My Blood-curdling Campus Life Novels & Stories

AVA. Blackwood Institute Sports Complex. The grass brushed lightly against my sneakers as I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, my fingers loosely wrapped around the strap of my bag. The evening air carried a faint chill, but it wasn’t enough to settle the heat simmering under my skin. Four days. Just four days on this campus, and I had already learned more than I ever wanted to. Not everyone smiles at you because they like you. Some smile because they’ve already decided where you belong.

Why had college turned into this nightmare so quickly? I wanted to run back to the dorm and change, but I’d be late for the important science lecture on marine ecosystems. No option but to keep going, mud drying on my skin, drawing even more attention. People pointed. Whispers followed. I felt small, broken, the dream of smooth college life cracking around me.

"I'm Just tired. You know college sleep debt catching up." "Or you're bored of us already." Carly stuck out her bottom lip in an exaggerated pout. "I knew it. Small-town life can't compete with... whatever it is you do at college. Parties? Philosophy discussions? Wild campus orgies?" "Mostly laundry," Anna said, grinning despite herself. "And dining hall food that looks like it was scraped off the highway." "Romantic." Footsteps crunched on the gravel driveway, and Anna didn't need to look up to know who it was. Her spine straightened of its own accord, her pulse kicking up tempo. The straw bent between her teeth.

Campus gossip pages. My brain struggles to catch up with what I’m seeing. “CAMPUS GIST: MARCELLA AND LUCAS KISS DURING SCHOOL DINNER PARTY.” Another one. “TOP STUDENT LUCAS PUBLICLY CLAIMS HISTORY STUDENT MARCELLA AS HIS GIRLFRIEND.” Another. “THE MOST UNEXPECTED COUPLE ON CAMPUS??” And then the video plays the exact moment. My hand around her waist. The kiss. My stomach flips violently. “Oh you have GOT to be kidding me!” I exclaim in embarrassment.

she shouted over the music, holding up her cup like she was making a toast, “is the first day of the rest of our lives. College, bitches!” The girls cheered. I didn’t. Instead, I sat cross-legged on the floor, nursing the same watered-down drink I’d been holding for the last hour. My throat was dry, but not from alcohol—mostly from listening to the way everyone’s brains had melted into mush the moment “college guys” became the topic of conversation. “I heard Weston University is crawling with them,” Miranda giggled, eyes glassy already. “Like, actual gods walking around campus. I’m not wearing sweatpants to class—ever.”

ADRIAN There’s something about walking through the gates of campus that makes my whole body exhale. The air smells like overpriced coffee, stress, and possibility. It’s a hell of a lot better than bloodlines, power plays, and betrayal. I’m finally back at college, and thank the gods for that.

> _*]:min-w-0"> _*]:min-w-0"> By 3 PM, the campus was in controlled chaos. _*]:min-w-0"> Security teams installed additional wards on every building. Medical staff prepared sedatives and restraints for students who couldn't control their shifts. Faculty scrambled to move evening classes online and coordinate dorm supervision. _*]:min-w-0"> And students panicked in exactly the way I'd hoped they wouldn't. _*]:min-w-0"> "I can't be locked in my dorm during a blood moon!" a senior Alpha protested outside my office. "I need space to run, to let my wolf out safely."

I was so ready for this semester, and for once in a very long time, my future felt in my control. The campus had its usual air to it when I stepped off the train, but in an odd way it felt new… refreshing. The quad came alive with students rushing between classes, laughter carrying on the breeze. Nobody stopped to stare, no whispers carried in the air around me, to the rest of Havisham I was old news, and I would be naïve to expect sympathy or an apology. Rumors had died down almost faster than they’d flared, and it was onto the next victim. Campus gossip moved fast, and another scandal had already taken center stage.

There had been ten people killed in the attack, and all of them had been drained of blood. Seeing it, I felt my resolve harden. If they were already attacking werewolf cities, even if they were just on the edges of the werewolf-vampire border, there was no way that more attacks were coming. “I’ve been thinking that I should move into the Academy’s dorms.” Candido stiffened as I went on. “I’m much stronger now, and well, I was thinking that it was time that I had more of a social life with people my age. Claire talks about living on campus all the time….”

~Give me a hickey where only we can find them.~ Arcane POV: Stepping onto the bustling campus of the University felt like entering a different world. The air buzzed with excitement and anticipation, and I couldn't help but be swept up in the energy. This was it – a fresh start, a blank canvas waiting to be painted with new experiences, friendships, and knowledge. As the days unfolded, I threw myself into the whirlwind of university life. The first week was a kaleidoscope of orientations, campus tours, and the flurry of faces that would soon become familiar. Eveeryone was nice here and I wanted to befriend them all.