EIRA'S POV
Oh God, what a dull day!
With no college, I had absolutely nothing to do. I had already spent half the morning staring at the ceiling, scrolling through my phone, and trying to convince myself that boredom wasn't slowly killing me.
It was.
I sat up abruptly.
Novels.
Of course.
My one true love.
Feeling suddenly energized, I jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed. A few minutes later, I stepped out of my room and locked the door behind me.
As I turned toward the hallway, the door of the room next to mine opened.
A girl stepped out.
For a moment, I simply stared.
She was beautiful.
Not the kind of beauty that demanded attention, but the kind that quietly stole it. Her skin was pale, almost porcelain-like, her features delicate and elegant.
Before I could stop myself, the words escaped.
"You're beautiful."
The girl blinked.
Then she burst out laughing.
A soft, warm laugh.
"Thank you," she said, smiling. "You're beautiful too."
My face immediately heated.
Great.
Now I sounded weird.
She extended her hand toward me.
"By the way, I'm Andy."
I shook it.
"Eira."
"Nice to meet you, Eira."
"You too."
For a brief moment, an awkward silence settled between us.
Then I held up my bag.
"I was actually on my way to the library."
"Oh?" Andy smiled. "A reader?"
"A huge one."
"Then I already like you."
That made me laugh.
"I should go before the library closes."
"See you around, neighbor."
I waved goodbye and headed toward the library, completely unaware that this small conversation would stay in my mind later for reasons I couldn't yet understand.
I wandered through the shelves, scanning for the perfect escape. My eyes landed on Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. A romantic story, tender yet heartbreaking—exactly what I was craving.
Clutching the book against my chest, I suddenly froze.
A strange sensation prickled along my spine, as though unseen eyes were fixed on me.
I glanced around.
Nothing.
The library was empty.
You're imagining things, Eira.
Shaking off the unease, I headed out.
The sun had already begun to sink beneath the horizon when I left the library. Orange and gold painted the sky, but the beauty of it did little to calm the strange uneasiness growing inside me.
The road leading back to the hostel was unusually quiet.
Too quiet.
No students.
No laughter.
No distant conversations.
Only the sound of my footsteps against the pavement.
I tightened my grip on the novel pressed against my chest and continued walking.
Then I heard it.
Another set of footsteps.
Behind me.
Slow.
Steady.
Following.
My stomach dropped.
I glanced over my shoulder.
Nothing.
The path looked empty.
Maybe I was imagining it.
I turned forward and quickened my pace.
The footsteps quickened too.
Fear crawled up my spine.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears.
The hostel wasn't far.
I just needed to reach it.
I started walking faster.
The footsteps grew closer.
Closer.
Closer.
My breathing became uneven.
I could practically feel someone's presence behind me.
Then suddenly—
A hand reached toward my shoulder.
Before it could touch me, a blur moved past.
A sickening crack echoed through the empty road.
The stranger stumbled backward with a curse.
I froze.
For a moment, I couldn't process what had happened.
Then I saw him.
Adrian.
Standing between me and the stranger.
The fading sunlight cast long shadows around him.
His black jacket shifted slightly in the wind.
His expression was impossible to read.
The stranger looked at him once.
Only once.
Then he turned and ran.
Silence settled over the road.
I stared at Adrian.
His jaw was clenched, his eyes burning with fury. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, voice sharp as steel.
"I… I could ask you the same," I stammered, though my voice trembled with fear.
"I'll ask again. What are you doing here?" His tone rose, so forceful that I flinched.
Despite the fear knotting my stomach, my traitorous mind noticed how striking he looked—dark eyes blazing, shoulders taut with restrained power. Did I just think he was handsome? Focus, Eira!
"I… went to the library," I whispered.
For a moment, silence stretched between us.
Then, in a sudden shift, his voice softened. "I'll walk you back to the hostel."
I hesitated, wanting to protest, but his lingering anger silenced me. Wordlessly, I nodded.
The walk back was quiet, too quiet. I longed to speak, to break the tension, but my courage faltered. By the time I found the words, we were already at the hostel gates. Without so much as a glance, Adrian turned and walked away.
I stood frozen, a storm raging inside me. Why was he so harsh? So arrogant? And yet… why did he always appear when I needed saving most?
That night, sleep eluded me. I tossed and turned, questions circling endlessly until exhaustion finally pulled me under.
Crash!
The sound ripped me out of sleep.
For a moment, I lay frozen in bed, my heart hammering wildly against my ribs.
The room was dark.
Silent.
Too silent.
I rubbed my eyes and sat up slowly, trying to convince myself it had been part of a dream.
Then I heard it again.
A faint sound.
A thud.
Followed by what sounded like movement somewhere outside my room.
My stomach tightened.
Maybe it was one of the girls returning late.
Maybe I was overthinking.
But something felt wrong.
The uneasiness from earlier returned, settling heavily in my chest.
I slipped out of bed and carefully opened my door.
The corridor was dimly lit.
Empty.
Cold.
I wrapped my arms around myself and listened.
For several seconds, there was nothing.
Then—
A muffled voice.
So faint I almost missed it.
My breath caught.
The voice seemed to be coming from the room next to mine.
Andy's room.
Immediately, I remembered the girl I'd met that morning.
Her warm smile.
Her soft laugh.
A chill ran through me.
Why would someone be in Andy's room at this hour?
And where was Andy?
My feet moved before my mind could stop them.
Slowly, carefully, I walked toward her door.
Every step felt louder than the last.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears.
When I reached the door, I pressed my ear against it.
At first, I heard nothing.
Then movement.
Drawers opening.
Things being thrown around.
Someone was definitely inside.
Fear and curiosity battled inside me.
I knew I should leave.
I should call someone.
But I couldn't.
Not when something felt so terribly wrong.
As I leaned closer, my eyes caught a tiny hole near the edge of the door.
My pulse quickened.
Taking a shaky breath, I looked through it.
The room was a disaster.
Clothes littered the floor.
Drawers had been pulled open.
Books and papers were scattered everywhere.
A hooded figure moved through the room with alarming speed, searching through Andy's belongings.
My mouth went dry.
The stranger pulled out a phone and brought it to his ear.
For a second, all I could hear was the sound of my own heartbeat.
Then he spoke.
"Work done."
Three simple words.
That's all it took.
The blood drained from my face.
My entire body went cold.
No.
No, no, no.
It couldn't be.
The hooded figure ended the call and climbed onto the windowsill.
Then, without hesitation, he disappeared into the darkness outside.
I remained frozen.
Unable to breathe.
Unable to move.
Because I knew that voice.
I knew it.
I'd heard it too many times not to recognize it.
Adrian.
The realization hit me harder than any nightmare ever could.
My trembling hand flew to my mouth.
Questions crashed through my mind.
What was Adrian doing in Andy's room?
Where was Andy?
What did "work done" mean?
And why did it suddenly feel as though I knew absolutely nothing about the boy who kept saving me?