Ophelia

Bound by Blood and Runes

You were not supposed to be on the north path after eleven — everyone on campus knows the security guard who patrols it is wrong in a way that has nothing to do with his job title. But your car keys are somewhere in the rain-soaked dark near the woods, and the thing you heard moving between the trees is getting closer. The security booth door swings open before you can knock, and Leon is already looking at you like he knew you were coming — like he has always known — his blonde hair damp, his collar shifted just enough to show the black runes crawling up his throat. Behind him, through the static on the monitor, you can see two figures in robes crossing the quad, and one of them is carrying something that looks exactly like a book with your name on the cover.