Gravemont University

“What doesn’t kill you, makes you stranger.”

— Friedrich Nietzsche

Two weeks later, Lucia stood outside their building with her single duffel bag, a cheap but sturdy suitcase, and a secondhand backpack slung over one shoulder. Her mom was dabbing her eyes behind oversized sunglasses while her dad loaded the last of her things into the cab.

“You’ll text us the second you land,” her mom said for the tenth time.

“I will.”

“And don’t talk to strangers—unless it’s your professors.”

“Mom,” she said gently, chuckling.

Her dad stepped forward, pulling her into one last, crushing hug. “Show them what you’re made of, Lu. Don’t let anyone tell you you don’t belong.”

She nodded, gripping them both like she was five again and scared of the dark.

The ride to the airport felt unreal. As the city blurred past the cab window, Lucia leaned her forehead against the glass, replaying every moment in her head. She’d made it. Sort of. And yet… something felt strange. Like she was on the edge of something she couldn’t see yet.

Gravemont University, Manhattan

The first glimpse of Verdance was breathtaking.

Tall, ivy-covered buildings lined up like a modern castle campus. Students strolled across marble courtyards wearing designer shoes and carrying coffee cups from cafés with French names. Luxury cars pulled up to the curb while uniformed staff helped with luggage.

Lucia stepped out of the cab, suddenly hyper-aware of her braces, the slight creak of her suitcase wheels, and the way her oversized hoodie swallowed her small frame. She adjusted her thick-framed glasses, the ones she wore on purpose, and pushed back her frizzy ponytail.

She could already feel the eyes.

Pretty ones. Cruel ones. Glittering ones.

The first whisper came as she passed a group of girls in Louboutin heels and sleek ponytails.

“Is that the janitor’s daughter?” one of them said, loud enough for Lucia to hear.

“She smells like mop water.”

“Bet she got in through charity.”

“Maybe she’s the scholarship pet project of the year.”

Lucia kept her head down. Her hands curled tighter around the suitcase handle.

No one looked her way. Or if they did, they looked through her.

She checked in at the main hall, signed dorm papers, and was led to a small single room tucked in the quieter side of the campus. It wasn’t much..but it was hers.

The dorm tower loomed like a castle carved out of frozen stone..ornate, terrifying, and far too expensive.

That night, as she unpacked her clothes and pinned a photo of her family above her desk, she caught her reflection in the mirror. Braces. Oversized hoodie. Nerdy glasses.

She looked... forgettable. And that was the point.

Because GRAVEMONTwas a place of masks. And she was going to wear hers well.

No one would see the fire she carried inside.

Not yet.

But someday... they would.

Because pretty girls?

They make damn good liars.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***