Chapter 4 Chapter 4
EVELYN'S POV
The nights at Westbridge had begun to change for me. They were no longer peaceful or quiet. Every shadow felt like a watcher. Every gust of wind sounded like a warning. I walked back to my dorm with Daniel’s words replaying in my mind until they settled like stones in my chest.
Start playing her game.
I didn’t know what that meant exactly, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy. Lila didn’t play simple games. She played to win. The kind of win that left someone ruined.
The next morning, I woke with the uneasy feeling that the day would bring something new. Maybe danger. Maybe answers. Maybe both.
My roommate Maya sat at her desk, tying her curly hair into a ponytail. She turned when she heard me sit up. “Rough night again?”
I nodded. “I barely slept.”
She looked at me with sympathy that didn’t feel like pity. “I know this is hard. But you can talk to me, Evelyn. I’m here.”
I managed a small smile. “Thanks. I… I’ll tell you everything soon. I just need to figure out how to start.”
She nodded softly. “Whenever you’re ready.”
I appreciated her more than she knew. But dragging her into this mess felt wrong. The more I learned about the people tangled in Alex’s life, the more I feared what they were capable of.
When I stepped outside, the campus paths shimmered with frost from the night chill. Students hurried along the sidewalk, laughing, talking about weekend plans. For them, life moved on. For me, life had stopped the day Alex died.
My first class barely held my attention. Professor Grant lectured about moral reasoning, though the words barely reached me. When class ended, I lingered behind. Something about him felt steady, rational, grounded. I needed that. Maybe even answers.
He looked up when I approached. “Evelyn. Everything alright?”
“I’m not sure,” I said honestly. “Professor… did you know Alex?”
Professor Grant set his marker down and crossed his arms thoughtfully. “A bit. He wasn’t in my class, but we spoke a few times. Bright kid. Kind. Quiet.”
My throat tightened. “Did you ever see him with Lila Montgomery?”
He studied me quietly, his expression sharpening in a way that felt deliberate. “Why do you ask?”
“I’m trying to understand his last weeks here. Anything you remember could help.”
Professor Grant nodded slowly. “I did see them speak once or twice. She approached him, not the other way around. She seemed… interested in him.”
I swallowed. “Interested how?”
He hesitated. “Lila has a habit of merging admiration and possession. She sees something she wants and she pulls it close. Whether the person wants it or not.”
His words made something cold shift through me.
“Be careful, Evelyn,” he added. “People like her don’t enjoy being questioned.”
A truth I already felt in my bones.
As I walked across campus, my phone buzzed. When I looked at the screen, my pulse stuttered.
Unknown number: Meet me at the library courtyard. Now.
No name. No hint. But I knew the tone. The clipped urgency.
Daniel.
I hurried across the quad. The courtyard was quiet except for a group of freshmen studying under a tree. Daniel stood by the far fountain, hoodie up, hands shoved in his pockets.
When I approached, he didn’t look at me at first.
“You shouldn’t be alone right now,” he said.
“I can take care of myself.”
“That’s what she wants you to think.”
His voice was low but steady. Like he’d already argued with himself before calling me here.
I crossed my arms tightly. “Are you going to explain what you meant yesterday? About playing her game?”
Daniel finally looked at me. There was something fierce in his eyes today. “Lila doesn’t attack directly. She circles people. Watches them. Finds where they’re weak. Then she pushes until they break. She’s already started with you.”
I tensed. “How?”
He reached out and carefully placed something in my hand. A folded piece of paper. Crumpled. Familiar handwriting.
Alex’s handwriting.
My breath caught painfully. “Where did you get this?”
“It was in the student council office. Stuffed behind a drawer. I don’t know how long it’s been there. I didn’t steal it. I just… found it while helping set up the meeting schedule. I recognized the name.”
My fingers shook as I unfolded it.
The note was short. Rushed. The ink smudged.
If anything happens to me, it wasn’t an accident. There’s something wrong with Lila. She won’t leave me alone. Please understand. I didn’t want any of this.
My vision blurred. My knees weakened. I gripped the edge of the fountain to steady myself.
Daniel stepped closer, not touching me, but near enough that I could feel the heat from him.
“I don’t know what that means for you,” he said quietly. “But I know what it means for her.”
“What?”
“She knew he wrote this. She hid it. If the police had seen this, they never would’ve ruled it an accident.”
My chest constricted. “Why didn’t you tell them?”
Daniel’s jaw tightened. “Because… I know what she would do to me if I turned on her.”
I stared at him. He didn’t deny it. He didn’t make excuses.
“You’re scared of her,” I whispered.
“I’m smart enough to know what she’s capable of.”
The air between us thickened with unspoken truths. Pain. Fear. Guilt.
“Evelyn,” he said softly, “I’m trying to help you. But if you keep digging alone, she’ll find a way to bury you.”
I folded the note and slipped it into my bag. “I’m not stopping. Not until I know everything.”
Daniel hesitated. “Then I guess we’re in this together.”
“We?”
He nodded once. “Whether you like it or not.”
A strange warmth flickered inside me. Something dangerous. Something that shouldn’t feel comforting, but did.
Before I could answer, a voice echoed from across the courtyard.
“Evelyn?”
We both turned.
Lila Montgomery stood near the archway, wearing a soft white coat and a smile that didn’t belong in daylight. Her green eyes flicked from me to Daniel, then back to me again.
Something tightened behind her gaze. Something sharp.
“There you are,” she said smoothly. “I’ve been looking for you. I wanted to invite you to lunch at the café.”
Her smile widened.
“But it seems you’ve already found company.”
Daniel’s posture shifted, subtle but tense.
I swallowed. “We were just talking.”
“About what?” she asked, still smiling.
It felt like a test. A trap disguised as a question.
Daniel stepped forward slightly. “It’s none of your business, Lila.”
Her smile thinned. “Everything on this campus is my business.”
The silence that followed vibrated with danger.
She held my gaze. “Come with me, Evelyn. We have a lot to talk about.”
Something inside me twisted. Every instinct screamed not to follow her.
But Daniel gave the slightest nod. A silent message.
Go.
I took a deep breath. “Alright.”
Lila’s smile brightened instantly, like a mask slipping back into place. “Perfect. Let’s go.”
As I walked beside her, I glanced back.
Daniel stood exactly where I’d left him, watching us disappear into the courtyard shadows.
And for the first time, I realized something unsettling.
I wasn’t just playing Lila’s game anymore.
I’d just stepped onto the board.