ARIA'S POV
Daniel's note burns in my hands.
"Tell Aria I love her. And tell her Victoria killed me."
I'm sitting on a bench behind the library where no one can see me. My whole body shakes as I read the words again and again.
Daniel knew he was going to die.
And Damien has his note.
How? Why? What does this mean?
My phone rings, making me jump. Maya's name flashes on the screen. I answer quickly.
"Aria? Are you okay? You sound weird."
"Maya..." My voice cracks. "I found something. Daniel left a note. He wrote that Victoria was going to kill him."
"What? Where did you get this?"
"Damien gave it to me. The guy I'm supposed to work with on the project."
Maya is quiet for a moment. "Aria, this is huge. You need to take that note to the police right now."
"I can't. Not yet." I wipe my eyes. "If I go to the police with this, they'll ask questions. They'll find out I'm using a fake identity. They'll kick me out before I can find real proof."
"But you have proof! Daniel's note—"
"It's not enough. Victoria can say Daniel was confused or lying. I need more. I need to understand what Damien knows and why he has this note."
Maya sighs. "This is getting dangerous. Maybe you should come home."
"No." My voice is firm now. "I'm so close, Maya. Victoria is my roommate. Damien clearly knows something. I can't leave now."
"Fine. But please be careful. And call me every day. If I don't hear from you, I'm calling the police myself."
"I will. I promise."
We hang up, and I sit there holding Daniel's note. The paper is worn, like someone has read it many times.
Like Damien has read it many times.
Why does he have this? How did he get it?
A terrible thought hits me: What if Damien is working with Victoria? What if this is all a trap?
No. That doesn't make sense. Why would he give me evidence against Victoria if they're working together?
Unless he's testing me to see how much I know.
My head hurts from thinking so hard.
I need answers. And the only person who can give them to me is Damien.
I check the time. It's almost six in the evening. I have to go back to my dorm eventually, and Victoria will be there.
The thought makes me sick.
I carefully fold Daniel's note and put it in my pocket. Then I hide the folder of photos in my backpack. I can't leave these in my dorm room where Victoria might find them.
When I get back to Harper Hall, I stop outside my door and listen. No sounds inside. Maybe Victoria isn't home yet.
I unlock the door carefully and peek inside.
Empty. Thank God.
I quickly grab my laptop and some textbooks, then leave. I'll study at the library tonight. Anything to avoid being alone with Victoria.
But as I walk down the hallway, I hear footsteps behind me.
Fast footsteps.
Running.
I turn around just as Victoria grabs my arm.
"Aria! Where are you going?" Her smile is bright, but her grip is tight. Too tight.
"Just to the library. I have homework."
"Already? It's only the first day!" Victoria laughs, but it sounds wrong. Forced. "Come on, I made us dinner. You can study later."
"I really should—"
"I insist." Her blue eyes bore into mine. "We're roommates. We should spend time together. Get to know each other."
She's still holding my arm. Not letting go.
I have no choice.
"Okay," I say. "That sounds nice."
Victoria's smile grows wider. "Perfect!"
She drags me back to our room. On her desk, she's set out two plates of pasta and salad. It actually looks good.
But I can't stop thinking about Daniel's note. Victoria killed me.
"Sit, sit!" Victoria says cheerfully. She hands me a plate. "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I made my special recipe. Everyone loves it."
I take the plate with shaking hands. The pasta smells delicious, but my stomach is twisted in knots.
Victoria sits on her bed and watches me expectantly. "Eat! Tell me what you think!"
I take a small bite. It tastes fine. Normal.
"It's good," I say.
"I'm so glad!" Victoria takes a big bite of her own food. "So, Aria, tell me about yourself. Where are you from? Why did you transfer to Blackwood?"
Here it comes. The questions I've been dreading.
"I'm from California," I lie smoothly. Maya and I practiced this story a hundred times. "I transferred because Blackwood has a better psychology program."
"Psychology. That's what my ex was studying too."
I freeze with my fork halfway to my mouth. "Your ex?"
Victoria's face changes. For just a second, something dark flashes in her eyes. Then the sweet smile returns.
"His name was Daniel. He was a graduate student here. So smart. So handsome." Her voice gets dreamy. "We were perfect together. But then he... left me."
Left her? Is that what she calls murder?
"I'm sorry," I manage to say.
"Don't be." Victoria twirls pasta on her fork. "He made a mistake. He thought he could just walk away from me. But you can't walk away from true love, you know?"
The way she says it makes my skin crawl.
"And now you're dating Damien?" I ask carefully.
Victoria's whole face lights up. "Yes! Damien is amazing. He's even better than Daniel. Stronger. Smarter. More handsome. We're soulmates."
"Does Damien feel the same way?"
Victoria's smile freezes. "Of course he does. Why wouldn't he?"
"I just meant... he seemed kind of distant in class today."
"He's just stressed about school." Victoria waves her hand dismissively. "But he loves me. I know he does. He just needs to realize it fully."
A chill runs through me. Victoria is completely delusional.
"Actually, I should mention something," Victoria says suddenly. She sets down her plate and looks at me seriously. "Damien is mine, Aria. I saw how you looked at him today."
"I didn't—"
"I'm not stupid." Her voice is still sweet, but there's steel underneath. "You're new and pretty, and you'll be spending a lot of time with him for your project. But he's taken. Understand?"
I nod quickly. "Of course. I would never—"
"Good." Victoria's smile returns like nothing happened. "I just wanted to make sure we're clear. I'd hate for something bad to happen to you. Blackwood can be dangerous, you know. We've had tragic accidents before."
There it is again. The same warning from the phone call.
"What kind of accidents?" I ask, even though I already know.
Victoria leans closer. Her eyes are bright and empty. "A student fell off a cliff last year. So sad. He was hiking alone at night. Very careless."
She's talking about Daniel. My Daniel. And she's smiling.
I want to scream. I want to throw my plate at her. I want to grab her and shake her until she admits what she did.
But I can't. I have to play along.
"That's terrible," I whisper.
"It was. But these things happen." Victoria stands up and stretches. "Anyway, I have to meet Damien soon. You'll be okay here alone, right?"
"Yes."
"Great!" She grabs her purse and heads for the door. But before she leaves, she turns back. "Oh, and Aria? I really like you. Let's be best friends, okay? Best friends tell each other everything. No secrets."
She leaves before I can respond.
I sit there in the silence, my heart pounding.
Victoria just threatened me. Warned me away from Damien. And practically admitted she killed Daniel.
But I have no proof. Nothing the police would believe.
I grab my phone and text Maya everything that just happened.
Her response comes immediately: "GET OUT OF THERE NOW."
But I can't leave. Not when I'm this close.
My phone buzzes again. A text from an unknown number:
"Tomorrow. 2pm. Rosewood Café on Main Street. Come alone. We need to talk about Daniel. - Damien"
My hands shake as I read it.
Damien knows about Daniel. He has Daniel's note. He knows who I really am.
Tomorrow, I'll finally get answers.
I'm about to put my phone away when it buzzes one more time. Another text from Damien:
"And whatever you do, don't eat or drink anything Victoria gives you. She's been drugging my drinks for months. You might be next."
I look at the half-eaten pasta on my plate.
My stomach drops.
No. She wouldn't.
Would she?
My vision starts to blur at the edges. The room spins slightly.
Oh God.
She did.
Victoria drugged my food.
I try to stand up, but my legs won't work. I reach for my phone to call for help, but it slips from my fingers.
The last thing I see before everything goes black is Victoria's smiling face in the photo on her desk.
And standing next to her, looking uncomfortable and trapped, is Damien.