The gates hadn't fully closed yet.
That was their mistake.
Rory was the first to slip through, eyes sharp, instincts louder than logic. Edrix followed, quieter but more calculating. Eren and Cin exchanged one look—just one—and stepped in too.
The gravel path stretched endlessly ahead, lined with perfectly trimmed hedges and dim, elegant lights that flickered on as the sun dipped lower. The mansion stood tall in the distance—less like a house, more like a statement.
"Tell me this isn't what I think it is," Cin muttered under her breath.
"No normal student lives here," Edrix replied, already scanning everything.
Eren didn't say anything. His gaze was fixed ahead.
On her.
Jay.
She had been walking up the steps like she owned the world—and maybe she did. But then she stopped.
Slowly… she turned.
Silence dropped like a blade.
Her eyes landed on them instantly. No surprise. No confusion.
Just… amusement.
A slow smirk curved her lips.
"Well," she said, tilting her head slightly, voice dripping with sarcasm, "this is new."
No one spoke.
She let her gaze pass over each of them—Rory, Edrix, Eren, Cin—as if she had already calculated a hundred possibilities in that single second.
"What?" she continued, folding her arms. "Field trip? Or did stalking become a Section E hobby overnight?"
Rory scoffed lightly, trying to mask the tension. "You didn't exactly leave much room for trust."
Jay chuckled softly, not offended in the slightest.
"Fair."
A pause.
Then, unexpectedly, she stepped aside.
"Since you're already here," she said casually, gesturing toward the massive doors behind her, "might as well come in."
They hesitated.
That was the thing about Jay—nothing she did felt simple.
But curiosity won.
It always did.
The doors opened with a quiet, heavy sound.
And the moment they stepped inside—
Everything changed.
The interior was breathtaking.
High ceilings stretched above them, adorned with intricate chandeliers that cast a soft golden glow. The floors were polished marble, reflecting every step they took. A grand staircase curved elegantly to the upper floors, like something straight out of a movie.
But it wasn't just luxury.
It was control.
Every detail felt intentional. Clean. Precise.
"This is insane…" Cin whispered.
Jay didn't react. She was already walking ahead, hands in her pockets.
"Try not to touch anything," she said lightly. "Some of it bites."
They couldn't tell if she was joking.
She led them through a wide corridor that opened into the back of the mansion—
And that's when they saw it.
The pool.
It wasn't just a pool—it was massive, stretching across the backyard like a private resort. The water shimmered under soft lights, perfectly still. Lounge chairs were arranged neatly around it, and beyond that, a garden that looked untouched by time.
Rory let out a low whistle. "Okay… this is ridiculous."
Eren finally spoke, voice quieter than usual. "You live here?"
Jay glanced at him, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"Something like that."
Edrix was still observing everything—the exits, the cameras, the layout. "This isn't just a house."
Jay's eyes flickered with something unreadable.
"No," she said softly. "It isn't."
She stopped near the seating area by the pool and turned to them.
"Sit. Or stand. Or keep overthinking—it's entertaining either way."
Without waiting for a response, she added, "I'll be back."
And just like that, she walked away.
Time passed.
Not long—but enough to make it uncomfortable.
Rory leaned against one of the chairs, arms crossed. "She knew we were there."
"Obviously," Edrix replied. "We didn't sneak in. We were allowed in."
"That's worse," Cin said.
Eren's gaze remained on the mansion doors. "She's not normal."
No one disagreed.
Footsteps.
They turned.
Jay was back.
But not the same.
Gone was the sharp, composed version of her from before. Now she wore something simpler—comfortable clothes, relaxed, effortless. Her hair slightly loosened, her posture less formal.
And somehow—
That made her even more dangerous.
Because now she looked like she belonged here.
Like this was her real world.
She stepped down toward them, completely at ease, as if nothing about this situation was unusual.
"Well," she said, glancing at all of them, "you've seen the mansion."
A pause.
Her smirk returned.
"Now what exactly were you hoping to find?" 👀