By Monday morning, Weston University had already decided who I was.
I felt it the moment I stepped into the main hallway—voices dropping, eyes sliding away too quickly, whispers curling around my name like smoke that refused to dissipate.
“That’s her.”
“Did you hear what she did in the sorority hall?”
“I heard she threw a chair.”
“No, worse—she threatened someone.”
I kept my chin up, backpack heavy against my shoulders, each step echoing louder than it should have. My phone buzzed nonstop in my pocket. Anonymous messages. Screenshots of posts I hadn’t seen but somehow already defined me.
Violent tendencies.
Manipulated the recruitment system.
Unstable.
Nathan worked fast.
Luke stood near the vending machines with two other Delta guys, laughing too loudly. When his eyes met mine, his grin widened—sharp, satisfied. The kind of smile that said you can’t touch me.
I walked past him anyway.
In my first lecture, the professor paused when he saw my name on the attendance list.
“Elena,” he said carefully, glasses slipping down his nose. “Could you stay after class?”
My stomach clenched.
After forty minutes of pretending to take notes, I stood alone at the podium while he folded his hands.
“There’s… a concern,” he said. “Regarding your academic integrity. I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding, but I’ve been advised to be cautious.”
Advised. By who, he didn’t say.
By the time I reached the library, my hands were shaking.
I barely noticed Maya until she sat across from me, lowering her voice. “You’re being watched.”
I looked up. She wore her usual calm expression, dark hair pulled back neatly, Claire Sorority pin hidden beneath her coat.
“By who?” I asked.
“Everyone,” she replied. “And him.”
I didn’t need to ask which him.
“Nathan doesn’t like losing control,” Maya continued. “And he really doesn’t like girls who make him look bad.”
“Then why are you telling me this?” I asked quietly.
Her lips curved into something almost bitter. “Because I once said no to him too.”
Before I could ask more, she stood. “Be careful, Elena. And don’t let them isolate you completely. That’s how he wins.”
By the time I got back to my rental apartment that night, the weight in my chest felt unbearable.
I kicked off my shoes, sank to the floor, and finally let myself breathe.
That’s when I noticed the box.
It sat beneath the small kitchen table, old wood etched with symbols I didn’t recognize. My grandmother’s handwriting was faint on the lid.
For when you’re ready.
My throat tightened.
I hadn’t thought about her in years. Not about her strange habits, the whispered prayers, the herbs drying by the window. I opened the box with trembling fingers.
Inside was a thick leather-bound book, its pages filled with symbols and strange diagrams, and a silver emblem—an unfamiliar crest shaped like a crescent moon entwined with ivy.
The moment I touched it, warmth surged through my palm.
A knock sounded at the door.
I froze.
“Elena,” a familiar voice called softly. “It’s me. Chloe.”
I opened the door slowly.
She stepped inside, eyes immediately flicking to the box. To the book. To the emblem.
“So,” she said gently. “You found it.”
My heart slammed. “You know what this is?”
She reached into her jacket and pulled out something identical.
Another crest.
“This,” Chloe said, meeting my gaze, “means you’re not crazy. And what happened in the hall wasn’t an accident.”
“What are you saying?” My voice shook.
Her eyes glowed with something fierce. Certain. “Your power woke up. You’re a witch, Elena. A New Moon witch—like me.”
I laughed once, sharp and hollow. “That’s not funny.”
“I’m not joking.”
She opened my grandmother’s book and flipped to a marked page. Symbols shimmered faintly.
“You felt it, didn’t you?” Chloe said. “When they lied. When the glass shattered.”
I swallowed hard.
“Yes.”
“Good. That means your first gift has awakened—truth sense. You can feel lies.”
The room felt too small.
She placed a hand over mine. “Help me help you. Let’s prove who’s really behind this.”
An hour later, we found Luke near the quad, leaning against his bike, phone pressed to his ear.
The moment he saw us, his lie hit me like a sour taste.
I stepped closer.
“Nathan paid you,” I said calmly. “To spread rumors about me.”
Luke laughed. “You’re delusional.”
The lie burned hot in my chest.
“How much?” I pressed. “Or was it Olivia who sweetened the deal?”
His smile faltered.
Students slowed. Watched.
“You’re crazy,” Luke snapped. “I don’t even talk to—”
“Five hundred,” I said, the truth slamming into place. “Transferred last night. Nathan promised you a council position.”
Silence.
Luke’s face drained of color.
“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about—”
“He told you to say I was unstable,” I continued, voice steady despite my racing heart. “That I cheated. And you did it because you’re scared of him.”
Luke broke.
“Fine!” he shouted. “Yes, okay? He paid me! He told me to ruin you—said Olivia would make sure it stuck!”
Gasps erupted around us.
Chloe squeezed my arm.
Luke realized what he’d done too late.
I didn’t smile.
But something inside me did.
Nathan wanted to isolate me.
Instead, he handed me my first weapon.
And I was just getting started.