Next day

Bryce awoke with a gasp, his skull splitting as sunlight speared through the cracked blinds. His tongue clung to the roof of his mouth—dry, thick, tasting of stale whiskey. The dorm room spun, walls tilting like a funhouse mirror. He groaned, clutching his temples, fingers pressing into the ache behind his eyes.

Bryce - What happened?

Flashes flickered—glasses clinking, laughter too sharp, Alexander’s grin —but the rest was black. His stomach lurched. He rolled onto his side, sheets damp with sweatBryce blinked against the throbbing in his skull, his vision swimming The mattress groaned as he pushed himself upright A knock rattled the door

Bryce- who here this early?

The knocking came again—harder this time, rattling the hinges. Bryce swallowed, his throat raw, the taste of copper lingering beneath the whiskey burn. He dragged himself off the mattress, his legs trembling as his bare feet hit the cold linoleum. but he staggered forward, one hand braced against the wall for balance. Three feet from the door. Two. His fingers curled around the knob, slick with sweat. A breath—then he yanked it open. The hallway light stung his eyes, but the figure standing there was worse. Stephanie Ryan (blonde hair long, glasses Who bryce hadn't seen since class yesterday were she was acting offf starting ay professor Victor. Unaware what transpired after class in hallway with miss Jordan and her with Victor

Stephanie stood motionless in the doorway, her blonde hair hanging limp around her shoulders, her glasses reflecting the harsh hallway light something was off with her, her cheerful self not their

Bryce- Stephanie..you alright?

Stephanie's lips parted— As she spoke.

Stephanie - "Perfect," she whispered

, voice layered with something deeper beneath. Her fingers twitched at her sides Bryce's breath hitched. The hallway air thickened, carrying the scent of rust and spoiled milk. Stephanie tilted her head, glasses slipping just enough to reveal the black veins spiderwebbing beneath her skin.

Bryce barely had time to recoil before Stephanie lunged. Her cold hands clamped around his face, fingers pressing into his temples like invasive roots. Her lips crashed against his—not soft, not hesitant—but hungry, insistent, tasting of iron and something rotten-sweet beneath. He gagged as her tongue forced past his teeth Her glasses clattered to the floor. Up close, the veins beneath her skin pulsed black, throbbing in time with his own frantic heartbeat. Bryce shoved against her shoulders, but her body was unnaturally strong—unyielding.

Stephanie broke the kiss with a wet gasp, her breath sour against his lips. "We have class," she murmured, voice syrupy and wrong.

Stephanie- "Let's go...get dress

Bryce stumbled back, his spine hitting the edge of his desk, sending pens clattering to the floor. Stephanie didn’t blink—just stared, her pupils dilated, swallowing the blue of her irises whole. Stephanie bent to retrieve her glasses, movements jerky, unnatural. When she rose, her eyes were normal

Bryce- a trick of the lights He thinks to himself still hung over

Bryce’s pulse hammered against his temples as Stephanie straightened,her glasses "Class," she repeated, her voice too smooth, too deliberate. Her fingers twitched again, nails scraping against the fabric of her skirt. Bryce swallowed hard He edged sideways, toward his closet. "Yeah, uh—just gotta grab my jacket." His voice cracked. Stephanie didn’t move, didn’t blink—just watched as he got ready

Stephanie- someone seems hung over, I tasted the alcohol on your breath, and something else, perhaps spiked with halusigen drug.

Bryce's fingers trembled as they brushed against the closet door handle. The metal felt unnaturally cold beneath his touch—like the surface of a morgue slab. Stephanie's breath hitched behind him, a wet, anticipatory sound.

Stephanie- "You smell different today," she murmured,

her voice syrupy with false concern. Bryce yanked the closet open too fast. A hanger screeched against the rod. His jacket hung there, limp—but the fabric twitched. Just once. As if something had been nesting inside it. Stephanie's hand closed around his wrist before he could react.