Chapter 4
Islide into my usual seat beside Martha just as Professor Baines begins his lecture on managerial accounting. Martha nudges me with her elbow and grins, her green eyes shining with mischief.
Ready for this pop quiz Baines promised? she whispers.
I roll my eyes. As ready as Ill ever be.
We focus on our textbooks and notebooks, reviewing the material that will likely be on Baines infamous quizzes.
The lecture hall doors open with a thud, interrupting the silence in the room. I glance up, expecting to see a tardy student slipping into a vacant seat. Instead, Im surprised to see Principal Matthews stride down the center aisle, his face grim. A hush falls over the room, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Martha sit up straighter, her shoulders tensing. Its not every day we see the college principal interrupt a class.
Principal Matthews stops beside Professor Baines at the front of the hall and leans in to speak with him. Baines eyes widen, and his face pales as he listens to whatever news Matthews has delivered. After a brief conversation, Baines steps aside, and Matthews takes his place at the lectern.
Students, Principal Matthews begins, his voice low and serious. Too serious for a man known as the laughing principal. I have an important announcement. We have just received word that the body of a young man, a student here at our university, was discovered early this morning.
Shocked murmurs ripple through the lecture hall. Martha gasps softly beside me, and I grip the edges of my desk, dread pooling in my stomach.
Mr. Matthews raises his hands for silence before continuing. The name of the deceased is being withheld until we can notify his family but the police are investigating the circumstances around his death. We suspect foul play at this time.
My heart hammers against my ribs. Martha reaches over and squeezes my hand tightly.
I know many of you may be shaken by this tragic news, Mr. Matthews says. His usually bright face looks weary, and his eyes are heavy with concern. We will have counsellors available in the library all day for any students needing support. I urge you all to travel in pairs and groups and to avoid going out alone at night until the perpetrator is apprehended. Please contact security if you see any suspicious activity on or around campus. We all need to work together to keep our university safe.
Principal Matthews thanks Professor Baines and makes his way back up the aisle, the doors closing heavily behind him. A swell of hushed conversations fills the lecture hall as students turn to one another, worry and fear etched on their faces.
Oh my god, Martha murmurs. A student was murdered?
My thoughts spin.
Professor Baines clears his throat. In light of this mornings news, I think its best we postpone todays quiz. Please review the material on your own time and take care as you leave campus today.
Suddenly, chairs scrape against the floor as students gather their belongings and make for the exits. Martha and I join the throngs of people spilling out of the lecture halls.
As we near the next lecture hall, I overhear a guy talking to his friends just outside the door.
I heard it was that Boris guy, he says in a hushed voice. You know, from the Phi Kappa Sigma frat.
“What the hell… what happened to him?!”
“I heard that he was found on a bench on campus. From behind he looked like he was sleeping. But when the student went closer to check, he found his throat slit open.”
“Arrgh… Gross dude! That must have been traumatizing.”
“You fucking bet it was, he even stepped on the blood. The police are calling the killer ‘the campus killer’ can you imagine?”
I freeze in my tracks, my blood turning to ice. Martha glances at me, her eyes wide.
Boris? she whispers. But isnt he one of...
I give a slight nod, unable to find my voice. Boris—one of Dimitris lackeys who had abducted me. One of the men who had taunted and pawed at me. I imagine the incident is mob related. Did some rival family kill him?
Martha grips my arm and guides me into the classroom. My legs feel numb as I sink into the seat. Boris is dead. Murdered. Who would be able to challenge Dimitri on this campus? The person has just declared war on himself. Dimitri is not one to overlook such a dent in his person.
I stare blankly at the chalkboard, the professors voice fading into the background as my thoughts spin. The reality of the murder sinks into my bones, leaving me chilled despite the warm spring air drifting through the open windows.
A gentle nudge on my arm draws me back. I blink and turn to see Martha watching me, her brow creased with concern.
Hey, she says softly. You okay? You zoned out there for a bit.
I rub my temples, trying to massage away the building pressure. Yeah, sorry. Just... processing everything.
Martha nods, her eyes filled with understanding. Weve been best friends since freshman orientation. She knows me better than anyone.
Class ends, but neither of us makes a move to leave. The room empties around us until were the only two left.
Martha reaches over and lays a hand on mine. Sara, talk to me. Whats going on in that head of yours?
