Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

St. Helena's Academy was a world of its own. A self-contained, hierarchical ecosystem where status was everything, and power wasn't given--it was taken.

At the top of that world sat Ruby Lancaster.

She didn't walk through the halls--she owned them. Every step of her designer heels against the polished marble floors was a quiet reminder of who ruled here. Every glance in her direction--furtive, admiring, fearful--was proof of her dominion. She was undeniable, unshakable, a queen among peasants.

And the peasants knew their place.

They gave her gifts, expensive and thoughtful--bracelets, perfumes, handwritten notes filled with empty adoration--as if their offerings could buy favor. They flattered her, their compliments dripping like honey, desperate to remain in her good graces. And they obeyed her. Instinctively, effortlessly. Because to displease Ruby Lancaster was to become nothing.

Her power was effortless. A mere tilt of her head could send rumors spreading like wildfire. A single word could shatter reputations. She had ruined girls before--one misplaced comment, one moment of disrespect, and suddenly, they were pariahs. Forgotten. Invisible.

She loved it.

She lived for it.

Because this was who she was. The girl who was envied. The girl who was feared. The girl who decided.

And she had never--never--questioned it.

---

Sofie was unremarkable.

She arrived at the academy a month ago, slipping into the hierarchy without making so much as a ripple. She was polite. Quiet. Smart. The kind of student teachers adored--not just because of her grades but because she was disciplined. Orderly. A model pupil who never spoke out of turn, never let her uniform wrinkle, never missed a deadline.

She never sat alone at lunch, but she wasn't popular either. She had acquaintances, not friends. People liked her well enough, but no one noticed her. No one wondered what lay behind those steady yet piercing blue eyes.

They should have.

The first sign came with Daniel Porter.

Daniel was a brute. A small-time bully--nothing on Ruby's level, but loud enough to make people flinch when he walked by. He liked picking on the weaker kids, the ones who couldn't fight back. It was just who he was.

And one day, he turned his sights on Sofie.

No one saw exactly what happened. Only that, at lunch, he'd backed her into a corner, sneering, laughing, probably saying something vile--because that was Daniel. That was what he did.

And the next day Daniel Porter was quiet.

Not sick. Not suspended. Just quiet.

He still came to school, still went through the motions, but something was off. His usual loudmouth jeering was gone. He didn't push smaller kids in the halls anymore. Didn't snap at teachers when they called on him. Didn't look anyone in the eye.

No one connected it to Sofie.

Why would they?

She was just a normal girl.

Just a smart, disciplined, soft-spoken girl.

Who never let her uniform wrinkle.

Who never spoke out of turn.

Who never missed a deadline.

---

Ruby Lancaster didn't notice Sofie at first.

Why would she? The girl was unremarkable.

She was one of those forgettable, background students who existed only as filler--smart but not brilliant, polite but not interesting, present but never important.

And in Lancaster Academy, you were either important or you were nothing.

Ruby didn't tolerate nothing.

Yet...

Something about the girl bothered her.

It wasn't obvious at first. Just a feeling--an itch beneath her skin whenever Sofie passed by. The girl never flinched like the others. Never averted her gaze. Never tried to curry favor like the rest of the academy's pathetic little worshippers.

She didn't avoid Ruby.

But she didn't fear her, either.

And that was wrong.

Ruby wasn't used to that kind of indifference.

Then, there were the whispers.

"Did you see Daniel? He's been acting... off."

"Yeah. Ever since that thing with the new girl."

"Wait--Sofie? No way. What could she have possibly done to him?"

Ruby's interest snapped into place.

Porter was one of hers. Not a friend--Ruby didn't have friends--but an extension of her power. He was loud, mean, and useful.

And yet--one interaction with plain, forgettable Sofie had left him... shaken.

That wasn't normal.

And Ruby hated things that weren't normal.

She had to see for herself.

So she watched. Observed.

And the more she watched, the more she saw it.

Tiny, imperceptible shifts in the people around Sofie. A girl who had mocked her last week now offering a shy smile. A teacher who had once dismissed her now lingering when she spoke. Even the academy's usual predators--the bullies, the manipulators--giving her a strange, quiet distance.

And then--Ruby heard it.

"Sofie's... really easy to talk to."

"I don't know. She just... understands things."

"She makes you see things differently."

That was when Ruby decided.

Sofie was an anomaly.

And anomalies had to be corrected.

It started small.

A passive-aggressive remark in the hallway. A look of utter disdain when Sofie spoke in class. A slow, deliberate dismissal of her presence--because Ruby wanted her to feel it.

The reminder that she was nothing.

Yet Sofie never reacted the way Ruby wanted.

She didn't cower.

She didn't fight back.

She just... watched.

Calm. Still. Measured.

Like she was studying her.

And Ruby Lancaster had never felt studied before.

It sent something sharp and ugly crawling up her spine.

So Ruby pushed harder.

A whispered comment in the cafeteria, loud enough for others to hear.

"God, she's just so boring, isn't she? It's honestly painful to watch."

A quiet chuckle from her entourage. A few stolen glances in Sofie's direction.

And finally--finally--Sofie looked at her.

And then--

Ruby made the mistake.

---

Ruby Lancaster was a predator by nature. She knew how to read people, how to sniff out weakness like blood in the water, how to tear someone down with nothing but a look and a well-placed word.

Sofie was... nothing.

A dull, plain little thing who barely made a sound when she moved, who never spoke out of turn, who sat alone at lunch and disappeared the moment classes ended. Not an outcast, not a weirdo--just forgettable.

And yet, something about her bothered Ruby.

It wasn't the way she acted--it was the way others acted around her.

