside Damien, silently walked toward Amelia, checking her unconscious form.
"I'll take her to the hospital," he said, lifting Amelia effortlessly.
Cora took a step forward, hesitating. She looked at Damien, then back at Amelia, torn between them.
Damien met her gaze. "Go," he said simply.
Cora hesitated for only a second before nodding and following Leonard, silently praying Amelia would be okay.
Damien turned back to Blake.
"We're family," she blurted out in desperation. "It won't look good—"
Damien tilted his head, his smirk slow and condescending. "How many times do I have to say this?" He leaned in close, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I don't give a fuck about family."
Blake flinched.
"And this little fantasy of yours," he continued, tapping her forehead lightly, "where you think I'd ever like you? Even if Cora didn't exist, you're too ugly for me, Blake."
Her face twisted in humiliation, but before she could react, pain exploded through her hand.
A sharp, gut-wrenching scream tore from her throat.
Her pinky finger was crushed.
Damien watched with mild amusement as she collapsed to her knees, clutching her mangled hand.
The girl with the phone, now trembling violently, tried to make herself invisible.
Damien's gaze flickered to her.
Without a word, he snatched the phone from her grip.
He turned on his heel and walked away.
Blake, in a desperate act of misplaced pride, stomped on the girl's fingers, making her cry out in pain before she stormed off in tears.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Cora sat by Amelia's bed, her fingers curled into tight fists.
Leonard sighed. "Your friend took most of the hits for you."
Cora swallowed, trying to hold back her emotions.
Then warmth enveloped her.
Damien.
He pulled her into his arms, the scent of spice and something dark clinging to him.
That was all it took.
Tears spilled down her cheeks as quiet sobs wracked her body.
Damien said nothing, just ran a hand through her hair.
He knew.
This was only the beginning.
And the worst was yet to come.