Vivian really tried to focus on the lecture, but it seemed like she was the only person in the room who made that effort. It felt as if even Professor Yates was giving up at times. With a heavy sigh, he returned to casually flipping through his notes, interrupting his speech. And when he did continue talking about Mycenaean architectural relics, his gaze wandered from time to time, and his voice became less assertive. He gave up on trying to silence the students, as a few minutes after each attempt, the room would fill with the hum of small conversations again.

The girl looked at the futility of the notes in her yellow notebook. Most of the sentences were cut off halfway, as she couldn't hear the elder lecturer's remarks. With a quiet sigh, she rested her chin on her hand and began sketching the Lion Gate, which had been projected on the screen for a while now. She made a few strokes with her black pen on the edge of the page, then raised her head again just as Yates pressed the button on the remote, transitioning to the next slide. Vivian clenched her teeth for a moment, suppressing her emotions, and straightened up in her chair.

It wasn't that she was incredibly fascinated by the history of the first architectural discoveries. She wasn't an excessive fan of the lecturer himself, whose voice sounded as if he was entitled to retire years ago. He had probably been teaching this subject for a couple of decades, and he still had to rely on notes from a bulky binder, which could also be exhibited in a museum. Vivian felt a sense of duty. She had to at least try to meet the demands of these studies. She had to do everything to prove that she was capable of something more. That she wasn't just a carbon copy of her own mother, who returned to her hometown of Oakbridge before the halfway point of her second year, tail between her legs.

Yet here she was, within the same walls of St. Edmund's University. In the same department her mother attended almost twenty years ago. It wouldn't surprise her if fate sat her in the same seat her mother sat in, probably listening to lectures given by Yates as well. But did she even listen back then? Maybe she was already busy flirting with the dark-eyed boy she spotted a few rows ahead? Vivian had heard countless times from her extended family and her mother's friends how much she resembled her. However, Vivian could precisely list all the traits she couldn't have inherited from her. The chocolate eyes that only in strong light didn't resemble black coals. The tan that appeared with the first sunny days, although the freckles that accompanied it belonged to Jocelyn. The hair that never took on blond shades, similar to the one her mother constantly received compliments on. All of this for Vivian was just a clue.

There was something else. The conviction that she shouldn't be here. That someone had made a terrible mistake when she received the letter in the summer that changed her choice of university. Hillcrest was closer, and St. Edmund's University had an impeccable reputation. The decision to grant her a full scholarship. Viv did decent on the exams and had applied for every possible grant and scholarship at every university she applied to, but she simply didn't expect such an outcome. Even before taking her first steps in Hillcrest, her stomach was tied in a tight knot of stress. She was not only starting a new, independent stage of life in a completely unfamiliar town, but she was going with the belief that she would not find her name on the list of students upon arrival. Maybe she accidentally stole someone's place who deserved it much more?

However, it was now the second week of classes, and only one of the lecturers consistently mispronounced her name, calling her Vienna instead. Her dorm mates seemed fine, although they had been mostly preoccupied with settling in and adjusting to university life. It didn't make it easy to make new friends, but Vivian had a bit of luck in that regard.

In addition to the student who showed her around campus on the first day, she quickly managed to make another friend. Choosing to sit next to the fiery-haired girl in their first class proved to be crucial in getting to know the town from the inside out. Sarah was from Hillcrest and enthusiastically shared knowledge that Vivian couldn't find anywhere else. She recommended an old ice cream parlor near the cathedral and listed which students in their year surely got into the university through family connections, emphasizing that nepotism thrived in the whole town and showed no signs of changing soon. She quickly pointed her finger at her old friend from elementary school and advised Vivian to be cautious in her company if she didn't plan on drastically changing her hairstyle anytime soon. Sarah talked a lot, and it seemed like she held a grudge for a long time.

"Sarah, could you... lower your voice a bit?" Vivian nudged her friend's elbow when Yates decided to jump to the next topic once again. The red-haired girl didn't stay silent for more than two minutes throughout the entire lecture. Even when she couldn't find an engaged listener in Vivian, she quickly turned to her neighbor on the right to continue the same whispered conversation that filled the entire lecture hall.

"What? Oh, right." The girl glanced at Vivian over her shoulder, then turned completely towards her. "But you won't believe what Toby just showed me."

"I'm really trying to focus..."

"He has a photo of when they found Abigail." Sarah finished her sentence anyway.

