Total pages in book: 186
Estimated words: 176552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 883(@200wpm)___ 706(@250wpm)___ 589(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 176552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 883(@200wpm)___ 706(@250wpm)___ 589(@300wpm)
“I’ll get it. I can go after this.”
Her bottom lip quivered slightly, her fingers tightening around each other. “Are you sure?” she asked, looking at me like she wasn’t fully convinced.
“I am. We can head to my place, and you can wait there while I run and grab them. You drove today, right?”
She shook her head. “No. I walked.”
“You-you walked?”
“Yeah. I did ride back to your place with Cloe and Arianna last night, but then I ended up going home after he called.” She tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear and added, “We had a good morning.”
I wasn’t sure why that last part was relevant for me to know. I didn’t want to think about what constituted a ‘good’ anything for them.
I was still stuck on the fact she’d walked to campus. She may have lived on this side of town, too, but my house was much closer. That had to take at least thirty minutes, and it would’ve been cold.
“But why did you walk?”
She gave a small, almost embarrassed shrug. “My battery was dead, I think. Alex had already left for work, so no jumper cables.”
I bit my tongue before saying anything about that man. “You should’ve called or texted me then, Lay.”
“You were with Ashton.”
“And?” I would have made him go and help her, or I would’ve gotten him to take me to my car so that I could. “If that happens again, call me. Okay? Doesn’t matter what I’m doing.”
She nodded, her eyes glimmering again with that fragile edge of overwhelmed emotion. Both of our phones buzzed on the table at the same time, breaking up the moment. We exchanged a look, and I picked mine up while she checked hers.
“They just announced The Hunt,” she said quietly.
My thumb hovered over the message before clicking the link that took me straight to the official Crowsfell University page broadcasting the news. Right at the top was the university’s mantra:
Tradition in Darkness. Knowledge in Blood.
Est. 1889.
Beneath it, a new banner had been added:
We’re thrilled to bring back our beloved Hunt!
Prepare for tradition.
Prepare for challenge.
Prepare to survive.
Over the next few days, the Marked will be notified of their selection. Notification may come in the form of a note passed along, a late-night phone call, or, if you’re especially lucky, your Huntsman delivering the news personally. You’ll be getting to know each other quite well… if you manage to survive that long.
As always, we strive to make the Hunt an exhilarating and unforgettable experience for all participants. Guidelines have been established and must be followed. Failure to comply will result in immediate disqualification. Further details will follow shortly, along with the official launch date.
Until then:
Stay sane.
Stay safe.
Prepare for The Hunt!
Layla’s voice was hushed when she spoke again. “With everything going on, I almost forgot about this.”
“I wish I could.”
The announcement wasn’t a surprise. Everyone at Crowsfell, the whole town of Hemlock, knew the Hunt was coming. It was an annual tradition, one that blended chaos and legacy in equal measure. I’d never felt unsettled about it before now. I glanced toward the study room window, peering out at the main floor of the library. Heads were down; eyes locked on phones. Even the librarian, Mrs. Loomis, was squinting over her half-moon glasses, her mouth curling into a smile as she read the notification behind the front desk.
Most of our peers looked excited, already buzzing with speculation and theories. I thought of what happened last night and this morning.
“I think that’s why we were being followed this morning.”
Layla’s eyes widened, panic creeping into her features. “It makes sense, but which one of us was their target?”
I wanted to tell her I knew it was me, but until I got official notice, I wasn’t about to speak that into existence. It wasn’t the idea of being Marked that unsettled me. That part could’ve actually been exciting. What bothered me was seeing two, possibly three, different people watching me. Admittedly, I wasn’t the best at math, but The Hunt assigned one Huntsman per Marked. So, who the hell were the others, and why were they screwing with me before the event?
I stood and grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulder. “Come on. Let’s head to my place. I’ll fill you in on the way.”
Layla stood quickly, trailing behind me as we stepped back out into the main library. We left through the rear exit, meeting with crisp fall air, the kind that crept into your bones if you stood still too long.
“They wasted no time,” I murmured.
The campus had already started its transformation. Woven banners were strung between lampposts, each one fluttering in the light breeze. A new flag had been added beneath the official Crowsfell one, black with a white skull and crow sigil, an emblem of the Hunt meant to replicate our everyday logo. Close to none of this had been up when I left my last class. I checked my phone as we crossed the green, scattered leaves crunching beneath our feet.