CHAPTER 2: THE RED MORNING
1230 Words
Luna barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the black wolf carved into her door.
MARKED.
The word replayed in her head like a song she never wanted to hear again.
At three in the morning, maintenance staff had quietly painted over it.
Not one of them asked who did it.
Not one of them looked surprised.
They simply erased it and left.
As if it happened all the time.
That bothered Luna more than the mark itself.
---
Her alarm rang at six.
She groaned and buried her face in the pillow.
"I've officially been here less than twenty-four hours," she muttered. "And someone already wants me dead."
She climbed out of bed, put on her neatly pressed uniform, tied her hair into a low ponytail, and stared at herself in the mirror.
"You are here to study."
She pointed at her reflection.
"Not to get expelled."
A pause.
"...Or murdered."
---
The campus was strangely quiet.
A gray mist drifted between the old stone buildings, giving Blackthorn the appearance of an ancient castle instead of a school.
Students walked in groups, speaking in whispers.
Every few seconds, someone looked at Luna.
Then quickly looked away.
Others didn't bother hiding it.
One boy openly crossed the path just to avoid walking beside her.
A pair of girls stopped talking the moment she approached.
Luna sighed.
"So this is what becoming famous feels like."
It wasn't the good kind.
---
Inside the academic building, conversations died as she entered.
Forks stopped halfway to mouths.
Books lowered.
Phones disappeared.
Everyone watched.
No one smiled.
Luna tightened the strap of her bag and continued walking.
She had survived worse.
People eventually got bored.
Didn't they?
---
They didn't.
As she reached her locker, she froze.
Someone had covered it with dozens of black paper wolves.
Every single one had the same word written across it.
MARKED.
Some were taped.
Others had been nailed directly into the metal with tiny silver tacks.
Her books had been thrown across the hallway.
Ink stained several notebooks.
One textbook had been ripped clean in half.
Luna stared silently.
A slow breath escaped her nose.
"Really?" she whispered.
"Arts and crafts this early in the morning?"
A few nearby students looked horrified.
Not because of the vandalism.
Because she was joking.
She began pulling the paper wolves off one by one.
Rip.
Rip.
Rip.
Nobody helped.
Nobody spoke.
When she bent to pick up her books, another hand reached them first.
A clean white hand.
Long fingers.
She looked up.
The silver-haired boy from yesterday.
The quiet one.
He handed her notebook back.
"You dropped this."
His voice was calm.
Gentle.
Luna accepted it.
"Thanks."
He glanced at the ruined locker.
"You shouldn't have come today."
She blinked.
"...I live here."
"I know."
"Then what was I supposed to do?"
He looked at her for a long moment.
"Leave."
Without another word, he walked away.
Luna frowned.
"What a weird school..."
---
First period was Literature.
Professor Hawthorne entered exactly on time.
Unlike the other teachers, he completely ignored the whispers.
"As future leaders," he began, "you'll discover that power without restraint creates monsters."
Several students glanced toward the front row.
Toward Damien.
He sat with one elbow resting on the desk, completely uninterested.
He hadn't looked at Luna once.
Oddly...
That irritated her.
Yesterday he had acted like she committed the greatest crime in history.
Now he couldn't even spare her a glance?
Rich boys really were confusing.
---
Halfway through class—
Crash!
A paper airplane struck Luna's head.
She unfolded it.
Inside was one sentence.
Leave before the next full moon.
She frowned.
Very funny.
She crumpled the paper.
Another one landed.
Then another.
Then another.
Soon dozens of paper airplanes littered her desk.
Every message was different.
Run.
Humans don't survive here.
You're already dead.
Pray he loses interest.
Luna looked around.
Every student had their eyes on the professor.
Nobody appeared guilty.
She slowly raised her hand.
Professor Hawthorne looked over.
"Yes, Miss Hart?"
She held up one of the notes.
"I think someone keeps missing the trash can."
Several students covered their mouths.
The professor looked at the paper.
Then folded it without reading.
"Ignore childish behavior."
"Easy for you to say," Luna muttered.
"I heard that."
"I know."
A tiny smile threatened the professor's lips before disappearing.
Interesting.
Maybe not every adult here had forgotten how to be human.
---
Lunch was worse.
The cafeteria emptied around her.
Students literally abandoned nearby tables.
Within minutes Luna sat alone in the middle of an enormous room.
She poked at her rice.
"Guess I don't smell that bad."
Someone laughed.
She looked up.
The golden-haired boy from yesterday dropped into the chair across from her without asking.
"So."
He grinned.
"You're still alive."
"I noticed."
"I'm Kael."
"Luna."
"I know."
He rested his chin on one hand.
"You've become very popular."
"I prefer unpopular."
"Too late."
She studied him carefully.
Unlike Damien, Kael smiled easily.
Unlike the others, he looked almost approachable.
Almost.
"You don't seem scared of sitting with me."
Kael chuckled.
"I'm not scared of Damien."
"Good for you."
"I'm scared of what Damien becomes when he's angry."
Luna rolled her eyes.
"He isn't some kind of monster."
Kael's smile faded for the briefest moment.
"No," he said quietly.
"You have no idea."
Before Luna could ask what he meant, the cafeteria doors opened.
Silence spread instantly.
Damien had arrived.
Every student stood.
Every single one.
Except Luna.
She remained seated.
"...Do they do this every day?" she whispered.
Kael sighed.
"You're going to kill me."
"What?"
"Stand up."
"Why?"
"Just trust me."
Luna looked around.
Hundreds of students remained standing.
Waiting.
For one boy.
Her jaw tightened.
"No."
Kael closed his eyes.
"Oh..."
Damien walked slowly between the tables.
His expression remained unreadable.
When he reached Luna, he stopped.
"You didn't stand."
She met his gaze.
"I didn't know attendance was taken during lunch."
Kael quietly buried his face in his hands.
Around them, nobody dared breathe.
Damien stared at Luna for several seconds.
Then...
He laughed.
It wasn't loud.
It wasn't warm.
It was almost amused.
"You really don't understand."
"I understand enough."
"No."
His silver eyes held hers.
"You don't."
For a heartbeat, Luna felt that same crushing pressure from yesterday.
Stronger now.
It wrapped around her chest like invisible hands, urging her to lower her head.
Apologize.
Submit.
Her vision blurred.
A sharp pain spread behind her eyes.
"What..."
She grabbed the edge of the table.
The pressure vanished instantly.
Damien blinked.
Confusion flashed across his face.
Only for a second.
Then it disappeared.
He turned without another word and walked away.
Kael stared after him.
"...That's impossible."
"What is?"
Kael looked back at Luna.
"You should've been on your knees."
Luna frowned.
"I've been told I'm stubborn."
"No."
His smile was gone.
"I mean literally."
A chill crawled down Luna's spine.
Before she could ask another question, a howl echoed faintly from somewhere beyond the academy walls.
No one else reacted.
But for the first time...
She noticed Damien pause mid-step.
Only for an instant.
Then he continued walking.
As if nothing had happened.
Luna watched him leave, unease settling deep in her chest.
She still believed Blackthorn Academy was hiding something.
She just didn't know how terrifying the truth really was.
- Writer
