LOGINKael’s POVThe first thing you learn when you're living at Virelade is that privacy is a myth and the second thingis control is everything.Which is why the sight that greeted me when I stepped out of the bathroom made me stop dead in my tracks.He was already in the room...my room, Seth?,my new roommate,he was the unwanted addition to my otherwise perfect arrangement.It was almost laughable out off all the people they could’ve paired me with, they picked him? A kid who looked like he belonged in pet store playing with puppies not here, in the most elite academy in the country. He was standing there with that wide eyed look, dragging in his bag with him. I didn’t bother hiding my disapproval, because when I hate something I show it not trying to hide like a coward.Theo,loud and irritating as always was lingering in the doorway. “I’m so sorry, bro,” he said to Seth, “Text me if you survive.”Dramatic as hell!. But I didn't blame him at all, I have that kind of impression on people
Sera’s POVThree Months Later The bells of St. Jude’s Academy rang out, signaling the official end of the term. The air was filled with the scent of blooming jacarandas and the frantic energy of students ready for the long holiday.I was walking across the manicured lawn with Maya and Chloe, my two closest friends at my new school. This time, I wasn't hunched over. I wasn't hiding behind a binder or a fake name. My hair was tied back, my uniform skirt fluttered in the breeze, and I was laughing at a joke Chloe had just told about our physics teacher."Oh. My. God," Maya suddenly whispered, her hand gripping my arm so hard it bruised. "Sera, look. Who are they?"I followed her gaze toward the main gates and time seemed to stop.Parked at the curb were two sleek, black cars that looked like they belonged in a fashion motorcade. Leaning against them were four boys who looked like they had stepped straight off a high-fashion runway.Alexander was leaning against the lead car, loo
Sera’s POVThree months.That was how long it had been since the iron gates of Virelade slammed shut behind me. Three months of scrubbing floors, avoid the neighbors' whispers, and watching the bruise on my soul and my cheek—slowly fade. My mother and I lived in a strained, fragile silence, a truce built on the fact that I was now working two jobs just to keep us afloat.The summer heat was thick as I knelt on the kitchen floor, wringing out a grey rag. The soap stung the small cuts on my hands. I wasn't Sera the student anymore. I was Sera the ghost.Ding-dong.I froze. We never had visitors. The only people who rang our bell were bill collectors or the occasional stray salesman."Sera! The door!" my mother called from the back room, her voice weary.I wiped my hands on my apron, pushed a stray lock of hair behind my ear, and pulled open the heavy wooden door.The breath left my lungs so fast I stumbled back against the wall.Standing on our humble porch, looking entirely
Kael’s POVThe speedometer on the dash of my Porsche was climbing toward numbers that should have been impossible on these winding mountain roads, but I didn’t care. My lungs felt like they were full of broken glass. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Sera, standing in that locker room, looking like a shattered ghost.I didn't stop until I reached the iron-wrought gates of the Presidential Estate. I didn't wait for the guards to open them; I honked until they scrambled out of their booths, looking terrified.I burst into my father’s study without knocking. The room smelled of expensive cigars and old, dusty power. My father, the President, didn't even look up from his desk."You're late for the evening briefing, Kael," he said, his voice a smooth, terrifying calm. "And you smell like a common street racer.""You did it," I spat, my hands trembling as I gripped the back of a leather chair. "You called the Headmaster. You authorized the expulsion. You knew, didn't you? Juliette t
Sera’s POVThe heavy oak doors of Headmaster Miller’s office didn’t just close behind Kael; they seemed to shatter.When he stormed out, his face was a mask of such lethal, quiet fury that the security guards actually stepped back. He didn’t look at me or say a word. He just moved like a possessed man, his footsteps echoing like a countdown until I heard the distant, violent roar of an engine. The screech of tires on the gravel driveway signaled his departure. He was gone. The one person whose hand had been holding mine through the dark had simply vanished into the night.I stood there, trembling in the oversized blazer that felt like a iron weight, as Headmaster Miller adjusted his spectacles."Since Mr. Ashbourne has decided to abdicate his responsibilities," Miller said, his voice dripping with icy disdain, "we shall proceed with the public dissolution of your tenure here. Guards, escort her to the courtyard."The walk to the center of the academy felt like a march to the ex
Sera’s POVThe next period was P.E. The gym smelled of sweat a scent that usually made me feel like I was suffocating but today, it felt like a death trap."Seth! Stop spacing out and get to the bench!" River called out, giving me a playful shove. I forced a grin, but my skin felt tight.After an hour of drills, the coach finally whistled for the end of class. The rush toward the locker rooms was a chaotic blur of shouting boys and slamming metal. I waited, as I always did, hanging back until the main crowd had thinned. My chest was aching; I had worn the binder for gym because I couldn't risk the movement, but now I could barely draw a full breath.I slipped into the far corner of the changing room—a small, dimly lit space used for storage. I thought I was alone.I peeled off the sweat-soaked jersey. Then, with shaking fingers, I reached for the hooks of the binder. When it finally snapped open, I let out a jagged, painful sob of relief, my hands resting against the cool tile
Sera PovI waited until the dorm was a silent, no footsteps in the hall or muffled laughter from the common room. I counted to three hundred after the last door clicked shut. Then I slipped out of the room with the towel slung over my shoulder as the chest binder already itching under my hoodie.
Kael's POVI didn’t stop running until my lungs burned and my chest felt like it was about to split open.The night air slapped against my face as I burst out of the dorm building. I bent over with my hands on my knees, breathing hard, trying to get my head straight.It didn’t work.Nothing worked
Sera POV“Hey, Seth… did you see that?” Luca’s voice cut through the chatter of the cafeteria, close enough that I could feel the warmth of his presence.I looked up from my tray, forcing a neutral smile. “Uh… what?”He leaned casually on the edge of the table, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Nothi
Sera pov 🌟Kael’s voice still echoed in my ears even after he stormed out and never returned to our room again. "You’re sitting too close to him" Even now, as we walked toward the cafeteria to get dinner I could feel his presence at my back. Alexander was walking ahead with hands in his pocket