The small, insignificant things that didn't make sense. The way the teachers liked her but never called on her, as if subconsciously hesitant. The way the students ignored her--not out of malice, but like they were avoiding something they didn't understand. And that bully--Daniel, an absolute dog who tormented the weak for sport--he'd confronted her once. Ruby had seen it happen. He'd grabbed Sofie's wrist, sneering, ready to play his usual games.

And then the next day, Daniel was quiet.

Not injured. Not sulking. Not beaten.

Just quiet.

As if something had been... removed from him.

Ruby should have ignored it. Should have dismissed Sofie as just another boring girl unworthy of her attention.

But she didn't.

Because Sofie didn't just ignore Ruby's presence.

She dismissed it.

Like Ruby was insignificant. Like Ruby was no different from any of the other disposable, meaningless students in this place.

And that?

That was unacceptable.

So Ruby watched her. Waited. Plotted.

Then one day, she saw it--A moment of vulnerability.

Sofie had a notebook. A plain, unmarked thing, but she never let it out of her sight. Ruby saw her writing in it constantly, her face neutral, controlled--but her fingers clenched too hard around the pen. Her shoulders curled forward, just a fraction too much. And the one time a student accidentally knocked it off her desk, Sofie had frozen. Not gasped, not flinched--just froze for half a second before snatching it up, her face blank.

It was important.

And Ruby Lancaster collected important things.

So she smiled.

And she plotted.

And when the moment was right, she plucked the notebook from Sofie's bag with the deftness of a magician, the same notebook Sofie always scribbled away in all the time, making notes... and walked into the girls' locker room, closing the door shut with a final click.

At first, Ruby didn't understand what she was looking at.

It wasn't a diary. No sickeningly sweet confessions of teenage crushes, no tear-stained rants about unfair teachers or bad grades. No, this was something else entirely.

Names.

Pages and pages of them, each accompanied by notes in meticulous, almost clinical handwriting.

- Daniel P. -- Temper control issues. Weak father figure. Needs dominance to function. Struggles with silence.

- Joanne P. -- Seeks validation. Easily guilt-tripped. Breaks under sustained shame.

- Mrs. Calloway -- Believes in innocence. Hesitates before punishing. 

It wasn't until she flipped a few pages further that Ruby saw her own name.

At first, her lips curled in amusement. Of course she was in here. She was Ruby Lancaster, after all. People noticed her. People obsessed over her. She had followers, she had admirers, she had enemies--it was only natural someone like this pathetic Sofie girl would take an interest.

But then she actually read what was written.

Ruby Lancaster.

Arrogant. Queen bee. Mask of confidence. Craves admiration. Cannot tolerate being ignored.

Ego above all else.

Unfamiliar with true fear.

Unfamiliar with being small.

Will shatter if she ever learns what it means to be helpless.

A slow chill curled around her spine.

This wasn't some pathetic girl admiring her. This wasn't some loser scribbling jealous notes about how much they wished they could be her.

This was study.

This was observation.

And Ruby knew, with the same instinct that told her how to break people down, that Sofie had been watching her first.

Something prickled beneath her skin. A wrongness. A realization she couldn't quite name.

For the first time in years, Ruby Lancaster felt something she had not felt in a very, very long time.

A flicker. A whisper.

Unease.

And then, behind her--

The door creaked open.

The door clicked shut.

Behind her, footsteps. Slow. Deliberate. No panic, no anger.

She turned.

Sofie stood just inside the door, her expression unreadable. There was no rage, no shock, no fear. If anything, she looked... disappointed.

No--pitying.

Ruby's stomach twisted.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Sofie asked, voice soft.

For the first time in her life, Ruby didn't have a response.

Her fingers clenched around the notebook. Her pulse was too fast, her breath a little too shallow. But she forced herself to sneer, lifting the book like it was a weapon.

"This is some freaky shit, you know that?" she said. "Spying on people, writing about them like they're--"

Sofie tilted her head.

"Like they're what?"

Ruby hesitated.

Sofie took a single step forward.

"You think this is strange, don't you?" Sofie continued, voice patient. "Because you've never seen something like it. Because you don't take notes. You don't have to study people. You just act on instinct."

Her gaze flickered down, just for a second. Ruby followed it--realized, too late, that her fingers had tightened around the book, holding it close.

Like it was important.

Like it was hers.

Sofie smiled.

"You're holding onto it pretty tightly," she mused. "You must have liked what you read."

Ruby's grip loosened immediately. "Shut up."

That was the wrong thing to say.

Sofie's expression shifted--not anger, not smugness, but something more controlled. Something precise.

Something dangerous.

"You're upset," Sofie murmured. "But not because I wrote about you. No... you're upset because it's right."

Ruby's breath hitched.

Sofie took another step. Slow. Unhurried.

"Tell me, Ruby... how does it feel to be read like a book?"

Silence.

The air in the locker room felt thicker somehow.

Sofie's voice remained gentle.

"It's funny," she said. "You rule this school. People fear you. Obey you. And yet, standing here right now..."

She leaned in--just slightly. Just enough to make Ruby's instincts scream at her to move, to get away.

"You don't feel powerful at all, do you?"

Ruby's nails bit into her palms.

She had made a mistake.

Sofie smiled gently and gestured at the book.

"Go on. Ill wait."

---

Ruby turned another page, her eyes widening as she flipped through the notebook.

It was fascinating, really. Unsettling, but fascinating. Sofie had detailed entire personality dissections of students--breaking down their behaviors, their habits, their fears. It wasn't just gossip; it was surgical. Cold. Mechanical.

And then she found it.

At first, she thought it was just another one of Sofie's psychological breakdowns of people. But as she read, her eyes narrowed.

This one was different.

It wasn't about a student. It was about her.

