The wrought-iron gates of the elite academy towered over them, flanked by stone pillars and a pristine security booth.

Dasia stopped on the sidewalk. She pulled her hand away from Landon's shoulder and shoved it deep into her hoodie pocket. She tilted her chin toward the entrance.

"Go," she said simply.

Landon opened his mouth to thank her, but a loud burst of laughter interrupted him.

Five boys wearing tailored blazers strolled out of the campus gates, blocking the sidewalk.

Dasia's eyes swept over them lazily, but then her gaze locked onto the boy in the center. Her pupils contracted to pinpricks.

Declan Hayes.

He was the substitute player for Glory. The one who had orchestrated the trap in the game that ruined Gerald's reputation. The one who smiled while Gerald's hand was crushed.

The blood in Dasia's veins turned to liquid fire. Her heart slammed against her ribs, but she clamped her jaw shut, forcing the murderous rage down into the pit of her stomach. Her face remained a mask of dead calm.

Declan stopped laughing. He stared at Dasia, his eyes widening in recognition. Then, a nasty, arrogant smirk spread across his face.

He pushed past his friends and strutted right up to Dasia, looking her up and down with exaggerated disgust.

"Well, well, well," Declan announced, his voice loud enough to draw stares from passing students. "If it isn't Gerald. The useless dog who got kicked out of Glory."

Landon gasped. He shrank behind Dasia's legs, terrified by the sudden malice.

Dasia stood perfectly still. She didn't blink. She didn't breathe faster. She just stared at Declan like he was a corpse.

Declan hated that look. He expected Gerald to cower, to look away in shame like he always did.

Declan raised his hand and aggressively poked Dasia's shoulder. "What's the matter? Hand too crippled to play, so now you're babysitting rich kids for lunch money?"

The second Declan's finger touched her hoodie, Dasia moved.

Her left hand snapped up faster than a striking snake. She grabbed Declan's extended index finger and bent it backward with brutal force.

A sickening pop echoed in the quiet street.

Declan shrieked. His knees buckled from the blinding pain, dropping him toward the pavement.

Dasia didn't let him fall. Her right hand shot out and grabbed the knot of his expensive silk tie. She yanked upward, lifting him off his feet.

With a violent shove, she slammed Declan's back against the rough brick wall of the gate pillar. The impact knocked the wind out of his lungs with a heavy thud.

Declan's friends yelled and stepped forward to help.

Dasia slowly turned her head. She shot them a look so dark, so filled with pure, unhinged violence, that all four boys froze in their tracks.

She turned back to Declan. She leaned in close. The shadow of her hood fell over his face.

"Touch me again," Dasia whispered, her voice a raspy, demonic scrape, "and I will break every single finger on your hand."

Declan stared into her pitch-black eyes. He couldn't breathe. The tie was strangling him, but the sheer terror paralyzing his heart was worse. This wasn't the weak, compromising Gerald he knew. This was a monster.

Dasia released his tie. She wiped her fingers on her jeans, her face twisting with revulsion.

Declan slid down the brick wall, coughing violently and clutching his throat.

A crowd of students had gathered. Smartphones were out, camera flashes blinking as they recorded the aftermath.

Dasia ignored the cameras. She looked down at Landon, her voice instantly returning to a calm, flat tone. "Let's go find your brother."

Landon swallowed hard. He nodded frantically, grabbed the edge of her hoodie, and pulled her through the gates.

Behind them, Declan finally caught his breath. Humiliated and furious, he screamed at her retreating back.

"You think you're tough? !" Declan roared. "You're just a pathetic loser! What, did you come here to beg one of our rich students for a handout because Glory kicked you to the curb, you disgusting creep? !"

Dasia's boots paused for a fraction of a second at the name "King."

She didn't turn around. She pulled her hood down lower and walked deeper into the enemy territory.

The campus was massive, lined with ancient oak trees that dropped golden leaves onto the manicured lawns.

Dasia walked down the main promenade with Landon clinging to her side. The noise from the front gate faded, but a new kind of noise replaced it.

Girls in cheerleading uniforms stopped and stared at Dasia's sharp jawline and brooding aura, whispering behind their hands.

Landon noticed the attention. He puffed out his chest and gripped Dasia's sleeve tighter, glaring at the girls to back off.

Dasia didn't care about the stares. "Where exactly is your brother?" she asked, her voice rough.

Landon scratched his head. "He said he's at the library near the fountain plaza. But I don't know where the library is."

Dasia pinched the bridge of her nose. The school was a labyrinth.

Two boys walked out of a gothic-style gymnasium ahead of them. They were staring at their phones, then looked up and pointed directly at Dasia.

"Look at the forum," one boy whispered loudly. "Declan just posted. That crippled loser Gerald is here stalking King!"

The other boy sneered. "Shameless trash. His hand is ruined so he's trying to get famous by harassing our captain."

Landon's face turned red. He let go of Dasia and took a step toward the boys, his tiny fists clenched.

Dasia's hand shot out. She grabbed Landon's shoulder and pulled him back to her side. Her face was completely blank.

"If a dog barks at you, do you get on your hands and knees and bark back?" Dasia said. She didn't lower her voice.

The two boys froze. Their faces flushed with anger, but remembering the video of Declan getting slammed against a wall, they quickly looked away and hurried past.