Abigail didn't need any introduction. The news had spread throughout the campus after the morning classes. Hour by hour, new unconfirmed pieces of information reached the students, fueling their curiosity. The police hadn't issued an official statement yet, but that didn't stop people from creating their own theories about the murder. Vivian felt a shiver run down her spine every time she heard new speculations about the brutality of the crime: a removed heart, or even acts of cannibalism that supposedly took place. A student murdered in the second week of the academic year. Maybe she really made the wrong choice of university. However, it was a bit too late to change her decision now. Even though she didn't want to see the picture of the murdered girl, curiosity eventually got the better of her.

"Somebody from the upper years has a brother or father in the police," Sarah waved her hand, indicating that the details were unimportant. "Just look." The girl pulled out her phone from the hands of the boy sitting next to her and showed the photo to Vivian. Vivian's gaze instinctively followed the photograph, showing a young woman with long black hair lying in an unnatural position among the forest undergrowth. Her head tilted backward, lips slightly parted, and her wide-open eyes devoid of life. The clothing, or rather the tattered remnants, clearly bore traces of blood, although it was difficult to clearly see the wounds on Abigail's body in this one photo.

"It's horrible. Don't show me such things," Vivian turned her head away, grimacing with disgust, and looked around the lecture hall, trying to find a point of focus to push away the image of that horrifying scene.

"I know..." Sarah also seemed visibly disturbed, but the tone of her voice betrayed a hint of intrigue. "Just think about what sick bastard could do something like this." Sarah handed the phone back to its owner andturned her attention back to Vivian. "You should be careful. They found her not far from the dorms."

"That's kind of strange, don't you think?" Vivian asked, leaning closer to Sarah. She finally caught her attention enough for Viv to put down her pen and rest her elbows on the desk. "There are forests all around. The murderer could have dumped the body anywhere, and no one would have found Abigail for at least a few days, if not months."

"Maybe he didn't have time to move the body."

"Maybe... But he had enough time to mutilate it. It sounds more like he wanted to show off."

"Oooh..." Sarah looked around the room intrigued. "That will surely fuel rumors of a cult."

"Of what?" Vivian looked at her friend, raising an eyebrow.

Sarah waved her hand, indicating that it was nothing serious. "You know, in Hillcrest, there's this group of families. They've been living here for generations, and some even say since the founding of the town. They're... at least peculiar."

"What do you mean by peculiar?" Vivian asked, even more intrigued, and Sarah leaned closer to her as if she didn't want anyone else to hear her words.

"I told you nepotism thrives here, and they... You could say they practically own the town. They have a few big businesses, sit on the city council, and have the university authorities wrapped around their finger. They live unnervingly close to each other, like in some commune. They have kids around our age who live together in an old mansion outside town. People like to gossip that they're in some cult, or more zealous conspiracy theorists say they're worshippers of Satan" Sarah rolled her eyes at the absurdity of the idea. "To me, they're just a bunch of privileged rich people," she added enviously.

After that explanation, Vivian straightened up in her chair, still furrowing her brow. Hillcrest continued to surprise her. A murder on campus in the early weeks of the semester and a supposed cult ruling the town. Was it really too late to change her university choice?

"Don't worry," Sarah added, noticing her worried expression. "They'll probably catch the murderer soon, considering how sloppy he was. There will be patrols on the streets, and we're finishing classes early today. You should be safe during the day, Kiddo," she smiled warmly and patted Vivian's back reassuringly.

"Well, actually... I have a dinner tonight," Vivian murmured, still processing all the new information.

Sarah looked at her outfit, consisting of a light beige blouse, dark plaid pants, and a reddish sweater. With a more discerning eye, it did seem more elegant than what Vivian usually wore.

"That's a bit weak for a date," Sarah clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "And you picked a great day for it."

"It's not a date," Vivian muttered, grimacing slightly. "I was invited by the girl who showed me around campus. She's the daughter of one of the deans. And you know, with the scholarship and all... I couldn't really refuse," she said, trying not to create problems or draw unnecessary attention to herself. She secretly hoped that even if she didn't find answers to her doubts about being admitted to university, maybe this dinner would help silence her fears.

"I see..." Sarah looked at her again, then turned her attention back to the front of the class. Maybe for the first time during the entire lecture, which was coming to an end. However, it didn't last long, as she turned to Vivian again after a while. "Wait a minute. The daughter of the dean of the Humanities department? Don't tell me you're talking about Daisy Thompson."

Vivian nodded uncertainly, and Sarah burst into a mocking laughter.

"Watch out, Burton," she sneered. "The Thompsons are one of those families I mentioned."