Chapter 44 THE VISION
NEXT DAY AT VOLKOV UNIVERSITY
Students whispered urgently, their hushed voices filling the tense air of the lecture hall. . News traveled fast in a place like this, but rumors of the previous night's "accident" at the frat house were traveling even faster.
Anya walked down the tiered steps, her heart hammering against her ribs. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the blue-gold flames licking up her arms and the look of sheer, possessive hunger in Nikolai’s eyes on the rooftop.
"Anya! Over here!" Marisa called out, waving energetically from a middle row. She was sitting next to a pensive-looking Klara.
Anya slid into the seat beside them, dropping her bag with a heavy thud.
"You’re glowing. What's the secret? New skincare or a new man?" Marisa winked, nudging Anya’s shoulder playfully.
Anya stiffened, pulling her notebook out with trembling fingers. "You should use your glasses, Marisa. I'm stressed, not glowing. I barely slept"
"I can't believe you guys are joking right now," Klara interrupted. She leaned in closer, her eyes darting around to ensure no one was eavesdropping. "A student was literally burned to ashes last night. Do you have any idea how hot a fire has to be to do that? And nobody saw who started it? Isn't that weird?"
The table went silent. Anya pointedly avoided Klara’s gaze, focusing on the blank page of her notebook.
"He was probably just careless," Marisa said, waving a hand dismissively. "According to what I heard, the guy was drunk out of his mind and knocked over some high-proof liquor near a heater. He got what he deserved, honestly. I heard he was harassing you, Anya"
Anya swallowed hard. "It... it was an accident, I'm sure"
"Nothing in this school is normal in the first place," Klara muttered, tapping her pen rhythmically against the desk. "There are supernaturals here. I know it. I just can't prove it yet. At least I know now that a demon exists"
Marisa burst into a fit of giggles, drawing looks from the students in the front row. "A demon? Klara, you're being delusional right now. They don't exist, and if they do, they definitely wouldn't be hiding out in a Lit class. Right? Anya?"
Anya felt the heat prickling at the back of her neck. "Umm... yeah. Totally delusional" she stammered.
Klara’s eyes narrowed, studying the way Anya’s hand shook as she held her pen. She didn't say another word, but the suspicion in her gaze was louder than any accusation.
The heavy doors at the front of the hall creaked open, and the lecturer walked in, silencing the room.
•••
As soon as the lecturer dismissed the class, Anya was out of her seat. She didn't look back at Marisa or Klara. She needed to be away from the prying eyes and the suffocating whispers about the "frat house fire."
Inside the now-emptying hall, Klara stayed behind. Her textbook was pushed aside, replaced by a crumpled sheet of sketchbook paper. Her charcoal pencil moved with a an energy, sketching the same haunting creature she had seen in the woods again, since Alina tored the previous sketch last night.
"You're slowly running mad, Klara" Marisa said, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She peered down at the drawing of the creature.
"They don't exist. Get some sleep, or something"she turned on her heel and strutted out of the hall.
Klara pressed the charcoal harder on the paper, darkening the demonic eyes until the lead snapped.
"They do exist," Klara whispered to the now empty room, her voice trembling with a mixture of grief and conviction. "They exist because a demon killed my friends... and I’m going to find out which one of the people in this school is hiding behind a human mask"
She drops her pencil, her mind drifting towards Anya again.
•••
ANYA’S HOSTEL
Anya trudged up the stairs to her room, her body feeling like it was made of lead. The interaction with Klara had left her skin crawling, and the phantom smell of smoke seemed to follow her everywhere. She pushed open the door, expecting the usual chaotic silence of Natasha and Olga.
Instead, she saw a familiar figure sitting on the edge of a bed, neatly folding clothes.
"Katya?" Anya breathed, frozen at the entrance.
Katya looked up. The arrogant, sharp edge that usually defined her face had been blunted. She looked tired, humbled even. "I'm back, Anya. Back and better"
"The school will certainly feel your presence again" Anya noted.
Katya stood up. "I wanted to say... I'm sorry. For everything I did to you. I was a horrible person, and being away made me realize that. I'm trying to change. Truly"
Anya reached out, her fingers grazing Katya’s forearm to offer a silent gesture of forgiveness.
The second their skin met, everything changed.
The vision snapped shut. Anya stumbled back, her hand flying to her face. Warm, metallic liquid began to leak from her nostril, staining her lip red.
"Hey! Anya, what happened?" Katya rushed forward, her face pale with worry.
Anya gripped the edge of the dresser to keep from collapsing. The power was growing, but it was taking a toll on her physical body. "Don’t leave the hostel tonight, Katya. Stay in this room. Lock the door"
Katya blinked, confused. "Excuse me? I have plans to be somewhere. My friends are waiting at the lounge"
"Go out and die then," Anya snapped, the nosebleed worsening as her irritation flared. "I'm telling you, someone is planning to kill you tonight. I saw it"
Katya froze, a chill running down her spine. "What are you? How did you know that?"
"I don't know what I am either" Anya whispered, wiping the blood from her face with her sleeve.
Without another word, she turned and fled the room. She couldn't stay there. She needed answers, and there was only one person she could meet right now.
She had to find Alina.