Landon looked up at her, pouting. "They're liars! You're not a loser. You're a superhero!"

The corner of Dasia's mouth twitched upward by a millimeter. She reached out and patted the top of Landon's head.

"Let's find the fountain," she said, shoving her hands back into her pockets.

They walked past towering brick buildings. More students pointed and took photos. Someone in a second-floor window blasted the audio from Gerald's worst e-sports match, the commentators screaming about his failures.

Dasia's spine remained perfectly straight. Her footsteps didn't speed up or slow down. She treated the insults like background static.

Her absolute indifference infuriated the bullies. They wanted to see her break, but she walked through them like a king inspecting a ruined city.

Landon felt incredibly safe walking next to her. He started talking again to fill the silence.

"My brother is the worst," Landon complained. "He has this crazy germaphobia. If someone bumps into him, he washes his hands three times. He's a total tyrant."

Dasia frowned. An image of the man at the train station flicking his expensive coat flashed in her mind.

"And he thinks everyone is obsessed with him," Landon continued. "He's so arrogant."

Dasia mentally rolled her eyes. The brother sounded like an insufferable, spoiled brat. She just wanted to drop the kid off and leave.

They cleared a line of trees, and the space opened up.

A massive white marble fountain sat in the center of a stone plaza. The water sprayed high into the air, catching the sunlight.

Landon jumped up and down, pointing at a grand building with massive stone columns behind the fountain. "That's the library! He's gotta be there!"

Dasia followed his finger. Her eyes narrowed.

Standing at the top of the library steps was a tall man in a custom black trench coat. He wasn't entirely alone; his assistant, Alex, stood a few feet away, scanning the plaza with vigilant eyes, effectively keeping everyone else ten feet away. Carlton was looking down at his phone, radiating a dark, oppressive energy.

Dasia's stomach dropped.

The mist from the fountain drifted across the plaza, chilling the air.

Dasia stood in the shadow of an oak tree, staring at the man on the steps.

The black trench coat. The broad shoulders. The suffocating aura of arrogance.

"Hell no," Dasia muttered under her breath. She grabbed the edge of her hood and yanked it down, hiding her eyes in the shadows.

Landon didn't notice her reaction. He let go of her hoodie and sprinted across the plaza like a missile.

"Carlton! I'm here!" Landon's high-pitched voice echoed over the sound of the falling water.

On the steps, Carlton Gordon looked up. A flash of irritation crossed his handsome face. He shoved his phone into his pocket and walked down the marble stairs.

As Landon crashed into his legs, Carlton put a large hand flat against the boy's forehead, stopping him from wiping his snotty nose on the expensive wool coat.

"I told the driver to get coffee, and you vanish?" Carlton's voice was a low, dangerous rumble. "The old man is about to blow up my phone. Are you trying to give him a heart attack?"

Landon pouted, rubbing his nose. "I got lost! And some bad guys tried to beat me up!"

The irritation in Carlton's eyes vanished, replaced instantly by a lethal, freezing intensity. His posture shifted from lazy to predatory.

"Who?" Carlton demanded, his voice dropping an octave.

Landon turned around and pointed proudly at the shadows under the tree. "That big brother saved me! He beat up ten guys!"

Carlton's eyes tracked Landon's finger. His gaze cut across the plaza and locked onto the figure standing in the shade.

He recognized the cheap black hoodie immediately. He recognized the aggressive stance, the hands shoved deep into the pockets.

Carlton's pupils contracted. A dark, twisted smile slowly spread across his face.

He stepped away from Landon and walked toward Dasia. His leather shoes clicked against the stone pavement, slow and deliberate.

Dasia didn't move. She watched him approach, her heart beating a slow, angry rhythm.

Carlton stopped exactly three feet away. He looked down at her, his blue eyes filled with absolute, toxic contempt.

"You really went all out," Carlton sneered. His voice dripped with poison. "The little stunt at the train station wasn't enough? So you followed me to my school and used my little brother to get my attention?"

Dasia didn't even blink.

"If your paranoia is this severe," Dasia said, her raspy voice cutting through the air like a rusty blade, "I suggest you check yourself into a psych ward."

Carlton's jaw clenched. The muscles in his neck jumped. "You think I'm stupid? You stalked me here. You orchestrated this whole 'hero' act. It's pathetic."

"What you believe," Dasia said, turning her body away from him, "is none of my damn business."

She took a step to leave.

Suddenly, Landon darted around Carlton and threw his arms around Dasia's leg, anchoring her to the spot.

"Don't go!" Landon yelled. "You didn't tell me your name! I want to play games with you!"

Dasia stiffened. She tried to pry the boy's fingers off her jeans, but she was afraid of hurting him.

Carlton watched his brother cling to the stalker. His face darkened with fury. He reached out to snatch Landon by the collar.

Landon ducked under his brother's arm. He unzipped his small backpack, pulled out a thick black marker, and grabbed Dasia's hand.

Before Dasia could pull away, Landon uncapped the marker and scribbled a string of numbers across the back of her pale hand.

"That's Carlton's phone number!" Landon announced proudly. "You have to add us! We'll carry you in ranked!"

Dasia stared at the wet black ink staining her skin. She looked up at Carlton. His face was a mask of pure, unadulterated rage.

The corner of Dasia's mouth twitched. She ripped her hand away from Landon, turned on her heel, and walked away without looking back.