A sting.
My hand flew to my throat. Wet. Red.
I turned—but slowly. Carefully.
Behind me, a presence pressed in like velvet soaked in poison.
"Who are you?" she repeated.
This time I heard the calm. The threat that lived inside it.
I didn't move. Couldn't.
The blade she held traced my pulse.
"You're Marked. I can sense it. But why… why here?"
Words fought their way out.
"Can… I not answer that?"
Silence.
Then, "Your name?"
"Night."
She paused. Just enough to be dangerous.
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
A chuckle escaped her lips. Not cruel. Just… tired.
"Follow me."
Her name was Rosalind.
But she told me to call her Master Rose.
She moved fast. Down the cliff, wind in her hair. Never looked back.
At the base: a pink Rolls-Royce, shimmering like an illusion.
"In," she ordered.
I blinked. "Where are we going?"
"The Academy. You'll stay until Winter Solace. Leave without permission and I'll kill you."
She said it with a smile.