Chapter 38: Cold stares of my roommate

It was Tuesday afternoon, and Ruelle sat by the cold stone window, her gaze drifting towards the clouds that had darkened over the past few hours. She knew she should be focusing on the ongoing class, but her mind wandered to her Elite roommate, Lucian Slater.

With him giving her his old books, she thought things would simmer down, but they hadn’t. Since she had returned to Sexton, she somewhere felt like he was much colder to her than before. It was almost as if winter had settled between them, and a sigh escaped her lips.

“Ms. Belmont,” a sharp voice cut through her thoughts.

Ruelle blinked, her attention snapping back to the present. Mr. Garrison, one of her professors, looked at her with narrowed red eyes.

“I asked you a question,” Mr. Garrison repeated, his voice low and chilling. “Or were you too preoccupied with your thoughts to pay attention?”

A ripple of hushed laughter followed his words, carried mostly by the Elite vampires seated in the front rows, their sharp red eyes gleaming with amusement, along with a few human students who couldn’t hide their smirks.

What a wrong time to be distracted, thought Ruelle to herself. This is what happened when you thought about a male. Swallowing, she stood up to apologise,

“I apologise, Mr. Garrison. Could you repeat the question?”

A scoff echoed from the front row, coming from an Elite vampiress who leaned toward her friend and whispered, “Must still be saving up to get the books.”

“Groundlings shouldn’t even be here; they waste our precious time,” someone muttered, loud enough for the class to hear.

“Enough,” Mr. Garrison’s voice cut through the noise, silencing the whispers with a single sharp word. When he turned to her, Ruelle’s stomach twisted, but she kept her expression neutral. He said,

“Since you have decided to rejoin us, Ms. Belmont,” he said, his tone laced with sarcasm, “perhaps you would care to enlighten the class. Explain the three phases of human-to-vampire transformation, and specifically, how the second phase impacts psychological function.”

All eyes shifted toward her, some of the students smirking in anticipation of her failure. After all, how could the girl who could barely afford textbooks know anything about vampiric transformations?

Ruelle’s fingers tightened around the edge of the wooden desk. Her mind raced, but not in panic. No, she had read about this. Lucian’s notes had been detailed and methodical. He had outlined the entire process, dissecting it with almost clinical precision.

“The three phases are physical adaptation, cognitive alignment, and emotional synthesis,” she began hesitantly, and the smirks around her faltered. “In the second phase—cognitive alignment—the human’s brain starts integrating human and vampiric neural impulses. This phase enhances sensory perception, leading to sharper instincts and reflexes, but also causes a temporary mental conflict. During this time, the brain experiences a… disagreement between human emotions and vampiric predatory urges. If the fusion isn’t balanced, it can result in confusion, emotional instability, and even aggressive outbursts.”

The room fell into a tense silence, with Mr. Garrison and Ruelle staring at each other while the other students looked on. One of the humans asked,

“Is that the answer? How does she know that?” The humans were keeping track of who had access to the library and who didn’t.

Except for Hailey and Kevin, no one knew that she had gotten her hands on something far more valuable than a second-hand copy from the library. Lucian’s books, filled with neat, precise annotations—his thoughts, his insights—had become her secret weapon.

“Very good, Ms. Belmont,” Mr. Garrison praised with a small nod. “Though I suggest you focus more on the class and less on daydreaming if you wish to maintain such a standard.”

Ruelle nodded as she took her seat again, with her classmates still on her—some filled with jealousy, others with confusion.

When the bell rang, the classroom filled with a hum of chatter. Ruelle, Hailey, and Kevin stepped into the corridors together, making their way through to their next class.

“You were amazing today, Ruelle!” Kevin’s grin was wide. “You should have seen the look on everyone’s face—like they thought you were going to mess it up, but you totally shut them up.”

Ruelle smiled softly and said modestly, “I just remembered what I read.”

“You were brilliant.” Hailey nudged Ruelle’s arm. “I wish June had been there to see it—she would have been fuming, and it would have been totally worth seeing her face.”

Ruelle’s smile softened. June’s absence had been odd, but she hadn’t thought much of it until now.

“She’s probably sick or hiding away because she knows she’s falling behind,” Kevin mused, thoughtfully. “At this rate, she might end up at the bottom, even if she keeps trying to steal credit.”

“Well, whatever,” Hailey said, brushing it off as her gaze drifted to the darkening sky through the long windows. “Looks like it’s going to rain tonight.”

Ruelle followed her gaze, the grey clouds hanging low over the academy, casting a sombre light through the windows. The corridors, usually bright, felt darker today, with the high ceilings cloaked in shadow. Lanterns had yet to be lit, leaving the space dim and filled with low murmurs.

She was about to suggest heading back to their rooms when a voice called out, “Ms. Elliot.”

Ruelle turned to see Ezekiel Henley walking toward them with a polite smile. Hailey practically beamed at the sight of him, though Ruelle felt the usual flicker of awkwardness. She had decided to keep Ezekiel’s request for secrecy, but seeing her friend fawning over him made her wish she could say something—warn her before heartbreak.

“Ms. Gilbert wants to see you,” Ezekiel said to Hailey, his tone light. His eyes then fell on the boy who had praised Ruelle in his class, before shifting to Ruelle.

“I’ll catch up with you later,” Hailey said to Ruelle, and Kevin followed her lead.

“How was your weekend, Ruelle?” Ezekiel asked with a warm smile.

“It was good. I visited a friend,” Ruelle replied, adjusting the strap of her bag over her shoulder.

“Good. It’s important to have friends to rely on,” Ezekiel replied with a nod. “I trust you’re managing well enough here?”

“Yes. Thank you—for checking in,” Ruelle said, though her mind was drifting again, caught in the tension of their interaction. She glanced down the corridor, her thoughts pulling her towards something—or someone—else.

Her eyes found him before she even realised she had been searching for him.

Lucian Slater stood at the far end of the corridor, his figure half-shadowed, but there was no mistaking him. When did he arrive? His gaze was fixed on her, those deep, dark, unreadable red eyes holding her in place from across the distance. There was something about the way he watched her—something intense that made her stomach tighten.

Ezekiel’s voice broke the strange spell, and she quickly turned her attention back to him, forcing herself to focus.

“Of course. I’ll always look out for you, Ruelle. Keep checking with the office. Rooms sometimes open up unexpectedly. It would be more comfortable for you to have your own space.”

Ruelle blinked. She hadn’t thought much about her rooming situation—hadn’t thought it bothered anyone. She had simply been grateful for a place to stay, even if that place was with Lucian Slater.

“I—I will look into it,” she replied, feeling suddenly unsure of herself. “I should get going,” she said quickly, eager to end the conversation. As she turned to leave, her eyes couldn’t help but flick back towards Lucian. He hadn’t moved, still watching her with that same intensity. She quickly averted her eyes, before hurrying down the hallway.

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