The night bled into a sky of flickering stars, but Eira didn't notice.
She was too busy running.
Not in the dramatic, heels-clicking-on-asphalt kind of way. Just fast enough to avoid the questions. Fast enough to outpace the fear crawling up her spine.
The archive file had done something to her. Not just the memories it unearthed, but the weight of being watched again. She could feel it, like static in her bones.
She stopped behind the Fine Arts building, leaning against the cool brick wall, chest heaving. Her fingers trembled as she checked her phone.
No messages. No calls. Not from Callum. Not from anyone.
Just the silence. And it was getting loud.
---
Juliet stood in the vending machine lounge like she owned it, hands on hips, arguing with a snack that refused to drop.
"I swear, if this KitKat doesn't fall in the next three seconds, I will summon dark forces," she muttered.
Eira turned the corner and blinked.
"You again?" she said, more tired than annoyed.
Juliet whipped around, beaming. "You again! Look, fate ships us. We keep meeting like this."
Eira gave a flat look. "I think you mean surveillance."
Juliet laughed but didn't deny it. Instead, she gestured to the machine. "Want anything? I can scream at it till it submits."
"I'm good." Eira moved past her, heading for the stairwell.
Juliet called after her, tone light but eyes sharp, "You shouldn't be alone tonight."
Eira paused.
"Why not?"
Juliet shrugged, picking up her fallen candy bar. "Just a vibe."
Eira said nothing. But the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.
---
Callum entered the server room.
Technically, it was off-limits. But technicalities had never stopped him.
The hum of machines filled the air, a rhythmic pulse like a second heartbeat. He logged into a terminal, fingers flying.
He needed access to internal GPS logs. If someone was tracking Eira, there had to be a record. Devices pinged, and he isolated her student ID tag.
Her path across campus unfolded on screen.
Fine Arts Building.
Then...
Static.
Someone had cut her signal.
Callum cursed under his breath.
Not again.
He slammed the terminal shut and ran.
---
Eira made it to her dorm without incident.
Or so she thought.
A white envelope was taped to her door.
No name. Just a wax seal with an insignia she didn't recognize.
She looked around. Empty hallway.
Against her better judgment, she peeled it open.
Inside was a photo.
Her.
As a child.
Standing next to Kurtis.
But the disturbing part wasn't the photo itself.
It was the date.
Tomorrow.
---
Callum pounded on Eira's door three minutes later.
She opened it, eyes unreadable.
"How did you—"
"You disappeared. Then your tracker cut off. That doesn't happen unless someone overrides the system."
She didn't speak. Just handed him the photo.
He stared.
"This isn't possible."
"Welcome to my world," she muttered.
"Who else knows about this?"
"I didn't exactly post it on my story."
Callum looked at her, then back at the photo. "This changes everything."
---
In another part of campus, Theo flipped his burner phone closed.
"They're connecting dots," he said.
Juliet leaned on a railing beside him, unwrapping her candy. "Good. It's more fun when they're smart."
Theo raised a brow. "You like her."
"She's growing on me. Like a cactus. Sharp and low-maintenance."
"Dangerous."
Juliet shrugged. "Aren't we all?"
They looked out over the campus, where the game had already begun.
---
Back in Eira's room, Callum paced while she sat on the edge of her bed.
"I don't like this," he muttered.
"Join the club. We have jackets."
"I'm serious. Someone's baiting you. Or me. Or both."
Eira stood. "Then we stop playing defense. We make the first move."
Callum met her gaze.
And for the first time, there was no cold between them.
Only fire.
"Alright then," he said, voice low. "Let's break the game."
---
Somewhere beneath the campus, in a room that didn't officially exist, a figure watched the feed.
Juliet. Theo. Eira. Callum.
All the pieces.
All the threads.
And soon, the pull would snap.
Let the real game begin.