I stare down at my notebook, unable to meet her gaze. Where do I even begin?
Im okay, I say instead, plastering on a smile. Just upset and worried, you know? We have always felt safe on campus before this.
I get it. Im freaked out too. Do you want to come stay with me for a while? My place might feel safer than the sorority house.
Tempting as it is, I know I cant. If my father found out Id left campus, thered be hell to pay. I also feel somewhat safer here – okay maybe a lot – knowing that Dimitri is on campus. The way he helped me at the frat house brushes through my mind. He seems to want to protect me… I feel that he would be there for me in case of an extreme emergency.
Thanks, but I should stay put. Ive got an exam on Friday I need to study for. Even to my ears, the excuse sounds weak.
Martha frowns. Sara...
Really, Ill be okay. I infuse my voice with false confidence. Ill stick close to the house and always walk in groups.
I can tell Martha is still hesitant, but she nods slowly. Alright, but call me if you change your mind. Or if you just want to talk. About anything.
I will, I promise. And I mean it. Martha has no idea how much her friendship means to me, especially now that everything is crumbling.
Martha walks me halfway back to the sorority house, squeezing my hand before we part ways. I watch her petite figure disappear into the river of students, feeling a pang of loneliness.
As I approach the house, I notice two campus security guards posted out front, an unsettling but probably wise move by the university. I nod to them as I head inside, their presence reassuring me slightly.
As I climb up the stairs to my dorm room, my spiraling thoughts are cut short by the shrill ringing of my phone. I dig it out of my bag, my hands still unsteady. Lorenzos name flashes across the screen. I hesitate only a moment before accepting the call.
I press the phone to my ear, bracing myself for whatever tirade Lorenzo has prepared this time.
Where the hell have you been? he barks without preamble. Ive been trying to reach you for days.
I roll my eyes, even though he cant see me. Ive been in class.
Lorenzo ignores my jab. Dont play games with me. I know you havent been in class. I have people watching you.
I bristle at the implication. You have people spying on me now? What gives you the right?
Im your fiancé! he roars. I have every right to know what my future wife is up to.
Well, your spies clearly arent doing a very good job, I snap.
Dont lie to me, Lorenzo says. I know youve been hanging around with those preppy college boys. Letting them paw all over you like a common slut.
I clench my phone so tightly Im surprised the screen doesnt crack. How dare you, I spit out. You know nothing about me or what I do here.
Lorenzo ignores me. I know you like flouncing around in those tiny skirts, thinking youre better than the rest of us. You love the attention of any man.
You have no right to speak to me that way. I dont belong to you. My yell reverberates through the empty staircase.
Yes you do! Lorenzo is nearly screaming now. You are mine now! Our families arranged this marriage and you will do your duty as my wife.
I am seething, and my entire body is trembling with rage. I dont care what our families arranged. Im not some object you can own or control. Im my own person.
The hell you are, Lorenzo scoffs. As long as you live under your fathers roof, you belong to us.
Right… Too bad you’re not here, I would feel so much better if you were here to protect me.” Sarcasm burns on my tongue as it comes out of my mouth before I can think better of it.
“I’ll come get you soon” The line goes dead immediately. He thought I was serious. Fuck. Idiota.
I toss the phone back into my bag and slide my key into the lock of my dorm room, my mind still spinning from the days events. Boris was murdered. The words echo through my mind like a dark mantra.
I push open the door and freeze. There, sitting atop my perfectly made bed is a note. I glance up and down the hallway before stepping inside and shutting the door firmly behind me. With trembling fingers, I pick up the note. Written in aggressive black letters are the words:
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID.
The note flutters from my hand as I stumble back against the door.
I know what you did.
The words sear into my brain, and a swell of panic ignites in my chest. What does it mean?
It feels like a bad omen. Like a storm gathering on the horizon, ready to break.
I sink down onto the edge of my bed, the fight leaving me momentarily. Im just so tired of it all. Tired of being pulled in twenty directions by men who think they have the right to control me.
At this moment, I want nothing more than to flee this place and all its toxicity. To start fresh somewhere new, where no one knows who I am or cares about my family name. A place where Im free to pave my own path.
Is that even possible at this point? Or am I trapped in this gilded cage, doomed to become either Dimitris prize or Lorenzos broodmare?
The very thought makes my stomach turn. This is going to be a long fight.