Location: Avalon Elite Academy – East Courtyard, Two Days Later
It started with a smell.
Faint, metallic.
Like rust.
Like blood.
A student stumbled across it before first period—just outside the east courtyard fountain. A crimson smear painted across the stone basin, trailing down toward the grass.
Nobody screamed.
But the silence that followed screamed for them.
Scene: The Campus Locks Down
By mid-morning, word spread like wildfire.
"Someone's sending a message."
"It wasn't a student—it was too clean."
"A rabbit. Throat slit. Eyes missing."
The staff tried to control it.
Security was called.
Classes staggered. But the students—especially those with instinct—knew better.
This wasn't random.
This wasn't harmless.
This was a statement.
Scene: The Vales React
The Vale group stood together in the student council lounge—pulled from class early by a quiet staff request that was anything but optional.
Caelan stood near the window, arms folded.
Azra paced with quiet fury.
Liora sat with Isla, fingers clenched together.
Jace: "Whoever did this knew what they were doing. It wasn't just blood—it was display."
Selene (to Caelan): "What are we thinking?"
Caelan: "One of the new groups."
Zaria: "Or someone trying to make it look like them."
Noah: "It wasn't just about fear. It was a challenge."
A soft knock at the door.
Two people entered.
Scene: The Confrontation Begins
Cassiel Drennan. Calm. Neutral expression.
Kai Thorn. Tense jaw. Eyes like gold fire.
They looked at the group—not afraid. Not smug.
Cassiel (coolly): "It wasn't us."
Kai (quietly): "But it's someone who wants us at each other's throats."
Caelan (flat): "Convenient alibi."
Azra (sharp): "Very convenient."
Vivienne's voice (from the hallway): "You think we'd be that messy?"
She stepped into view, her presence shifting the room's gravity.
Vivienne: "If we wanted war, you wouldn't need a trail of blood to find it."
Scene: A New Possibility Emerges
Liora (softly): "Then who did it?"
Rowan Blackstone (from the corner): "Someone older. Someone watching."
He hadn't been seen come in. But he was there now. Silent. Watching.
Rowan: "This wasn't a fight. It was a warning."
"Which means this place isn't as isolated as it looks."
Final Scene: Tension Shifts into Unity—For Now
The vampires and werewolves left just as silently as they arrived.
And the Vale group?
More alert than ever.
Caelan (to the group): "This isn't about territory anymore. It's about exposure. Someone wants to shake the hive."
Selene: "Then let's find out who… and make them bleed next."