Not her, Ruby Lancaster. But her, the Sofie before Sofie.

A name she didn't recognize.

A life that didn't exist anymore.

A story that sent a ripple of something uneasy down Ruby's spine.

It was written like an autopsy.

A cold, clinical recording of a girl who once existed. Who once had hopes. Dreams. Attachments.

And then--she broke.

There were no descriptions of pain. No emotions. No melodrama.

Just the dissection of a mind snapping apart.

No recovery. No rebuilding.

Only removal.

As if the girl had been deleted.

Ruby furrowed her brows. "What the hell...?"

She read on, skimming through sentences.

"This was the moment she ceased to be a person. The last attachment severed. The last illusion dissolved. There was no sadness. No grief. No rage. Just the realization that humanity was a liability. A pointless delusion."

The last line sent a chill creeping up her spine:

"From that moment forward, she was something else. Something better. Something that would never be weak again."

Ruby swallowed.

This wasn't a diary. It was a eulogy.

A eulogy for Sofie's former self.

A slow, creeping unease settled in Ruby's chest. She felt something prickling at the edges of her mind--an instinct she rarely acknowledged.

Fear.

Sofie stood there.

Calm. Collected. Watching.

There was no anger on her face. No malice.

"Done yet?"

 Sofie murmured, stepping forward.

Ruby stiffened. She forced out a scoff, trying to steady herself. "So you used to be some freaky emo girl? Big deal."

Sofie just smiled.

A slow, patient smile.

Like Ruby had said something adorably naïve.

Like Ruby was already hers.

She tilted her head. "Do you think you understand what you've read, Ruby?"

Something about the way she said her name made Ruby's stomach turn.

She didn't respond.

Sofie stepped closer.

Calm. Measured. Inevitable.

"I suppose I should thank you," she murmured, reaching out--brushing a single, cold fingertip along Ruby's wrist. "I was uncertain before."

Her voice was gentle. Almost kind.

"But now..."

Her fingers closed just slightly.

Enough for Ruby to feel the absence of warmth.

Enough for her to know--something was very, very wrong.

"...Now I'm certain."

---

Ruby wasn't afraid. She wasn't.

It wasn't fear that made her hesitate before walking into a room. It wasn't fear that made her scan the halls before stepping into them. It wasn't fear that had her listening--for soft footsteps, for the absence of sound, for something she couldn't name.

No, she was simply being cautious. Being aware.

Prey runs from predator. Predator runs after prey. The prey change, the predators bring about the change.

It was... only logical.

She wasn't avoiding Sofie. That would imply Sofie had any sort of power over her. No, this was strategy. She was simply positioning herself optimally. Staying ahead. Maintaining control.

And yet...

Sometimes she would catch herself staring--not at Sofie, but for her. Her eyes would drift, searching across the cafeteria, the courtyard, the lecture hall. A glance to confirm, to assess. A glance that should have meant nothing.

And then, sometimes, Sofie would be looking back.

Not smiling. Not frowning. Just... watching. With that same quiet amusement, that same unbearable pity.

Prey runs from predator. Predator runs after prey. The prey change, the predators bring about the change.

It was... only logical.

Ruby found herself adjusting. Her usual seat in class--too exposed. She moved. Her path to the dorms--too predictable. She changed it. Her routine--too vulnerable. She refined it, optimized it, corrected it.

She was simply being smart.

Prey runs from predator. Predator runs after prey.

She wasn't prey.

The prey change, the predators bring about the change.

She was just adapting.

It was... only logical.

---

The day was perfect.

Jennifer had taste. The poolside party was carefully curated--the right music thrumming through hidden speakers, the right selection of guests basking under the sun, the right kind of drinks passed around in sleek, sweating glasses. The air was thick with chlorine, sunscreen, and effortless luxury.

Only the right people were here.

Jennifer made sure of that.

She was Ruby's second-in-command--the girl who handled the fine details, who made sure nothing was out of place. She wasn't as feared, as worshiped, but she was trusted. If Jennifer invited you, it meant you belonged.

Which was why Ruby hesitated at the edge of the deck, staring at the girl she knew did not.

Sofie sat beneath the shade of a linen-draped canopy, legs crossed, posture pristine, an untouched drink in her hands. She was dry--hadn't even considered getting into the pool. She wasn't laughing, wasn't gossiping, wasn't socializing.

And yet she was here.

Ruby turned sharply to Jennifer. "Why?"

Jennifer tilted her sunglasses down, confusion flickering across her tanned features. "Why what?"

Ruby gestured, subtle but pointed. Why is she here?

Jennifer followed her gaze, then shrugged. "I invited her."

"That doesn't answer my question."

Jennifer sighed, pushing her glasses back up. "I don't know. It just...felt like the right thing to do. Shes nice..."

Ruby's stomach twisted.

Felt like the right thing to do.

The words were wrong. Not like Jennifer. Jennifer did things for a reason--social standing, power, leverage. She didn't just invite people without an agenda.

And yet, here Sofie was.

A permanent stone.

Ruby's fingers curled against her arms, nails pressing into skin.

She didn't belong.

She shouldn't be here.

And yet.

The eyes found her.

Blue--so blue they almost seemed unnatural in the golden haze of the afternoon. Blue like ice, like glass, like something sharp enough to cut.

They didn't blink. They didn't waver. They held.

Ruby felt her breath hitch--just a little, just enough for her fingers to tighten around her glass.

Prey runs from predator.

She wasn't prey.

Predator runs after prey.

She wasn't running.

The prey change, the predators bring about the change.

Her stomach twisted.

It was...only logical.

