Page 9 of Coveted

I’ve never had anything that I didn’t pay for in some brutal combination of blood, tears, and sweat. To be given the chance to live and study at this incredible university seems almost too good to be true. I feel like I’ll be made to pay somehow, sooner or later.

Could I ever really belong here?

“What are you studying?” asks Clara.

“Creative writing,” I say. “How about you?”

“Animation,” says Clara. “Juliette’s studying Public Relations.”

Juliette puts her hand dramatically to her forehead. “My family’s company needs the expertise, believe me. Scandal after scandal.”

Clara points to my flyer. “Hey, what’s that?”

I read the text aloud. “The Founder’s Run, at dusk, in the quad. Do you know what it is?”

Juliette nods. “It’s a traditional Darkbloom game to welcome the freshmen. We have to go, it’ll be fun.”

“Do you know many people here?” asks Clara.

“No,” I say. “I went to school in Briarvale.”

“I love Briarvale, it’s so pretty,” replies Clara. “We can introduce you to everyone, don’t worry.”

My chest flares with appreciation. “I was worried, to be honest. The only other student I’ve met was terrifying. Lucan, I think?”

Clara’s face freezes in alarm. “Lucan Hale?”

“I didn’t get his last name.” I glance at Juliette, who had the same thunderstruck reaction as Clara. “He’s really tall? Black hair, blue eyes.”

“Picture perfect, but also seems like he’d eat your soul?” asks Clara.

“Yeah, that’s him,” I say.

Juliette knits her brows. “Sadie, no. Stay away from him.”

“Happily.” I shrug. “He doesn’t seem nice to be around.”

My roommates share a look, like they need to break bad news to me.

“That’s putting it mildly,” says Clara. “Very mildly.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

Juliette leans in.

“He’s a murderer,” she whispers, as if he might hear her and kick down the door in a rage.

“You’re screwing with me.” I force a smile. “Like the story about the ghost and the school motto.”

“Nope,” says Clara. “I went to the same prep school as Lucan. The Hales are an old-money investment and banking dynasty. He was a couple of years ahead of me.” She grimaces. “He ripped apart a person with his bare hands when he was eighteen years old. Or so the rumor goes.”

“No way,” I say. “He’s only what, twenty-two? He’d be in prison.”

“He’s twenty-three,” says Juliette. “But if he did murder someone, his billionaire mommy and daddy would make the problem disappear. They’d never let him go to prison.”

Clara smirks. “You have a billionaire mommy and daddy too.”

“Yeah, well, they don’t cover up murders for me,” says Juliette. “I’ve heard Lucan flies his private jet to different cities to roam the streets and kill people for fun. People no one would miss.”