A Monster in Campus

Jessica's Pov

The sun hitting my face felt like a physical assault. I didn’t even remember falling asleep, but the throbbing in my left wrist was a nasty reminder that last night wasn’t just some fever dream brought on by pre med stress.

I sat up, my breath hitching as I peeled back the sleeve of my oversized Property of Camblok Medical Dept hoodie. The bruise was... wrong. It wasn’t just a purple splotch. It was deep, dark, and the puncture marks were spaced out in a weird way.

My heart started that familiar, pathetic pitter patter against my ribs.

Tachycardia. Great. Just what I needed at 7:00 AM.

"Jessica, get it together," I whispered, my voice cracking. I fumbled for my phone, my fingers shaking so hard I almost dropped it. Click. I took a photo of the marks. Then another.

If I went to the campus security, they would laugh me out of the office. Who was I? A nobody from a cafeteria owning family with more debt than sense. And who was Conner? The guy whose name was literally etched into the cornerstone of the library. No one would believe the charity case over the golden boy.

They would say I was onto some weird drug or just looking for attention.

But a video? A video of him... turning into that? That was a different story. That was leverage. I will not let them bully me out of this school. I had to be strong for my family.

I dragged myself out of bed, moving like a ghost. Brenda came back early this morning, she was slumped on her bed snoring, her blonde bob a messy halo on her purple pillowcase. She looked so peaceful. I felt like a fraud just standing near her in my baggy jeans and thick, taped up glasses.

I headed out for my morning labs, clutching my Clinical Anatomy tome against my chest like a shield. The campus was already buzzing with the beautiful people. I kept my head down, staring at the cracks in the pavement, praying the universe would just let me be invisible for one hour.

Of course, the universe had other plans.

I was crossing the main quad, my mind spinning with loads of thoughts from the party when I felt a sharp shove against my shoulder.

"Oof!"

I didn't just stumble. I did a full, cinematic face plant. My heavy textbooks flew out of my arms, sliding across the marble tiles with a sound like a gunshot. My glasses skidded away, leaving the world a terrifying, blurry mess.

"Oh my god, look at this weirdo!" a high pitched voice trilled. "Is she trying to kiss the floor? Or is she just looking for scraps?"

Laughter erupted. It wasn't just one person, it felt like a wall of sound hitting me. I scrambled on my hands and knees, my face burning with a heat so intense I thought I would melt.

I saw a pair of expensive, designer sneakers step right on the cover of my anatomy book.

"Please," I croaked, reaching for my glasses. "I am sorry, I wasn't looking."

"Clearly," the girl sneered. I could see the blurry outline of a tiny skirt and a lot of blonde hair. "Maybe if you spent less time acting like a creep and more time at the gym, you wouldn't be so clumsy. You're pathetic. We know you. She added. Everyone’s talking about how you followed Conner around last night like a desperate stray and made him sick."

A stray. The irony felt like a punch to the gut. Who the hell said I followed Connor around? how did the narrative change?

I finally found my glasses and shoved them onto my face. A group of girls was standing there, filming me with their iPhones, giggling. I felt so small, so tiny, like an ant they were waiting to step on.

I gathered my books, my eyes stinging with tears I refused to let fall.

"Get a life!" someone shouted as I scrambled up and ran toward the library, my heels clicking awkwardly on the stone.

I hid in the furthest corner of the basement stacks, tucked between Forensic Pathology and Ancient Myths. I couldn't believe it, they had already spread rumours about me. What would happen if I just shouted to everyone Connor is a monster.

My heart wouldn't slow down. I checked the time. 10:00 AM.

Buzz.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. My stomach did a sickly flip.

Unknown: The Alpha doesn't like to wait, Med Girl. 10:00 PM at the gates. Don't think about calling the cops.

I felt like I was suffocating. They knew my major. They knew where I was. They probably knew what I had for breakfast.

I looked at my phone, then at my bruised wrist. My fear was there, thick and heavy, but beneath it was that nerdy, stubborn streak that had gotten me through high school. I wasn't just a victim. I was a scientist.

I spent the rest of the day in a trance. I went to my lectures, but I didn't hear a word. All I did was prep. I cleared my phone's memory. I found a dark windbreaker with a small hole in the pocket, perfect for a hidden camera lens.

By the time 9:30 PM rolled around, the campus was quiet, but the woods near the mansion felt alive. Every shadow looked like a crouching beast. I changed into my outfit, my hands trembling as I taped my phone to the inside of my sleeve.

"You can do this," I lied to my reflection. The girl in the mirror looked terrified. Her eyes were wide behind her lenses, her skin pale. She looked like a rabbit walking into a wolf's den.

I walked toward the mansion, the air getting colder with every step. The silence was the worst part. It wasn't a normal silence, it was the silence of a predator holding its breath.

As the massive iron gates of the mansion came into view, I reached into my sleeve and hit the Record button.

This is for my pride. I wouldn't let my campus life be hell for me like high school. I must have something against them to be untouchable.

I stepped through the gates, and the darkness swallowed me whole....