Ruby tore her gaze away, forcing herself to move, to breathe. She was imagining things. Sofie was a nobody, a fluke, an anomaly. Jennifer probably took pity on her--yes, that had to be it. Nothing more. Nothing sinister.

And yet.

No matter where she went, no matter how many conversations she forced herself into, laughter she faked, distractions she clung to--every time she glanced up, those blue eyes were there. Watching. Calculating. Waiting.

A permanent stone.

A cold, unyielding weight, pressing against the edges of her mind.

She was afraid.

It was...only logical.

Ruby was moving. Talking. Laughing at things that weren't funny.

She floated from group to group, pressing against the normalcy of the party, anchoring herself in familiar faces, in control. She was in control. This was her world, her domain, her people.

And yet.

The weight never left her.

Those eyes never left her.

Every time she glanced up, every time she allowed herself a fraction of a second to confirm what she already knew--Sofie was there.

Under the canopy.

By the drink station.

Standing at the pool's edge, head tilted, watching the way the light cut across the water.

It was infuriating.

It was illogical.

Ruby wasn't hiding from her. That would be ridiculous. That would be pathetic. She was simply...avoiding unnecessary interaction. Sofie was nothing. A blip, a momentary disturbance in a world that would inevitably correct itself.

And yet.

When she turned the corner, slipping through the archway that led into the main house, when she exhaled, shoulders rolling back, body finally free from that pressure--

A presence shifted behind her.

Soft, quiet steps.

Slow. Unhurried.

Ruby didn't turn around. She didn't need to.

She already knew.

Sofie.

She was following her.

No. That wasn't right. Ruby wasn't running.

She was simply...removing herself from unnecessary company. That was normal. That was logical.

The steps grew closer.

A hand brushed the doorframe beside her, a casual, almost absentminded motion. Ruby swallowed.

"You've been avoiding me."

The voice was soft. Pleasant. Sofie's voice had always been pleasant. There was no accusation in it, no sharpness, no challenge.

Just observation.

Ruby turned slowly.

Sofie stood just a foot away. Close. Too close.

Her expression was neutral--not smiling, not frowning, just...there. Blue eyes met Ruby's, head tilting ever so slightly, as if studying something small, something delicate.

Something fragile.

Ruby scoffed, crossing her arms. "I have not been avoiding you."

A pause.

Sofie blinked. "Of course not."

No argument. No sarcasm.

Just agreement.

And yet--

It wasn't.

Ruby's jaw clenched. "Why are you even here?"

Sofie hummed, as if genuinely considering the question.

Jennifer had invited her.

And Jennifer never invited people without a reason.

Ruby had been so sure of that.

Sofie tilted her head.

"I belong here," she said.

The words crawled down Ruby's spine, slow and precise, nestling deep into something she couldn't quite reach.

She didn't.

She couldn't.

And yet.

Sofie was here.

Ruby had no counterargument.

No response.

Because the fact remained--

Sofie was here.

---

Ruby had spent years perfecting the art of control. Of making people kneel without them realizing they had done so. Her world bent for her.

Sofie didn't bend.

She didn't move.

She stood there--unshaken, unimpressed, and unbothered, as if Ruby was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. A passing thought.

And that infuriated Ruby.

The tension between them was unbearable. Sofie had done nothing, said nothing, and yet Ruby's entire body was taut, waiting for something, some shift, some cue--

She forced herself to scoff, shifting her weight to one side, folding her arms. "You belong here?" she sneered. "You're nobody. You don't even--"

Sofie moved.

It wasn't dramatic. No explosion of motion, no sudden lunge, no theatrical display of dominance.

Just a single step forward.

But it was closer.

Too close.

Sofie was just... there.

Ruby stepped back before she could think.

Something inside her twisted.

Sofie didn't chase. She didn't demand.

She simply stepped into Ruby's space--into her world--and watched as Ruby yielded without a word.

A slow blink.

Sofie's voice was soft. Pleasant.

"I think you should apologize."

The words hit Ruby like an open hand across the face. Her mouth opened--what?--but no sound came out.

Apologize?

To her?

Sofie took another step.

Ruby stepped back.

Another.

Back.

The wall caught her.

Something primal sparked in her chest--like a small animal realizing too late that it had backed into a trap.

Sofie was looking at her, head tilting just slightly, as if studying something small.

Something weak.

"It's only polite," she murmured, voice gentle, almost coaxing. "You read something that didn't belong to you back then, didn't you?"

The air was too thick.

Ruby swallowed, pressing her back against the wall, hating how small she felt, how trapped.

Sofie wasn't touching her.

She hadn't forced Ruby against the wall.

Ruby had done that to herself.

"I--I don't have to apologize to you." she snapped, but her voice lacked the sharp edge it was supposed to have. It sounded... off. Weak.

Sofie didn't argue.

Didn't demand.

Didn't need to.

She just tilted her head, watching, waiting.

Letting the silence settle, letting Ruby feel the weight of it, the suffocating pressure of something she couldn't explain.

The tension stretched.

And then--

"I'm sorry."

The words slipped out before Ruby could stop them.

She hadn't even realized she was going to say them.

The moment they left her lips, something in Sofie's expression shifted--just slightly.

A flicker of something.

Not victory.

Not smugness.

Something inevitable.

As if this was simply how things were supposed to be.

Ruby stared, breath catching.

She had--

No.

No, that didn't--

It made sense, didn't it?

She had invaded Sofie's privacy. She had crossed a line. It was only logical to apologize.

Right?

Sofie's lips curled--just barely.

She reached out.

Not to grab. Not to push.

Just the barest touch--a single finger beneath Ruby's chin, lifting it just slightly.

Not forcing.

Just... guiding.

Her voice was so quiet.

So gentle.

"There's a good girl."

The words sent a shudder down Ruby's spine.

