The Glance

Chapter Three: The Glance

Lyla

“Lyla,” a voice said sharply. “Get up. You’ve already slept through three alarms.”

I groaned, half-awake. “Just… just five more minutes, Rina.”

“Five minutes and you’ll miss breakfast. You want to be the girl who walks into the dining hall while everyone’s leaving?”

I peeked from under my blanket. “I don’t think I care.”

“Oh, you will,” she said, yanking the blanket off me. “This school doesn’t wait for feelings. And the dining hall is where all the action happens.”

“Action?” I mumbled, sitting up slowly. “What kind of action?”

Rina opened her closet, already dressed in ripped black jeans and a fitted jacket. “Breakfast is where you learn who’s hot, who’s cursed, who fights dirty, and which creatures hate each other this week.”

“That’s… comforting,” I muttered, dragging my legs off the bed.

She turned to me, one brow raised. “Also, it’s where you get your first look at Dante in the daylight. Trust me, you don’t want to miss that.”

I paused. “I’m not here for him.”

“Uh-huh.” Rina threw a hoodie at me. “Get dressed, Moonlight. You’ve already caught his eye. Might as well see what the rest of him looks like.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Please stop calling me that.”

“No promises.”

⸻

The dining hall looked like something from an old castle.

Huge chandeliers, long wooden tables, tall stained-glass windows. It was loud—voices overlapping, plates clinking, chairs scraping. There were students everywhere. Some had runes glowing on their necks. A few were levitating food. One guy set his toast on fire just to impress a girl.

Rina nudged me as we walked in. “See that table in the back corner?”

I followed her gaze.

“Dragons.”

My eyes widened. “Real dragons?”

“Half-shifted, half-human,” she said casually. “Don’t piss them off. One sneeze and you’re barbecue.”

We passed another table.

“Vamps,” she whispered. “Look at the guy with the white streak in his hair. That’s Lucien. He’s got a weird obsession with apples and blood type A.”

“Do you memorize everyone?”

“It’s survival,” she shrugged.

She led me to a quieter side. “This is where the misfits sit. Or the ones who don’t throw lightning when they’re annoyed.”

We found two seats. I sat down slowly.

And then I saw him.

Dante.

He was at a table near the front. Sitting alone, as if the crowd parted for him. Black hoodie. Pale skin. One hand resting near a cup of coffee he wasn’t drinking. His other hand flipped a pen back and forth, rhythmically.

His face was sharp. Focused. Completely unreadable.

And then he looked up.

Straight at me.

For two full seconds.

I froze.

He didn’t blink.

He didn’t smile.

Then, just like that, he looked away like I didn’t matter at all.

Rina leaned over. “You’re staring.”

“I’m not,” I muttered.

“You are.”

I looked down at my plate. “Why is he always alone?”

“Because people are scared of him,” she said simply. “Even teachers.”

“That’s insane.”

“Welcome to Hawthorn.” She shoved a croissant onto my tray. “Eat before your stomach embarrasses you.”

I poked at the food, not really hungry.

Then, a shadow fell over our table.

A voice followed.

“Moonlight.”

I looked up, and—

Him.

Not Dante.

Someone else.

A boy with golden curls that looked like they belonged in a dream. Eyes silver like moonlight, soft and glowing. He had a calm smile on his lips. Like he already knew me.

“Uh… hi?” I said awkwardly.

“You found me,” he whispered.

My brows furrowed. “What?”

He smiled wider. “Again.”

Rina groaned beside me. “Oh God. It’s Riven.”

The boy didn’t even glance at her. His eyes stayed on mine. “You don’t remember me yet. But you will.”

I shifted in my seat. “I’m sorry, have we met?”

“In another time,” he said. “Another place. Your soul knows me.”

I blinked. “Okay…”

“You dreamed about me,” he added.

I stared at him.

Because… I had.

A dream I couldn’t remember. Just flashes. A voice. Light. Heat. Someone waiting.

“I…” I didn’t know what to say.

He gently reached down and touched the back of my hand. “I’ll wait for you again.”

Then he turned and walked off, disappearing between the tables like mist.

“What the hell,” I muttered.

Rina let out a long breath. “He does that.”

“Does what?”

“Shows up. Says some cryptic soulmate crap. Then disappears like a ghost. Classic Riven.”

“That felt… weirdly real.”

“Everything he does feels real,” she muttered. “That’s why people either avoid him or fall in love with him.”

I stared down at my hand where he touched me.

Something really was waking up inside me.

⸻

Classes were overwhelming.

First was Pack History. I understood maybe 10% of what the teacher said.

Then Potions. Something exploded in the corner.

Then Spell Theory. My pen caught fire.

By lunch, I was exhausted.

“Don’t feel bad,” Rina said as we sat in the courtyard. “Half the people here are pretending to understand. Especially the vampires.”

“They act like they’re all so perfect.”

“They sparkle when the moon hits them,” Rina said, chewing on gum. “Of course they think they’re special.”

I laughed.

Then I caught myself looking for him again.

Dante.

And like fate had a cruel sense of humor, I saw him—leaning against a stone pillar. Hands in his pockets. Watching the courtyard quietly.

He wasn’t talking. Wasn’t smiling.

Just existing. With that same cold energy.

“Stop staring,” Rina said without looking up.

“I wasn’t.”

“You were.”

“I don’t get him,” I said.

“Don’t try to,” she replied. “He’s like a fire in the middle of a blizzard. He burns, but he freezes too.”

I didn’t reply.

Because it was true.

⸻

Later that evening, when walking back to the dorm, we ran into her.

Ariana.

Too good hair. Too glossy shoes. Two girls on either side of her like bodyguards.

She was blocking the middle of our way with a smile plastered on her face.

"Rina," she said. "Still gathering strays?"

Rina rolled her eyes but remained silent.

Ariana stepped closer.

Her gaze fell on me.

"You're Lyla, aren't you?"

I nodded once.

"I saw you this morning. With Dante."

My stomach dropped. "It was an accident. I slipped. He caught me."

"Oh, everyone saw." She took one step closer. "Let me be perfectly clear."

I didn't move.

"You don't talk to Dante. You don't sit next to him. You don't breathe in his direction."

Rina scooted over next to me. "Back off, Ariana."

Ariana didn't. "You're new. So I'll act like you don't know the rules."

I clenched my fists. "I'm not going to do anything. I don't want any trouble."

"Good," she said, smiling at me sweetly. "Because if you move one inch closer to what belongs to me again… you'll have more than trouble."

She spun around and walked away, her girls following.

Rina looked over at me. "You okay?"

"Yeah." My voice was shaking. "She's intense."

"She's crazy about him. That's her problem."

"I didn't mean to fall into him."

"Don't matter. Now you're on her radar."

"No, the point is," he said, like I needed reminding.

"Great."

"Welcome to Hawthorn," Rina grumbled.

⸻

That night, I woke up, lying flat on my back, staring at the ceiling.

So much had occurred. Too much.

I couldn't shake the memory of Dante's eyes. Riven's caress. Ariana's warning.

Something inside me was different. Awakened.

I whispered into the darkness, "I didn't come here for this."

But inside, I knew, this school wasn't going to let me hide.