THE RULES OF REVENGE

The library doors slammed shut with a deafening echo that sent a tremor through Lila’s chest. Her fingers trembled as she stared at Harper—the same girl who had once stayed up all night sharing secrets and laughing over coffee—now standing in front of her with a flash drive and a face cold as stone.

“I trusted you,” Lila whispered, her voice breaking. “After everything—after the messages, the threats—you were helping them?”

Harper’s smirk was soft but cruel. “You still don’t get it, do you? I wasn’t helping them, Lila. I am them.”

Mara chuckled from behind the shelves, her heels clicking slowly as she stepped forward. “Told you the new girl would catch on eventually,” she said, brushing invisible dust from her blazer. “Though I’ll admit, she lasted longer than most.”

Cade’s voice cut through the tension. “Enough, Mara.”

Lila turned—he was standing in the dim glow near the entrance, jaw clenched, eyes burning. The air around him felt electric, dangerous.

“Stay out of this, Mercer,” Mara hissed. “You’ve already caused enough problems.”

“I don’t take orders from you,” Cade shot back, stepping between Lila and Harper. “You wanted chaos? You’re about to get it.”

Lila’s breath caught. She couldn’t tell who was lying anymore—Cade’s defiance seemed real, but she had seen him in the shadows with Harper before. Could all this just be another performance?

The lights flickered again, plunging the library into momentary darkness. A voice—distorted, mechanical—echoed through the intercom.

“Welcome to Round Two. The rules have changed.”

Lila’s heart froze.

Harper’s confident smile faltered. Mara looked around sharply. “What the hell is that?”

Cade’s hand went instinctively to his pocket. “Someone’s hijacked the campus feed.”

A large monitor at the librarian’s desk flickered on. Video files began playing—snippets of Ravenwood students recorded without their knowledge: sleepovers, parties, private conversations. Screams filled the air as the realization hit. Someone was broadcasting everyone’s secrets.

Then a final clip played.

Lila and Harper, laughing together weeks ago.

But the recording zoomed in on Harper’s drawer, revealing a hidden camera inside their dorm room.

“Looks like someone turned on their own,” the distorted voice taunted. “Trust is a dangerous game at Ravenwood.”

Lila’s stomach churned. “Harper, tell me that’s not—”

But Harper’s silence was answer enough.

In an instant, chaos erupted. Harper lunged toward the flash drive, but Cade grabbed her wrist. Mara shoved Lila aside, snatching the drive and bolting for the exit.

“Run!” Cade shouted. He pulled Lila behind a row of shelves as footsteps thundered toward them.

Books crashed to the floor, papers scattered. The air reeked of adrenaline. Harper broke free, screaming, “You think this ends here? You don’t even know what you’ve started!”

Cade grabbed Lila’s hand. “Come on!”

They darted down the back corridor, bursting out into the night air. The quad was empty except for the hum of security lights and the rustle of autumn leaves. Lila’s chest ached as she tried to catch her breath.

“Tell me what’s going on,” she demanded, gripping his arm. “You knew. You’ve always known.”

Cade’s jaw tightened. “You wouldn’t have believed me.”

“Try me!”

He hesitated, eyes searching hers. “Harper isn’t working alone. She’s part of something called The Circle. It’s been running Ravenwood for years—students, professors, even alumni. They choose who wins, who fails, who breaks.”

Lila’s eyes widened. “And I’m their next target?”

“You’re the next test,” Cade corrected softly. “The Circle loves chaos. They feed on it. Harper was supposed to lure you in and destroy you—but someone inside The Circle decided to change the rules.”

Lila felt her pulse hammer in her ears. “Who?”

Cade’s lips curved into something between a grin and a grimace. “That’s the problem. I think it’s me.”

Before she could respond, a shrill alarm tore through the night. Campus sirens. Bright red lights flashed across the dorm buildings. A voice boomed over the speakers:

“LOCKDOWN INITIATED. ALL STUDENTS RETURN TO YOUR ROOMS.”

Cade’s expression hardened. “We have to move. Now.”

They sprinted across the courtyard, but before reaching the dorm entrance, Lila’s phone buzzed again. Another message.

“He’s lying. He always has been. Check his pocket.”

She froze mid-step. “Cade… what’s in your pocket?”

He turned slowly, eyes narrowing. “Don’t.”

Lila stepped back. “Show me.”

For a moment, neither spoke. Then Cade pulled something from his jacket—a second flash drive, identical to the one Harper had been holding.

“Where did you get that?” she whispered, heart pounding.

Cade’s jaw worked. “You’re not ready for the truth.”

“I think I am.”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “You’re not the first new student this has happened to. There were others before you—students who tried to fight The Circle. They disappeared. This—” he held up the drive “—is everything they left behind.”

Lila’s blood ran cold. “You mean proof?”

“Proof, confessions, blackmail… all of it.”

“So why not show it to the dean? To the police?”

Cade’s smile was humorless. “Because the dean’s one of them. And the police? They answer to the donors who built this place. Ravenwood isn’t just a college—it’s a trap.”

Before Lila could respond, a spotlight cut across the courtyard. Security guards shouted, “You two—stop right there!”

Cade grabbed her hand again. “Run!”

They dashed toward the old science wing, slipping inside before the doors slammed shut behind them. The hallways were deserted, lined with dusty glass cases and flickering lights. Lila could barely breathe. “We can’t keep running like this.”

“We won’t,” Cade said. “We’re going to end this.”

He plugged the flash drive into a nearby computer. Dozens of files popped up—photos, recordings, and a folder titled “Harper_Project.”

Lila clicked it open. Her stomach dropped. It contained a file labeled “Target_LilaHarper.”

“What—what is this?” she whispered.

Cade’s face hardened as the screen filled with notes: Lila’s schedule, her passwords, photos from her old school, her parents’ information—everything about her life cataloged in perfect detail.

“This is what The Circle does,” he said. “They learn everything. So when they break you, it hurts more.”

Lila’s hand flew to her mouth. “They’re going after my family.”

Before Cade could respond, the computer screen glitched—lines of code appearing as if typed by an invisible hand.

“Nice try, Cade. But you know better than to play both sides.”

Then a new image replaced the text. A live feed. Harper, sitting in their dorm room, holding Lila’s favorite bracelet.

She looked straight into the camera and whispered:

“You have one hour. Come alone, or I’ll destroy everything you love.”

The feed cut to black.

Lila’s legs gave out. “She has my family’s address. Cade—she’s going after them.”

He clenched his fists. “Then we go now.”

But the computer chimed again—one final line of text:

“You’re not getting out of this building alive.”

The lights went out. Footsteps echoed down the corridor. The door behind them creaked open slowly, and a figure stepped inside.

“Cade,” the voice said sweetly. “Did you really think you could outplay me?”

It was Mara. Holding a gun.