Something deep, something instinctual, something she did not understand.

Sofie stepped back.

The tension broke.

Air rushed into Ruby's lungs.

She wasn't sure when she had stopped breathing.

---

Ruby Lancaster had always trusted her instincts. A queen bee didn't question herself--she commanded. She made decisions, and others obeyed. That was the natural order. That was logical.

But now...

Now every thought had to be filtered. Every impulse had to be examined. There was no more instinct--there was only logic and illogic.

Avoiding Sofie had been logical. The girl was a problem.

Giving in had been illogical. And yet...

She had done it anyway.

And worse, when Sofie had praised her--Ruby had felt something warm bloom inside her chest. A soft glow of... what? Satisfaction? Pride?

She liked it.

She had liked Sofie's approval.

And that was terrifying.

---

The party was over. The music, the chatter, the splashing of the pool--distant memories now. Ruby sat curled up in her bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying the moment over and over.

It was supposed to have been humiliating. Sofie had called her a good girl, like she was some pet, some obedient little thing.

And yet.

And yet.

It was only logical.

She had spent days--weeks--avoiding Sofie, pulling away, keeping her distance. She had done everything in her power to reject her, and yet the moment Sofie had looked at her--spoken to her--she had folded in an instant.

Why?

Because prey runs from predator.

Because predator runs after prey.

Because the prey change, the predator brings about the change.

Because it was...

Only logical.

Her fingers curled into the sheets, her breathing uneven. No. No, this was wrong. She was strong. She was Ruby Lancaster. She didn't bow. She didn't submit.

And yet...

She had liked it.

The warmth in her chest, the subtle thrill, the strange comfort of being acknowledged--approved of--by her.

A sickening realization curled inside her gut.

Would Sofie praise her again if she apologized properly next time?

The thought came unbidden, unwanted, and yet it stuck--like a seed planted deep inside her brain.

Would it really be so bad?

Would it really be so...

Illogical?

Her breath caught in her throat.

She squeezed her eyes shut, curled into herself, tried to deny it--

But in the quiet of her room, in the dark of her thoughts--

She already knew the answer.

---

Ruby had spent the entire night wrestling with the thought, but the answer had been inevitable.

She had no choice.

Sofie had become an immovable presence in her mind--a constant, undeniable force. Avoiding her had been an illusion of control, a pathetic attempt to reclaim something that had already been taken.

So Ruby did what any rational person would do.

She stopped running.

She would face Sofie.

Not because she wanted to. Not because she was weak. But because...

It was only logical.

---

The academy halls hummed with the usual morning rush--chatter, hurried footsteps, laughter--but Ruby's world had narrowed to a singular focus.

She spotted her immediately.

Sofie sat at her usual place in the library, a book open in front of her, posture relaxed. The early morning sun filtered through the windows, casting soft golden light over her features. She looked...calm. Serene. As if she had never once doubted the world around her. As if she had never struggled, never feared.

Ruby's stomach twisted.

Why did it feel like Sofie was the only real thing in this entire academy?

She inhaled sharply, steeled herself, and walked forward.

Each step felt heavier than the last.

Her hands felt clammy. Her pulse pounded in her ears.

But she refused to falter.

Sofie didn't even look up when Ruby stopped beside her. Didn't acknowledge her presence.

Ruby hesitated.

Then--

She sat down.

A small movement. An insignificant action. But in her mind, it might as well have been a bow.

The silence stretched.

Sofie's eyes finally lifted from the book, those cold, piercing blue irises settling on Ruby with quiet amusement.

And then--

A slow, knowing smile.

"Good girl."

The words sent a shiver through Ruby's spine.

Her fingers curled against her lap. Her breath hitched.

The warmth returned.

The quiet, shameful glow of approval.

Sofie turned a page in her book, unconcerned. As if Ruby sitting here--Ruby choosing to come to her--had been inevitable.

And perhaps it had.

After all--

Prey runs from predator.

Predator runs after prey.

The prey change.

The predator brings about the change.

It was...

Only logical.

Chapter Text

Ruby wasn't sure when it had started--the heat curling in her stomach, the strange pull whenever Sofie was near. It was intrusive, unwelcome. And yet, when Sofie spoke--low, steady, absolute--something inside Ruby reacted. She had tried to deny it, but it had only grown worse.

It wasn't attraction. It wasn't.

Attraction was something stupid girls felt for boys they dreamed about. This was different. This was deeper. More insidious.

Sofie was a presence that Ruby could feel even when she wasn't looking. A pressure against her senses. A weight against her lungs. And when Sofie's gaze found her, sharp and knowing, Ruby's skin prickled, her throat dried, and something within her twisted.

She told herself it was fear.

Fear made sense.

Prey runs from predator. Predator runs after prey. The prey change. The predators bring about the change.

It was... only logical.

Ruby stood before Sofie now, trapped in the weight of that stare. It felt like being caught in an unblinking spotlight--no shadows left to hide in, no air left to breathe.

Sofie tilted her head, considering. She didn't touch Ruby. She didn't have to.

"You've been thinking about me," Sofie said, soft and certain.

Ruby flinched. "I--That's--"

A pause.

A moment too long.

Sofie's lips curved, just slightly. Not a smile. A recognition.

Ruby's skin burned. She clenched her fists, nails biting into her palm.

"I--No, I haven't," she said, but her voice cracked, and the humiliation burned hotter.

Sofie only stepped closer.

Not enough to touch. Not enough to really invade her space. But enough that Ruby could feel her. The heat of her. The cool scent of something clinical and clean, something that should have been impersonal but somehow made Ruby's head spin.

"You're a good girl, Ruby," Sofie murmured.

