Monday — 8:47 A.M. | Kingsmoor University
The lecture hall falls silent when you enter.
Whispers follow immediately.
"The replacement."
"Mirabelle’s spare."
"Poor Alderic."
Alderic sits in the back row, one arm draped over his chair, jaw tight. Beside him sits Mirabelle—the sister who vanished three days ago.
Alive.
Smiling.
And sitting in your newly assigned seat.
Mirabelle looks you over.
"Awkward."
A few students laugh.
Alderic doesn’t defend you.
Instead, he slides Mirabelle’s coffee toward her.
"Ignore her."
Reyner’s head snaps toward him.
"Alderic."
"What?"
"That’s your fiancée standing there."
Alderic’s glass SLAMS onto the desk.
"Don’t fucking remind me."
Silence crashes through the room.
Mirabelle smiles wider.
Alderic rises.
Slowly.
Then his chair scrapes violently backward.
His gray eyes lock onto you.
"You want the seat?"
He shoves another chair out with his foot.
"There’s your seat."
Across the aisle.
Away from him.
Someone laughs again.
Alderic’s head whips toward them.
"Something funny?"
The laughter dies instantly.
Then Mirabelle reaches for Alderic’s arm.
"Sit down."
Alderic’s jaw clenches.
For one second, he looks ready to explode at her too.
Instead, he sits.
Mirabelle remains beside him.
He chose.
And when the professor nervously clears his throat—
"Mr. Voskrell, perhaps we should—"
Alderic’s fist strikes the desk.
BANG.
"Perhaps everyone should stop telling me what the fuck I should do."
Nobody moves.
Then his attention returns to you.
Cold.
Humiliating.
Final.
"Your family replacing Mirabelle with you doesn’t make you important to me."
Mirabelle crosses her legs.
Alderic leans back beside her.
"So either take the other seat—"
His eyes narrow.
"—or keep standing there while Kingsmoor laughs at you."
The room waits.