Morning sunlight spilled across the campus courtyard as Anabeth stepped out of her hostel building, hugging her books to her chest. The air felt normal — too normal — and for a moment she almost convinced herself that the strange events of the last few days had only been in her imagination.
But the feeling didn't last.
She sensed eyes again. Quiet, patient, unseen.
Someone was watching.
She turned sharply, scanning the walkway, the benches, the students chatting in groups. Everything looked the same. Nothing looked dangerous. Yet her skin prickled—the same warning she'd felt yesterday, the day before, and the day Rafael showed up at her hostel unannounced.
She shook off the thought.
Maybe I'm just overthinking.
Still… the uneasiness followed her to class.
---
A New Face on Campus
Halfway across the quad, she noticed him.
A tall guy in black jeans and a plain grey hoodie leaned against a lamppost. He was pretending to scroll through his phone, but he kept glancing up at her. Not creepy. Not familiar. Just… observing.
When she walked faster, his gaze followed.
When she slowed, it stayed steady.
She swallowed.
Is this the same person I keep sensing? Or… someone else?
Before she could decide, a loud voice broke through the tension.
"Anabeth! Over here!"
Her friend Sonia waved from the cafeteria entrance. Students turned, gossip swirling like wind. Everyone had heard the rumors by now — the mysterious guy in the black car, the fight behind the library, the way Anabeth always seemed to disappear right before something dramatic happened.
Anabeth gave a weak smile and walked over.
"Girl, are you okay?" Sonia asked. "You look like you saw a ghost."
Anabeth hesitated.
Should she tell her?
Should she pretend?
"I'm fine," she lied. "Just tired."
Sonia didn't believe her, but the conversation shifted when three boys walked past, whispering crudely under their breath.
"That's her… the mafia guy's girl…"
"…no wonder she's always protected…"
"…she should stay in her lane…"
Anabeth clenched her jaw. She wanted to ignore them, but the fear + shame + anger mixed in her stomach like fire.
She hated that this was her life now.
---
The Shadow Protector
As she walked to her class, she noticed the guy in the hoodie again. Always in the distance. Always there. Close enough to watch — far enough to stay hidden.
Until suddenly… he wasn't hidden at all.
A figure stepped up beside her, keeping pace as she walked.
Not the guy in a hoodie.
Someone else.
"Don't panic," a deep voice said quietly. "Rafael sent me."
Anabeth's heart dropped.
She looked up and saw a tall, broad-shouldered man wearing a dark jacket, clean haircut, calm expression. He looked like a student — except his posture was too professional, too alert.
"Who… who are you?" she whispered.
"My name is Marco," he said. "I'm here to make sure you're safe on campus."
"Safe? From who?"
Marco's jaw tightened.
"Rafael didn't want to scare you."
"Too late," she muttered.
He continued, voice low.
"Someone is following you. More than one person, actually. Rafael wants you protected until he handles it."
Her breath caught.
So she wasn't imagining it.
She was really being watched… by multiple people.
"What about the guy in the grey hoodie?" she asked.
Marco glanced over his shoulder discreetly.
"That's not one of ours."
Her stomach dropped.
So there were Rafael's men.
And someone else.
Someone dangerous.
Marco added, "You don't need to worry. You'll see me or one of the others nearby at all times. Just go to class. Live normally."
Live normally?
How could she?
She walked into her lecture hall with trembling hands.
Marco stayed outside like a silent wall of protection.
But when Anabeth looked across the big classroom windows to the quad outside, she saw the guy in the grey hoodie watching her again — and this time he wasn't even pretending to hide it.
His smile was small.
Cold.
Knowing.
And her blood froze.
---
Rafael Calls
Her phone buzzed the moment class ended.
Rafael: Did Marco reach you?
Anabeth: Yes. Rafael… what's happening?
There was a long pause.
She imagined him in his office, jaw tight, eyes dark, trying to decide how much of the truth she could handle.
Then the reply came.
Rafael: Just trust me.
I won't let anything happen to you.
Anabeth exhaled shakily.
The fear didn't vanish…
but the comfort of his words settled inside her like warmth.
She didn't know what was coming next,
but she knew one thing:
The campus was no longer safe.
Someone was after her.
And Rafael was preparing for a fight she couldn't yet see.