A violent shudder ran through Ruby before she could stop it.

The words coiled around her, sank into her ribs, slid down, down, down into the parts of her she wanted to pretend didn't exist.

No. No, no, no, no--

But Sofie was already turning away, already dismissing her as if Ruby were nothing but an inevitability. A puzzle already solved.

Ruby stood there, trembling.

Her knees felt weak. Her pulse roared in her ears.

She hated Sofie.

She hated the way those words made her feel.

She hated that she wanted to hear them again.

But...

It was only logical.

Ruby had never felt smaller in her life.

The world outside continued as normal--girls laughing, doors slamming--but inside, in this moment, time stood still.

Because Sofie was looking at her.

No, through her.

That cold, predatory gaze held no malice, no anger. Just interest. A vague amusement. Like a scientist studying a specimen under glass. Like a god looking down at a creature too insignificant to understand the vastness of what loomed above it.

And Ruby...

Ruby whimpered.

It was soft. Almost imperceptible. The kind of sound one might make when stepping into cold water, a sharp inhale, a barely-there exhale. But it was there. And it did not go unnoticed.

Sofie didn't move, but something in the air changed. A tension, thick and unyielding.

The corner of her lips twitched. Not a smirk. Not even a smile. Just the faintest ghost of something knowing.

"You poor thing," she murmured, almost fondly.

Ruby's stomach twisted. Heat bloomed where it shouldn't. A confusing, horrible tightness that made her legs feel weak. No, no, no, this wasn't happening. This wasn't--

Sofie stepped closer.

Not much. Just enough that Ruby could smell her. Something light, clinical--soap, maybe. Clean. Precise. Controlled. Everything about her was so controlled.

Ruby was the opposite. She was unravelling.

Her breath hitched.

Sofie tilted her head, her eyes searching, dissecting. And then, as if she had seen something Ruby herself couldn't, she exhaled softly.

Understanding.

Not ridicule. Not mockery. Understanding.

As if this was expected. As if this was natural.

And something in Ruby's mind supplied the words before she could stop them.

Prey reacts to the presence of a predator. It was...only logical.

She wanted to deny it. To fight it. But the thought latched on, burrowing deep. Because it made sense.

Her body wasn't betraying her.

It was obeying the rules of the world.

And Sofie... Sofie knew that.

Sofie had always known that.

Ruby swallowed. "I--I should go," she whispered, but it sounded weak. Feeble.

---

Minutes passed.

Ruby didn't leave.

She told herself she could, that at any moment, she could stand up, turn away, prove to herself that she wasn't--

Wasn't what?

Weak?

Trapped?

Changed?

But she didn't move.

She stayed.

Sofie turned another page in her book, completely at ease, as if Ruby's presence was nothing unusual. As if she had expected this.

Maybe she had.

Maybe Ruby had too.

The silence stretched, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was thick. Pressing. Every second that passed without acknowledgment twisted Ruby tighter, a strange heat curling in her stomach.

She hated that feeling.

She hated that she...

Wanted Sofie to look at her again.

And then--

"Still here?....Good girl."

The words were soft, almost absentminded. A reward for nothing. For existing in Sofie's space.

Ruby sucked in a sharp breath, her spine snapping straight.

No.

No, she shouldn't--

But the warmth spread faster this time, licking up her spine, settling deep in her chest. A sharp, unbearable spike of something she couldn't name.

Sofie still wasn't looking at her.

The casual dismissal, the way she barely needed to acknowledge Ruby to make her feel like--

Like what?

Ruby swallowed hard. "Don't--" Her voice wavered. She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. "Don't talk to me like that."

Sofie finally glanced up.

Slowly. Unhurried. As if she had all the time in the world.

Her eyes flicked over Ruby's clenched hands, the tight set of her jaw, the tell-tale tremor in her shoulders.

A slow, knowing smile.

"Then stop reacting to it."

Ruby's breath stilled in her throat.

Sofie wasn't teasing. She wasn't taunting.

She was stating a fact.

Ruby's body had reacted. Her pulse had spiked, her face had flushed, her breath had caught.

And Sofie had noticed.

Of course she had.

Ruby's skin burned.

"I--"

She couldn't finish. Couldn't form the words.

Sofie tilted her head, watching her struggle, watching the fight play out across her face. Then--

She reached for her cup of tea, lifted it gracefully, took a sip.

Calm. Unshaken.

And then:

"You came to me, Ruby."

A gentle reminder.

An undeniable truth.

Ruby's stomach twisted violently.

She had.

Prey runs from predator.

Predator runs after prey.

The prey change.

The predator brings about the change.

...It was only logical.

---

A week passed.

And Ruby was still here.

She didn't know when it had started, not really. The shift had been gradual--so subtle that if she hadn't been trapped inside her own mind, she might not have noticed it at all.

But she had.

She noticed everything.

How her footsteps carried her toward Sofie without thinking. How the weight of Sofie's eyes settled over her like something inevitable. How she waited for that low, steady voice to murmur good girl, each syllable pressing into her skin like a brand.

She told herself it was nothing.

It was just words.

Just approval.

What did it matter if she liked it?

And she did like it.

She liked it too much.

She shouldn't have. She knew she shouldn't have. But she liked it. She wanted it.

And Sofie knew.

Of course she knew.

Sofie never forced her to do anything. Never demanded. Never pushed too hard.

She only asked.

Small things. Insignificant things.

"Ruby, pass me that pencil."

And Ruby would hesitate. Her fingers would twitch. A war would rage in her skull, teeth bared, furious.

But then--

Sofie would glance at her, expectant. And Ruby--stupid, weak--would reach for the pencil, pick it up, hand it over.

Sofie would take it without a word.

And then--

"Good girl."

