Rich People, Secrets, and Other Natural Disasters

After that encounter with Alaric, Mara Vale had reached a deeply important conclusion. Larkin College contained entirely too many emotionally repressed attractive people. It was becoming exhausting.

She sat cross-legged on her dorm bed surrounded by open textbooks while rain tapped softly against the windows. Somewhere down the hall, music drifted faintly through the residence building accompanied by laughter and the occasional sound of somebody making terrible life decisions recreationally.

Mara highlighted another paragraph in neon yellow before muttering. “If this professor uses the phrase ‘intellectual discourse’ one more time, I’m setting something on fire.” Her phone buzzed beside her. Unknown Number. Mara stared at it suspiciously. People rarely contacted her for good reasons.

Finally, she answered. “Hello?”

“You threatened a philosophy major with arson yesterday.” Dave. Mara relaxed instantly. “That depends who’s asking.”

“I’m asking as someone concerned for educational infrastructure.”

“He started quoting Nietzsche at me voluntarily.”

“A tragic circumstance.”

Rain continued tapping softly against the glass while Mara leaned back against the wall. The conversation settled easily between them. It flowed naturally and more...human. Again, she noticed how different it felt from speaking to Alaric.

With Dave, there was no dangerous awareness simmering beneath her skin. No feeling that every word carried hidden meaning. No strange instinct whispering warnings her mind could not explain. Just conversation. “I have a question,” Mara said suddenly. “That sounds ominous.”

“Why does everybody at Larkin behave like they’re part of a secret society?” Dave laughed once. Too quickly. “I think you’ve read too many conspiracy theories.”

“I grew up in the countryside. We don’t have conspiracy theories. We have facts discovered accidentally beside tractors."

“That is somehow more threatening.” Mara grinned faintly. Then her expression softened slightly as she looked toward the rain-covered windows. “I’m serious though.” Dave fell quiet. “At first I thought this place was just rich,” she admitted. “But it’s not. There’s something else.”

Silence hummed briefly through the phone. Mara continued before she could overthink herself out of honesty. “People react before Alaric even speaks.” She frowned. “And not normal reactions either. It’s like everybody’s afraid of disappointing him.” Dave exhaled slowly. “You should stop paying attention to him.”

Mara blinked. “That sounded suspiciously like advice.”

“It is advice.”

“Bad advice.”

“Probably.” Interesting answer....Very interesting. Before Mara could interrogate him further, a sudden sharp knock rattled her dorm door. She frowned. “Hold on.”

Crossing the room, she opened the door halfway and immediately regretted it. Celeste Arden stood outside looking furious enough to qualify as a weather event. Two girls lingered behind her. One brunette and one blonde. All three dressed expensively enough to finance small governments.

Mara sighed. “Good evening to you too.” Celeste’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve been talking about my family.” Mara blinked. “Have I?” “You keep asking questions.”

“That’s generally how conversations work.” The blonde girl behind Celeste muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like. “She’s actually worse up close.”

Mara decided to take that as a compliment. Behind her, Dave’s muffled voice drifted faintly from the phone. “Mara? Why do I suddenly hear homicide in the background?” “Celeste Arden has arrived emotionally armed.”

“What?” Too late because Celeste had already noticed the call.

Her expression sharpened instantly. “Are you talking to Dave Thornton?” Mara frowned harder. “What are you people, feudal kingdoms?” The brunette actually snorted before covering it quickly. Mara noted that she was not fully loyal then. Celeste ignored them both. “You need to stop involving yourself in things you don’t understand.”

“There’s that sentence again,” Mara muttered tiredly. “You all talk like haunted librarians.” “Mara.” Dave sounded tense now. That caught her attention immediately. “What?” “Who’s there exactly?” Mara glanced up. “Celeste and her backup dancers.” The blonde choked unexpectedly. Celeste looked moments from violence.

“Mara,” Dave said carefully, “don’t antagonize her.”

“Well now I definitely want to.”

“Mara.” Too late again because Celeste stepped forward sharply. “You think this is funny?”

“No,” Mara replied honestly. “I think it’s concerning.” The air in the hallway shifted suddenly. A sudden pressure fell in them and all three girls went abruptly stiff. Mara felt it too this time. Like the atmosphere itself tightening. And then…Footsteps. Coming down the corridor behind them.

Every girl outside Mara’s room straightened instinctively. The blonde lowered her eyes immediately. The brunette physically stepped backward. Meanwhile Celeste’s anger vanished so quickly it almost looked unnatural. Mara turned. Alaric Arden walked down the dormitory hallway wearing a dark coat dampened slightly by rain.

Drake followed several steps behind him. And suddenly Mara realized something horrifying. The pressure she kept feeling? It came from him. Not metaphorically....literally. The realization hit hard enough to steal her breath briefly.

Alaric stopped several feet away. His eyes moved first toward Celeste. Then toward Mara standing barefoot in the doorway holding her phone like she might throw it at someone. Something unreadable flickered across his expression. Drake looked exhausted already.

“What,” Mara asked carefully, “is happening right now?” Nobody answered immediately. Of course. Because apparently clear communication violated campus policy. Alaric’s gaze settled back onto Celeste. “Explain.” One, quiet and controlled word. Yet the effect was immediate.

Celeste visibly stiffened. Not socially uncomfortable but instinctively alert. Mara noticed everything now. The lowered gazes. The immediate obedience. The tension humming beneath the silence. Something cold slid softly down her spine. “We only came to speak with her,” Celeste said carefully.

Drake muttered under his breath: “You came to threaten her.” Celeste shot him a glare. So even internal politics here felt violent. Alaric remained perfectly still. “Leave.” Again, simple, yet absolute. The girls obeyed instantly. No argument and no hesitation. They turned and disappeared down the corridor with alarming speed.

Mara stared after them, then slowly looked back toward Alaric. “Did you just professionally dismiss a group of women from my doorway like an angry emperor?” To Mara’s complete shock, Drake laughed. A real laugh. Like it escaped accidentally.bAlaric’s expression shifted faintly too. Not softer exactly but less cold. Which somehow looked even more dangerous.

Mara folded her arms. “No seriously. Somebody explain why everybody reacts to you like medieval villagers spotting a dragon.” Drake looked away immediately. Bad sign. Alaric, however…Kept watching her quietly. And for the first time since arriving at Larkin, Mara realized something deeply unsettling. He was not looking at her with annoyance, curiosity or even attraction.

Whatever lived behind Alaric Arden’s eyes when he looked at her felt older than that. More like...Possessive. The realization landed like ice water down her spine. Mara’s heartbeat stumbled traitorously. Absolutely not. “Nope,” she announced immediately. Drake blinked. “What?”

“I refuse to participate in whatever deeply concerning energy this is.”

To her horror, amusement flickered briefly across Alaric’s face again. “You confuse me,” he admitted quietly. Mara stared. “That sounds like a personal problem.”

“Usually people avoid provoking me.”

“Well,” she replied, “usually people haven’t been raised by Grandma Ruth.”

Drake looked genuinely curious despite himself. “Who’s Grandma Ruth?” Mara’s expression turned solemn instantly. “A terrifying woman with excellent aim and unresolved anger toward trespassers.” For one suspended second, silence hung in the hallway.

Then Drake made a strangled choking sound suspiciously close to another laugh. Even Alaric looked dangerously near smiling now. Mara found this development deeply upsetting. Because unfortunately…Seeing him almost smile made him look devastatingly human. And that felt far more dangerous than anything else so far.