Evelyn's head buzzed.
Gavin was smiling sweetly at her, and Alice wanted to ask what their relationship was, but she quickly dismissed the idea.
We only just became close acquaintances. There's no need to pry into her private life, Alice thought.
The two girls walked over to the empty seats, which happened to be directly in front of Gavin and his annoying friend, Devon.
Evelyn sat down as though the chair had been covered with needles. She shifted uneasily, unable to stay still for more than a few seconds.
Alice couldn't hold it in anymore. Ever since the mysterious guy had greeted Evelyn, her carefree and easygoing attitude had done a complete one-eighty. Something was definitely wrong.
"Hey, what's up? Are you not feeling well?" Alice whispered.
Evelyn turned her head ever so slightly to glance at Gavin. Luckily, he wasn't looking at her, but she knew he had definitely heard Alice's question. His vampire hearing was far sharper than that of an ordinary human, and he was probably waiting for her response.
Instead of answering, Evelyn quickly scribbled something on a piece of paper and slid it across the desk.
Alice unfolded it.
We'll talk when we get back to the dormitory.
She gave Evelyn a small nod to show that she understood.
Ever since Felix had confessed that he was a vampire, Alice had become suspicious of almost everyone around her. Maybe the mysterious guy sitting behind them was a vampire too, and Evelyn didn't want him overhearing their conversation.
Wait...
How would Evelyn even know something like that?
For real... Evelyn knows them.
Did she know Felix too?
The thought lingered in Alice's mind as she stared at Evelyn's side profile, trying to piece everything together.
Before she could think any further, the statistics lecturer walked into the lecture hall and cleared his throat.
The students immediately began murmuring among themselves.
Alice and Evelyn exchanged puzzled glances.
Why was the statistics lecturer changed?
T. West University hardly ever replaced its lecturers in the middle of a semester, so the sudden change caught everyone's attention.
As the whispers grew louder, the man adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and slowly scanned the lecture hall. His gaze paused briefly on the two girls, making both of them instinctively stiffen, though for completely different reasons.
Evelyn wondered why one of the rulers of the Vampire Kingdom was standing before them as their new statistics lecturer.
Meanwhile, Alice couldn't understand why the man's gaze unsettled her so much.
"My name is Professor Gabriel," he introduced himself calmly. "I'll be your new Statistics lecturer."
His voice was calm and composed, yet there was an unmistakable air of authority in the way he stood behind the lectern, looking down at everyone as though he expected nothing less than complete obedience.
Shit.
Where's Felix? He's my pillar. Where the hell is he? Why are so many mysterious people suddenly showing up at T. West University? This university hardly ever changes lecturers, so why now?
The lecture hall buzzed with confused whispers and complaints.
Apparently growing tired of the noise, Professor Gabriel cleared his throat once more.
"I need to begin today's lecture."
The room immediately fell silent.
Without another word, he began teaching as though nothing unusual had happened.
The lecture lasted for two long hours.
But that wasn't what made me uncomfortable.
Throughout the entire lecture, I could feel the stares of the two people behind me boring holes into my back. It was impossible to ignore.
Every time I turned around to catch them, Gavin and Devon would simply smile as if they found my discomfort amusing.
A shiver ran down my spine each time our eyes met.
I silently prayed for the lecture to end as quickly as possible.
As soon as the lecture was over, Evelyn and I shot to our feet simultaneously, as though we had been sitting on hot coals the entire time.
Without saying a word, we hurried out of the lecture hall before Gavin or Devon could stop us.
Once we were a safe distance away, I finally broke the silence.
"What lecture are you going to next?" I asked.
Evelyn looked at me, and at the exact same moment, we both spoke.
"We're taking the same course."
For a second, we stared at each other before letting out nervous laughs.
"Okay, okay," Evelyn said quickly, grabbing my wrist. "Let's hurry before all the good seats are taken."
I nodded, allowing her to pull me toward the faculty building.
The corridors were packed with students rushing to their next lectures. Some chatted excitedly while others hurried past with books tucked under their arms. Despite the crowd around us, I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that had settled deep inside me.
Everything that had happened since morning felt... off.
We finally reached the lecture hall and sighed in relief when we realized neither Gavin nor Devon was there.
"Thank goodness," Evelyn muttered quietly.
We took two seats beside each other, and gradually, the lecture hall began to fill up. Before long, only two seats remained empty.
Unfortunately, they were the two seats directly in front of us.
Alice rested her head on the desk, hoping to get a few moments of peace before the lecturer arrived, while Evelyn pulled out her phone and absentmindedly started playing a game.
Neither of us said a word.
The silence between us wasn't awkward—it was filled with questions neither of us was ready to ask.
A few moments later, loud voices echoed from outside the lecture hall.
Both of us paused.
The voices grew louder until we could finally make out bits of the conversation.
"Oh my God, he's coming to this lecture too!"
"Seriously?"
"I heard he's ridiculously handsome."
"I don't even care if he's strict."
I slowly lifted my head.
Evelyn also looked up from her phone.
We exchanged confused glances.
"Who are they talking about?" I whispered.
Evelyn shrugged.
"I have no idea."
Just then, the entire lecture hall fell unusually quiet.
The students closest to the entrance instinctively moved aside as two familiar figures walked confidently into the room.
My heart immediately sank.
Gavin.
And Devon.
Out of every empty seat in the lecture hall, they walked straight toward the only two available.
The ones directly in front of us.
"You've got to be kidding me," I muttered under my breath.
The two of them sat down as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
A second later, Gavin slowly turned around in his seat.
His eyes locked onto mine.
Then he smiled.
It wasn't an ordinary smile.
It was calm, confident... almost as though he already knew something I didn't.
He stretched out his hand toward me.
"I'm Gavin," he said with a warm smile.
"Alice," I replied politely, choosing not to shake his hand.
For the briefest moment, something flickered in his eyes before he calmly withdrew his hand, as though my rejection didn't bother him in the slightest.
"I'm sure this session is going to be fun..." he said, his smile never fading.
"...for both of us."
A strange chill crept down my spine.
For some reason, I had the unsettling feeling that meeting Gavin was only the beginning of the trouble waiting for me.