She wanted it.

That warmth. That pulse. That feeling of being seen. Being acknowledged.

She shouldn't have.

But she wanted it.

And Sofie didn't stop there.

"Could you get me some water?"

A pause. A hesitation.

Then Ruby would stand.

She would get the water.

She would place it in front of Sofie, and Sofie would take it, fingers brushing Ruby's just slightly, just enough to make something in Ruby's chest tighten.

"Good girl, Ruby."

And Ruby would feel it again--that pulse, sharp and insistent, burrowing deeper.

She wanted it.

She wanted it.

It was just water.

Just a pencil.

Just a small action.

It didn't mean anything.

But it did.

Because every task--every minuscule, meaningless action--earned her that praise.

And sometimes--sometimes--Sofie would touch her.

Not much. Not enough to be obvious.

A hand resting lightly on Ruby's wrist. Fingers brushing against her own when passing a book. A casual touch on her shoulder as Sofie leaned in just slightly to murmur something soft, something low, something that made Ruby's throat dry.

It wasn't enough.

She wanted it.

She wanted more.

She wanted more.

She shouldn't have.

But she did.

And she knew Sofie knew.

---

It wasn't just pencils anymore, it wasn't just water.

The tasks had changed.

Sofie never gave orders. She never demanded. She simply...asked. And Ruby listened.

Because when she listened, she was rewarded.

And she wanted it.

She wanted it.

She wasn't sure when the new tasks started, only that she found herself doing them before she had time to think.

"Stay late after class and take notes for me."

A simple request. Ruby had hesitated, had almost told Sofie to do it herself--but then--

Sofie's gaze. Calm. Expectant. Waiting.

And Ruby couldn't say no.

So she had stayed, she had written. She had done it well. And afterward, when she had handed the notebook to Sofie, she had received--

A smile.

Not just any smile. Sofie's smile. Subtle. Amused. Pleased.

"Good girl."

And Ruby's stomach had clenched, her thighs pressing together under the desk, heat curling low in her gut.

She wanted it.

The tasks became harder. More demanding.

"Carry my books."

"Help me with my work."

"Wait for me after class."

"Come here."

Every time, Ruby resisted. Every time, something inside her screamed. But every time, she obeyed.

Because every time--

A reward.

A slow glance. A touch. A murmur of approval that sent fire down her spine.

Sofie knew.

Sofie knew exactly what she was doing.

And Ruby--helpless, pathetic--let it happen.

Because she wanted it.

Because she needed it.

The rewards deepened.

A brush of fingers along her wrist. A hand resting lightly on the back of her neck. A head pat that sent electricity straight to her core, that made her knees weak, that made her ache.

She should have pulled away.

She should have run.

But she didn't.

Because she wanted it.

She wanted more.

And Sofie--watching, patient, knowing--was giving her exactly what she needed.

---

She shouldn't want it this much.

It wasn't normal. It wasn't right.

And yet--

She wanted it.

Sofie had stopped giving her small tasks. Now, she made requests. Things that required time. Effort. Submission.

"Meet me in the library after school."

Ruby had a social life. She had things to do. But when the time came, she went.

Because she wanted it.

Because she needed it.

"Help me study."

Sofie was smarter than her. Sofie didn't need help.

But Ruby sat beside her, guiding her through problems Sofie probably already knew the answers to.

Because she wanted it.

And when Sofie leaned in, when she brushed their shoulders together, when her voice dropped to that low, smooth hum and she whispered--

"You're such a good girl, Ruby."

The heat surged so violently that Ruby had to press her thighs together, had to breathe, had to keep herself from whimpering.

She wanted it.

It wasn't normal. It wasn't right.

But the praise. The touch. The attention.

She had spent her entire life above others, untouchable, worshipped. But none of it--none of it--had ever made her feel like this.

Sofie's gaze. Sofie's words.

It wasn't admiration.

It wasn't fear.

It was control.

And Ruby--who had spent her entire life at the top--was now beneath her.

And she wanted it.

Sofie started touching her more.

Not much. Never anything explicit.

Just fingertips tracing the inside of her wrist. Just nails dragging lightly along her scalp when she patted her head. Just a single, fleeting touch against her lower back when she passed by, something that burned through Ruby's skin, that made her breath hitch, that made her ache.

And she hated it.

She hated how badly she needed it.

She hated how easy it had become to listen.

She hated that she had stopped thinking.

Sofie spoke. Sofie asked.

And Ruby obeyed.

Because she wanted it.

Because she needed it.

And Sofie--watching, waiting, knowing--knew exactly what she was doing.

---

It wasn't just want anymore.

It was need.

A deep, unbearable ache, coiling in her stomach, wrapping around her ribs, threading into her veins. A hunger she didn't understand, didn't have words for, only that it clawed at her insides, suffocating, consuming.

Sofie knew.

Of course she knew.

She always knew.

And so she pushed.

"Come here."

Ruby did.

"Sit."

Ruby sat.

Sofie didn't even have to give reasons anymore. Didn't have to frame them as requests. Ruby just--listened. Because she had learned.

Obedience was rewarded.

Sofie rested her chin on her hand, watching her, expression unreadable. 

It wasn't just her stomach twisting anymore. It wasn't just warmth pooling beneath her skin. It was lower. It was deeper.

She clenched her thighs, pressing them together, biting the inside of her cheek. But Sofie's gaze--those pale, glacial irises, steady, knowing--held her in place, stripped her bare.

She knew.

And Ruby--panting, trembling, burning--knew that she knew.

Sofie reached forward.

Ruby didn't move. Didn't breathe.

And then--

Fingertips against her jaw. A barely-there touch, feather light.

But devastating.

