Maya sat at the edge of her bed, fingers tapping rhythmically against her thigh as she stared at her communicator. The dormitory was quiet—far too quiet. The usual bustle of cadets moving through the halls, the faint murmurs of conversations, and even the distant hum of the academy's activity had been swallowed by the newly imposed restrictions.
Everything felt suffocating.
She hated feeling boxed in.
Her crimson-tinted gaze flickered toward the window. Beyond it, the academy sprawled under the artificial night sky, the glow of security drones patrolling the perimeters a constant reminder that movement was being watched.
"You don't have much of a choice."
Her other self's voice was steady, calm in its certainty. "If you want to see him, it has to be here."
Maya exhaled through her nose. "I know."
It was a risk. Under normal circumstances, she would have arranged to meet him in neutral spaces—the training grounds, the secluded areas of the academy where eyes weren't constantly prying.
But those options were gone now.
The increased surveillance had made things complicated.
And she didn't have the luxury of waiting.
Her fingers hovered over the communicator before she finally pressed the call button.
It rang twice before he answered.
"…Senior?"
His voice was calm, as always, but there was a slight edge to it—curiosity, perhaps?
"We need to talk," she said, her tone direct, leaving no room for negotiation.
A brief pause.
"Now?"
"Yes."
She leaned back slightly, her fingers tightening around the device. "Come to my dormitory. It's the only place that isn't crawling with surveillance right now."
Another pause.
Then—
"Understood."
Maya didn't bother saying anything else. She ended the call, her grip loosening as she set the device down.
She exhaled, rolling her shoulders before standing.
Her hands twitched slightly at her sides, a telltale sign of her restlessness.
The redness in her vision hadn't faded.
And she had a feeling it wouldn't—not until he arrived.
"You feel it too, don't you?"
Her other self's voice was smooth, curling around her thoughts like silk. "The anticipation. The way your body reacts before your mind even processes it."
Maya didn't answer.
But she felt it.
A slow, creeping hunger that had nothing to do with food.
"He'll be here soon."
She turned toward the door, her crimson-tinged gaze sharpening.
"Yeah," she murmured.
And she wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not.
A soft knock echoed through the quiet dormitory.
Maya inhaled slowly, steadying herself before moving to the door.
Her fingers curled around the handle, and for a split second, she hesitated.
Then, she opened it.
Astron stood there, as composed as ever. His violet eyes, sharp and unyielding, met hers without hesitation. He didn't look the least bit concerned about being summoned so suddenly—if anything, he seemed mildly expectant.
"Senior."
His tone was polite, neutral.
But Maya…
Maya's breath hitched—so quietly, so imperceptibly that even she barely noticed it.
Had he always looked like this?
Of course, she had always been aware of his presence—how could she not be? But now, after some time apart, after the tensions in the academy had shifted, after everything… she found herself looking at him with fresh eyes.
The sharp contours of his face, the quiet confidence in his posture, the way his uniform fit against his frame.
He looks good.
Her fingers twitched at her side.
"He looks more than good."
Her other self purred in her mind, the voice curling through her thoughts with something dangerously close to satisfaction.
"Doesn't it make you want to sink your teeth into him?"
Maya stiffened.
She forced the thought away, suppressing the sudden spike of heat curling at the base of her spine.
No.
She wouldn't let that part of her take over—not now.
She forced herself to exhale, stepping slightly to the side. "Come in."
Astron didn't hesitate. He stepped inside, his movements deliberate as he glanced around her dormitory with a quick, assessing gaze. The first-ranked sophomore's living quarters were far more spacious than the standard dorms—private, quiet, and untouched by the academy's increased surveillance.
Safe.
The door clicked shut behind him.
Maya turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest. She needed something—anything—to keep herself restrained.
Astron's eyes flickered to her briefly before settling, waiting.
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