The gates of Sinners Academy loomed ahead, dark and imposing, the grand stone walls crowned with ivy that had long since claimed dominion over the structure. The air around the campus was thick with history, secrets, and power—the perfect breeding ground for revenge.
Raven Moreau didn't hesitate. She had been here before, too many years ago, and now, she was back to destroy it all.
Her fingers gripped the worn leather strap of her bag, the weight of the mission ahead settling heavily in her chest. Every breath felt heavier, each step more deliberate. The students inside, clad in their perfectly pressed uniforms and ever-perfect smiles, would never know what was about to happen. She had learned to be invisible here once. This time, she was going to make sure they couldn't ignore her.
It had taken years to plan this, years of patience, of waiting for the right moment to strike. Raven had become someone else in the process, shed the version of herself that had once walked these halls with naïve hope, trusting that the world would eventually be kind. Now, she wore her bitterness like armor and her anger like a second skin.
They hadn't known it, but they had given her the fuel to burn them all.
Raven's dark brown eyes swept over the manicured campus. The sprawling lawns, the historic architecture, the towering oak trees that had witnessed too many secrets—it all seemed so... perfect. So pristine. It was a lie.
And at the center of that lie was Killian Vale.
Her eyes narrowed at the thought of him. Killian. The boy who had once been everything to her, who had whispered sweet promises of forever. The boy who had betrayed her, leaving her to face the wreckage of her life alone, with only a broken heart and a shattered reputation as souvenirs.
She remembered the night of his betrayal as if it were yesterday.
---
Flashback:
The moon had hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the courtyard of Sinners Academy. Raven had waited for him, standing beneath the archway by the old fountain, her heart racing with excitement. They were going to run away together, leave behind this toxic world of wealth and expectation. She'd finally convinced him that they deserved better than the gilded cage of privilege they were both trapped in.
But as the minutes passed and Killian didn't show, Raven's excitement turned to unease. She had called him, texted him. No answer. Panic began to stir inside her as the sound of heels clicking against the stone courtyard reached her ears. It wasn't him. It was them.
The Vow.
They had been watching her for weeks. She didn't know how they had gotten to Killian, but they had. They always did.
And that night, they had set the trap.
Raven had barely enough time to understand what was happening before she was dragged into the darkness of the academy's underground halls. They had framed her for something she hadn't done—something unspeakable. And Killian... Killian had turned his back on her.
He hadn't even tried to help.
Her betrayal wasn't just by The Vow—it was from the person she had trusted most.
When the dust had settled, when the lies had been spoken and the verdict handed down, Raven had been expelled. Her life, her future, all of it shattered in an instant.
And Killian? He'd walked away unscathed, untouched by the scandal. He had been crowned Sinners Academy's golden boy, the future heir to everything. She had been left with nothing but the scars of his indifference.
---
Now, as Raven stepped through the gates, she promised herself that everything would be different this time. No more pretending. No more kindness.
This time, she would bring Killian Vale to his knees.
---
Raven walked up the stone steps, her black boots clicking sharply against the ground. The other students moved around her, oblivious to the storm brewing in their midst. She had a new name now, a new identity. No one would recognize her—not the people who had been there when she was torn apart, and not the ones who would soon learn just how dangerous she had become.
As she entered the academy, she couldn't help but remember how it had all felt before—the excitement, the dreams, the connection to Killian. But that was gone now. What was left was the wreckage of her former self, the part of her that would never forgive him for what he had done.
"Hey, you," a voice called from behind her. Raven turned, her heart pounding at the sudden interruption.
A tall, broad-shouldered figure stood before her, his face hidden by a hood and a scarf. It was a familiar face, though not one she had expected to see so soon. Marcus King. The son of a senator. A man whose father was deeply tied to The Vow, though Marcus himself had been a mysterious figure until recently.
Marcus had a way of making things happen without anyone knowing how. He had come to her once, a year before, offering help when she needed it most. At the time, she had refused, determined to handle everything on her own. But now? She wasn't so sure.
"You're back," Marcus said, his voice low and conspiratorial. "I knew you would be."
Raven's gaze hardened. "I'm not here for a reunion, Marcus. I'm here for one thing."
"Revenge," he said, as if he'd known the answer all along.
Raven nodded, but her expression softened just a fraction. "And I'm going to burn him. Slowly. Piece by piece."
Marcus's smile was dark, knowing. "You won't be alone in that fight. But you'll have to be careful, Raven. The Vow doesn't forget. Neither does Killian."
Her jaw clenched. "Good. I don't plan to let either of them forget me."
---
The rest of the night passed in a blur of strategy and planning. Raven wasn't foolish enough to think she could take down Killian and the academy's darkest secrets alone. The pieces were moving, and she was ready to play the game.
At the end of the day, the academy would crumble. And when it did, it would be Raven who stood victorious—standing over the wreckage, with Killian's name burning on her lips.
---
As Raven stood in front of the tall glass doors that led to the heart of the academy, she could feel the weight of the past pressing against her chest. She was here for a reason—to expose the lies, to bring Killian to his knees, and to finally take back what was hers.
Her eyes glinted with determination. This time, he wouldn't win.