Ruby's entire body reacted. A sharp, desperate jolt of something tearing through her, leaving her shaking.

Sofie hummed, amused.

"You like this, don't you?"

Ruby shook her head, frantic, humiliated--

But Sofie only chuckled.

And then--

Her thumb brushed against Ruby's lower lip.

Ruby whimpered.

No. No, no, no--

But the sound had already slipped out, small, needy, humiliating.

Sofie smiled.

And Ruby--

Ruby shattered.

She needed it.

She needed more.

She wanted it.

---

Sofie's smile was slow. Pleased. Knowing.

Ruby's breath hitched. Her entire body was burning, heat licking up her spine, pooling deep in her stomach, pressing against her skin from the inside out. She felt stretched thin, trembling, unravelling--

All from a single touch. A single smile. A single moment.

And Sofie knew.

Her thumb lingered against Ruby's lower lip, pressing just slightly, the faintest pressure--

And Ruby's lips parted.

Automatically. Instinctively.

Like she was waiting for--

No.

She wrenched herself back, her chair scraping against the floor as she stumbled upright.

Her heart pounded against her ribs, her breathing ragged, wild.

She shouldn't be like this. She shouldn't feel like this.

But her legs felt weak, unsteady. And her skin still remembered.

Sofie hadn't moved. Hadn't even flinched.

She was still watching, still calm, still in complete control--

And smiling.

"Good girl," Sofie murmured.

The words hit hard.

Ruby shuddered.

Her hands curled into fists at her sides. "D-Don't--"

Sofie tilted her head, amused. "Don't what?"

Ruby's throat closed.

Don't say that.

Don't smile like that.

Don't touch me like that.

Don't make me want it.

Sofie rose slowly, gracefully.

Ruby took a step back.

And Sofie--

Sofie took a step forward.

Closing the distance.

Like a predator taking its time.

Ruby's pulse roared.

Sofie leaned in, close, close, too close, her breath warm against Ruby's cheek.

She could feel it. The heat of her. The presence of her.

And then--

Lips.

Just barely.

Just the faintest brush of Sofie's lips against her ear.

"You did well today, Ruby," Sofie whispered.

Ruby's entire body locked up.

A strangled, broken sound clawed up her throat, barely escaping.

Sofie pulled back. Smiling. Satisfied.

Ruby stood there, trembling.

She wanted to run.

She wanted to stay.

She wanted--

She wanted it.

---

Ruby should have left.

She should have gotten up from the library couch and walked away.

She should have been able to think.

But she couldn't.

Because Sofie was looking at her.

Not just looking. Watching. Seeing into her in a way that left her raw, stripped bare, exposed.

And then--

A touch.

Soft. Light. Calculated.

Fingertips against her wrist. Nothing more.

Ruby's breath hitched.

It shouldn't have felt like this.

It shouldn't have sent her pulse into a frenzied, helpless rhythm, shouldn't have made heat coil deep in her stomach, shouldn't have made her body tense and tremble in place.

Sofie didn't even press harder--just let her fingers linger, let them trace against skin with agonizing slowness, let Ruby feel her.

"You're shaking," Sofie murmured.

Ruby swallowed. She couldn't speak.

Sofie tilted her head. "Why?"

Because you're touching me.

Because I can't think.

Because I--

"Ruby."

Her name. From Sofie's lips. Not a question. A call. A command.

The heat surged. Her breath turned shallow, skin burning.

She wanted to move. But more than that--

She wanted to be told to move.

Sofie's fingers lifted--just barely, just enough for Ruby to feel the absence, the unbearable loss of contact.

Ruby twitched.

The air was too thick. Her head was too light. Her body felt like it wasn't her own.

Sofie smiled. Just a little. Just enough.

Ruby's breath shuddered out of her. Her legs squeezed together. Heat flooded through her, sharp, dizzying, consuming.

She couldn't stop it. She couldn't think.

She was shaking, trembling, and Sofie saw. Of course Sofie saw.

Sofie knew.

Sofie always knew.

Her face burned, shame clawing at her--but it was drowned, overwhelmed, devoured by something deeper, something stronger.

Because Sofie was still touching her.

Still looking at her.

Still speaking to her.

She wanted Sofie to say it again.

She wanted Sofie to touch her more.

She wanted to earn it.

Sofie leaned in, voice a whisper against her ear.

"You're learning so well, Ruby."

And she smiled.

Because Ruby wasn't running anymore.

She was falling.

And there was no bottom.

The world blurred.

Ruby wasn't sure when she had stood. She wasn't sure when she had moved.

But she knew when she dropped.

Her knees hit the floor.

The sound wasn't loud. No dramatic echo. No sudden gasp from the world around them.

But it might as well have been thunderous in her mind.

She was kneeling.

In front of Sofie.

For Sofie.

And the worst part?

It felt right.

It felt like something that had been waiting to happen, something inevitable.

She couldn't look up. She wouldn't. Her breath was too uneven, her body too warm, her skin too desperate.

Silence.

Sofie didn't say anything at first. Didn't move.

She just watched.

Ruby could feel it--the weight of that gaze pressing down on her like chains, like gravity, like something that held her in place.

Her hands twitched against her thighs.

She should get up.

She should--

Fingers in her hair.

Soft. Light. Possessive.

Ruby shuddered.

The fingers didn't push. Didn't force.

They stroked.

Slow. Gentle. Indulgent.

Sofie was petting her.

A sob nearly broke from Ruby's throat.

But then--

"Good girl."

The words crashed through her. Tore her open.

And then rebuilt her into something else.

Her stomach clenched. Heat surged. Her breath turned ragged, her thighs pressed tight together, her whole body trembling.

It felt so good.

Too good.

Too much.