The rain didn't stop.
It came in sheets against the stone walls of Ravenshade Academy, the storm's fury a reflection of the chaos consuming its students. By midnight, the campus was a ghost town. Lights out had come and gone, but the shadows had never been more alive.
Selena Blackthorn stood alone at the base of the west wing's fire escape, the cold metal ladder slick with rain. Her heart pounded against her ribs as she clutched the black switchblade she'd stolen from the fencing team's locker room. It felt foreign in her palm — cold, unforgiving, but necessary.
Above her, the rooftop loomed.
And somewhere beyond, Ava Blackwell waited.
Selena's phone buzzed one last time.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: Climb.
No turning back.
She slid the blade into her jacket pocket and grabbed the rungs, pulling herself up. Every step upward felt like shedding her old self. Weak Selena. Forgotten Selena. The girl who once let others decide her fate.
At the top, the wind slapped her wet hair across her face. She vaulted over the ledge.
Ava was already there.
She stood at the far edge of the roof, umbrella discarded, her crimson dress soaked and clinging to her skin like a second, sinful layer. Rain streaked her mascara, leaving black trails down her face. Yet even now, she looked like royalty.
Between them, a circle of black-clad figures stood, faces masked, their eyes the only visible feature. The Thorns.
Selena swallowed hard. She counted six.
The tallest one stepped forward — the silver-and-crimson masked leader from the pool.
"Welcome to your final trial," the leader announced, voice carrying over the storm. "Betrayal runs deep at Ravenshade, but no betrayal greater than blood turning on blood. Tonight, a debt is paid."
Selena's throat tightened.
Ava smirked, though her eyes betrayed the crack in her armor.
"What is this? Some sad little cult club? You think this scares me?" Ava spat, voice sharp.
Selena stepped forward, the switchblade heavy in her pocket.
"This isn't about scaring you, Ava. It's about making sure people like you stop ruining lives."
Ava's gaze darted to the masked figures. "This is pathetic. Damon will end you."
Selena smiled coldly. "Damon's busy saving his own skin. Jace won't be bailing you out either. Not this time."
The leader gestured to a small, rusted table set beneath the Academy's sigil flag. Two items lay on it: a second blade and a black envelope.
"The rules are simple," the leader said. "One of you leaves this rooftop. The other... becomes the final message."
Ava's face paled. "You're insane. You can't just—"
"Pick up the knife," the leader ordered.
Selena's fingers brushed the switchblade's handle as Ava hesitated. Thunder cracked overhead.
Selena grabbed her weapon.
Ava, trembling, snatched the other.
They circled each other like predators in a cage.
Memories surfaced. The night Leo was framed. The texts Ava sent. The smug, cruel laughter. The night she whispered poison into Damon's ear and sealed Leo's fate.
"You ruined my family," Selena hissed.
"Your brother was weak," Ava sneered. "And you were too pathetic to stop it."
Selena lunged.
Steel met steel as their blades clashed, sparks flaring in the rain. Ava swung wildly, but Selena dodged, years of bottled rage guiding her movements.
Another strike. Another dodge.
Selena landed a shallow cut across Ava's forearm. Blood mixed with rain.
Ava shrieked. "You psycho!"
Selena grabbed Ava by the hair, slammed her against the stone ledge. The masked figures neither flinched nor interfered.
"Say his name," Selena demanded.
"Go to hell."
Selena's blade pressed against Ava's throat.
"Say it."
Ava trembled, her bravado crumbling. "Leo."
Selena's hand shook.
Do it, a voice urged.
The wind howled.
"Finish it," the leader called.
Selena stared into Ava's terrified eyes. A hundred terrible memories screamed for vengeance.
But instead… she lowered the blade.
"I'm not like you," Selena whispered.
Gasps rippled through the circle.
The leader's eyes narrowed behind the mask.
Ava slumped to her knees, sobbing.
"Get out of Ravenshade," Selena spat. "And if you ever cross me again, I won't hesitate."
Ava scrambled away, dropping her knife.
Selena turned to the Thorns. "It's over. I'm done being your pawn."
The leader stepped forward, removing their mask.
Selena's breath caught.
It wasn't a stranger.
It was Leo.
Her brother.
Older. Harder. Scarred.
"You shouldn't have come here," Selena whispered, voice breaking.
"They tried to kill me," Leo said quietly. "But I survived. And I built this. The Thorns. To take them down. You were supposed to finish it."
Selena's head spun. The impossible truth slammed into her.
"You sent the messages? You framed Elijah? The USB—"
Leo nodded. "It was the only way to get Ava and Damon. They destroyed us, Sel. They'll never stop."
Selena's stomach churned.
"You turned me into a weapon."
"You always were. You just forgot."
Lightning forked the sky.
Selena backed away. "I won't be your soldier."
"You don't have a choice."
Leo raised his hand. The Thorns closed in.
Selena spun, bolted for the fire escape. Hands grabbed at her, but rage and terror gave her strength. She kicked a masked figure square in the chest, sending them sprawling.
She reached the ledge, vaulted over, and vanished into the night.
The storm swallowed her.
Thunder roared.
Back on the rooftop, Leo's gaze burned like a predator.
"We'll find her," one of the Thorns muttered.
Leo's lips curled into a bitter smile.
"Let her run," he said. "She'll be back. Blood always comes home."
And from the darkness behind him… another figure stepped out.
Damon Cross.
Soaked, eyes gleaming.
"We need to talk," Damon said.
And Leo grinned.