Chapter 4. The Man Who Should Have Died

“What do you mean??”

“Don’t trust anyone. Keep your room locked, especially at night.”

“Why-“

“Good morning.”

Vero and Elijah jumped until they screamed when they heard the voice of someone saying good morning. Vero jumped beside Elijah and turned to look at the figure that startled them. A woman of unusual height stood tall with a smile. Her eyes were blue as ice, hidden behind square glasses, and her red hair was in a tight bun.

“Are you a freshman?” she asked. She glanced at the sheet of paper clutched in Vero’s hand.

“Ah… yes,” Vero replied, nervously.

The woman held out her hand and moved her head slightly. She glanced at the paper one more time before looking at Vero. Vero immediately understood what the woman meant. She handed over the papers, and the woman accepted it.

“Verona Windward,” read the woman aloud. “Welcome,” she said, looking at Vero. “I’m the head of dormitory building B, Caroline. You can call me Ms. Carol.”

Vero tried to smile back at Ms. Carol, but the muscles of her lips tightened.

Ms. Carol crossed her arms in front of her body and turned her gaze to Elijah. “Looks like your job here is done. Shouldn’t you be back now?”

Elijah said nothing and just nodded. He faced Vero and gave her a meaningful look before nodding his head in farewell. Vero froze, watching Elijah leave and the message he had left replaying in her mind. Message laden with warnings.

“Come on, Ms. Winward.” Ms. Carol’s calm yet sharp voice made Vero turn to her. Ms. Carol turned and walked first, while Vero picked up her suitcases in a hurry and tried to catch up.

This dormitory turned out to be much more spacious than Vero thought. There are at least three-story buildings overlooking the lake. Vero surveyed the buildings and wondered if the dorms here were mixed dorms.

“These buildings are girls’ dormitories. The boys’ dormitory is on the west side, on a separate plot,” explained Ms. Carol, as if she could read Vero’s mind.

Vero cleared her throat and said ‘oh’ softly while continuing to concentrate so that her suitcases didn’t fall. Ms. Carol took them to an elevator and by the time the two of them, and Vero’s luggage, were in the elevator, Ms. Carol pressed button number four. The hum of the elevator accompanied their quick journey to the fourth floor and the tingling sound as the elevator doors opened brought Vero to an astonishing sight.

The elevator doors faced toward a glass wall showing mountains and lakes, like a realistic landscape painting. But Ms. Carol didn’t give Vero a chance to enjoy it. She continued down the hall on the left and stopped at the far end of the door.

“This is your room,” she said. Again, she reached out, and it took a moment for Vero to realize that Ms. Carol was asking for her room key. Vero reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a brass key. After unlocking, Ms. Carol enters, and Vero follows her. Vero didn’t think that her room would look this amazing.

She placed her suitcases by the door and walked over to the large French windows which led her to a balcony. From the balcony, Vero could see the green hills, the icy blue lake, and the big houses across the lake. Her room faced directly into the biggest house there. Vero vaguely saw movement from the windows of the magnificent house.

“The rules here are not strict. We made it that way for the convenience of the students. Even so, I hope you adhere to the listed rules well.” Ms. Carol tapped the sheet containing the list of rules that Felicia had given before handing it back to Vero. “You can start school tomorrow,” she added. “If you need anything, you can meet me in my room on the ground floor, or you can ask Felicia.”

Vero nodded and Ms. Carol continued, “I hope you adapt well here.”

“Of course,” Vero answered right away.

With an environment like this, it will be very easy for her to adapt. And she did plan to rebuild her image and power here, just as she had built it back where she came from. Wherever Vero is, she doesn’t want to be someone who is invisible. Being the center of attention is a joy for her and she believes she can do well here.

*

But what Vero thought was easy turned out to be a big mistake. Since setting foot in Duradel, the wheel of her life has turned, and she is now at the bottom.

*

Vero spent the rest of the day arranging things and then taking a shower. Each room has a bathroom in it, so Vero didn’t come out of the room at all on her first day here. It wasn’t until the next day, when she came down for breakfast, that she ran into other students in the dining hall between the boys’ and girls’ dormitories.

All eyes turned to her when Vero joined the queue to take breakfast. The atmosphere was awkward, but Vero tried to ignore the curious stares from the students. After getting her breakfast, Vero headed to an empty bench nearby. Just as she put down the tray and sat down, a group of female students suddenly came up to her and sat on the empty chairs around her.

“Hey,” said a bright red-haired girl. “Are you the new girl?”

Vero looked up and tried to smile. “Yes,” she answered.

“How did you get in here? Why did you suddenly move?” Now it was the turn of a blue-haired girl sitting next to Vero who asked a question.

Vero took a bagel and spread it with buttercream, then replied, “I can’t answer that question. Personal problems.” Her sharp and straightforward answer took the girls by surprise. Maybe they didn’t think that Vero, who was new here, dared to give such an answer. Vero didn’t care if they were angry. She won’t be here long, though.

While Vero was munching on her bagel, the red-haired girl reached out. “Forgive us for being presumptuous. I’m Mia.”

Vero looked at Mia’s outstretched hand while chewing her food. She let Mia’s hand hang in the air for a few seconds before Vero shook her hand. “Vero.”

“My name is Ava.” The blue-haired girl stretched out her hand and Vero took her hand away from Mia to shake Ava’s hand. “What year are you?”

“Sophomore.”

“Whoa, me too! I hope we’re in the same class!”

The other girls also introduced themselves and after the introductions finished, they ate their own breakfast while talking about various things. Of all the conversations Vero heard, there was one topic that made the girls very excited. Of course, it’s about boys.

“Lev is so handsome today!” Mia screamed. “I ran into him earlier on my way here.”

“Has he come?” Ava said, no less excited. “Oh, my God. You must have had a great day meeting Lev in the morning.”

The other girls shouted, agreeing with Ava’s statement. The conversation about the guy named Lev continued until they headed to class. Vero had no other choice but to sit with her new friends, even though they were very noisy. Back in her place, no one dared to speak this loudly around Vero except she was the one who started the conversation.

Vero was observing her new classroom when someone came in and all the girls suddenly fell silent.

“Lev,” whispered Mia, who was sitting right next to Vero. “Oh, Lord. How can there be a human as handsome as him?”

Vero glared. Cold sweat ran down her back and forehead. Her palms trembled.

Wasn’t that the man she was with at the hotel? Shouldn’t he be dead already?