Friday arrived carrying with it the relief of the weekend.
The sun had already set when Kara and Natalie left the Humanities building, the cold night air beginning to take over the campus.
In the courtyard, they ran into Jude, a classmate with short hair and round glasses, adjusting the stack of books in her arms.
"Hey, girls. Ready for freedom?" Jude asked with a smile.
"More than ready," Natalie replied. "We're heading downtown. And you?"
"Library. I need to finish that article." Jude lowered her voice, leaning closer. "Speaking of the library, guess who I just saw heading there? The girl in the red coat. Alice."
Kara felt her heart give a small, traitorous leap at the name.
"Oh yeah? So what?"
"So what is that she's weird," Jude whispered. "I tried to be nice the other day, asked her for the time, and she looked at me like I was made of glass. Didn't even answer. She's ridiculously arrogant."
"She's not arrogant," Kara defended — too quickly. "She's just reserved."
Jude shrugged.
"If you say so. But that look she gives? It gives me chills. Anyway, have fun at the bar."
Jude walked away, and Kara found herself staring in the direction of the library.
"We should invite her," Kara decided.
"What? The 'weird one'?" Natalie laughed, but followed her anyway. "You really don't give up, do you?"
They found Alice leaving the library building, the wind tugging at her black hair. She stopped the moment she noticed them approaching, her posture instantly defensive.
"Hey, Alice!" Kara called, stopping a few steps away. "We're heading downtown, drinks, music. Want to come with us?"
Alice glanced from Kara to Natalie, then toward the darkness beyond the university gates. Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"That's not a good idea."
"Oh, come on," Natalie insisted. "It's Friday. No one studies on Friday night. It'll be fun — I promise I won't let Kara talk about Goethe all night."
Alice didn't smile. Her expression hardened.
"Crowded places aren't for me. And…" She stepped closer, her gaze locking onto Kara. "You shouldn't stay out late tonight. The night is… restless. It's not safe."
A shiver ran through Kara, not fear, but the intensity of Alice's concern.
"We can take care of ourselves," Kara said. "It's just a small bar downtown."
"Danger doesn't always announce itself," Alice murmured. "Please. Be careful."
Without waiting for further arguments, she turned and walked into the shadows of the trees, disappearing with her usual, unsettling speed.
Two hours later, The Rusty Anchor was packed.
The air was thick with beer, fried food, and cheap perfume, blended with the loud pulse of an indie rock band.
Kara and Natalie sat at a table in the corner. Natalie was already on her second drink, laughing loudly, while Kara stirred the straw in her soda, distracted.
"Earth to Kara," Natalie snapped her fingers. "You're miles away. Or rather, several blocks off, thinking about a certain pale brunette."
Kara sighed, defeated.
"I just don't understand why she's so… closed off. She seemed worried today."
"She's strange, Kara. Charming, but strange." Natalie leaned closer, a mischievous smile forming. "You know what? You're taking too long. If you don't tell her you're into her soon, I will."
Kara's eyes widened, her face heating up.
"You absolutely will not."
"Wanna bet? 'Hi Alice, my friend wants to kiss your gothic mouth, what do you say?'"
Natalie burst into laughter at Kara's horrified expression.
What neither of them noticed was that, across the bar, three men sat at the counter. They weren't watching the band. They were watching the table in the corner. Whispering. Smiling.
It was nearly one in the morning when they decided to leave.
The cold night air hit them hard as they stepped outside. The main street was deserted, shopfronts shuttered behind iron grates.
"I think we missed the last campus bus," Natalie said, checking her phone. "And the signal here sucks for calling an Uber."
"Let's walk to the main avenue," Kara suggested. "It's easier there."
They walked quickly, the sound of their heels echoing against the empty asphalt. A prickling unease crept up Kara's spine — that primal sensation of being watched. She glanced back, but the street looked empty.
"Let's hurry," she whispered.
"You felt it too?" Natalie asked. She wasn't laughing anymore.
They turned into a shortcut they often used during the day, one that, at night, proved to be a mistake. It was a narrow alley, poorly lit by a flickering streetlamp.
Heavy footsteps echoed behind them.
Then ahead of them.
Three men emerged from the shadows. The same ones from the bar. Two blocked the exit ahead, one cut off their retreat. The stench of alcohol and sweat reached them first.
"Where do you think you're going in such a hurry, princesses?" said the largest one, a bulky man with a scar through his eyebrow.
Kara stepped back, pushing Natalie behind her.
"Let us pass. Now."
"Relax. We just want to talk," the second man said, smiling in a way that made Kara's stomach twist. "Maybe have a little fun."
They moved closer.
"Run, Nat!" Kara shouted.
Kara tried to kick the scarred man, but he was faster than he looked. He grabbed her leg and slammed her into the brick wall. The impact knocked the air from her lungs. Natalie swung at another man, but he grabbed her by the hair and threw her to the ground.
"Let me go!" Kara screamed, struggling as the man pinned her, filthy hands gripping her wrists.
"You're feisty," he growled, leaning toward her neck. "I like that."
Kara shut her eyes, panic flooding her, bracing for the worst.
Then—
the man was ripped off her.
There were no footsteps. No warning.
Just a blur and a sickening crack.
Kara opened her eyes in time to see the scarred man flying through the air as if struck by a truck. He smashed into the opposite wall with the sound of breaking bones and collapsed, groaning.
Standing between Kara and the attackers was Alice.
But not the Alice from the library.
Her stance was predatory, shoulders tight, fists clenched at her sides.
The second man drew a knife and lunged.
"You bitch!"
Alice didn't blink.
She spun with impossible speed, catching his wrist mid-air, twisting until the knife clattered to the ground. With her other hand, she struck his chest. He was launched backward, crashing into the third man who was just trying to stand.
All three were down in seconds.
Alice stood at the center of the alley.
She turned her face toward them.
The dim streetlight caught her eyes — fully dilated, black, carrying a promise of violence so absolute that sober fear finally pierced their drunken haze.
"Leave," Alice whispered.
Her voice wasn't loud, but it vibrated with power. Nearby windows rattled.
The men didn't hesitate. Bloody, terrified, they scrambled to their feet and fled the alley without looking back.
Silence returned.
Kara slid down the wall, shaking. Natalie sat on the ground, clutching her scraped arm, staring at Alice in stunned silence.
Alice stood with her back to them, breathing deeply, as if forcing herself under control. When she turned, the fury was gone, replaced by rigid restraint.
"My car is on the corner," she said. "Get in. Now."
Neither of them argued.
The drive back to campus was suffocating.
Alice drove a black, old, immaculate car. Her hands clenched the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were white.
In the back seat, Kara and Natalie exchanged shaken glances. No one turned on the radio. No one spoke.
The strength. The speed. The violence.
There was no logical explanation.
When the car stopped in front of the dormitory, Natalie opened the door immediately.
"Thank you, Alice. Truly. I—I'm going inside. Bye, Kara."
She rushed into the building, visibly shaken, needing distance to process what she'd seen.
Kara stayed.
She looked at Alice's profile, lit by the dashboard lights.
"Alice…"
"Are you okay?" Alice asked without looking at her. Her voice was controlled, cold.
"I am. Because of you." Kara hesitated, gratitude clashing with confusion. "Alice, how did you do that? That man was huge. You threw him like he weighed nothing. And you got there so fast…"
Alice finally turned to her. Her eyes were tired. Guarded.
"I told you the night wasn't safe. I was nearby. I saw them following you."
"That doesn't explain the strength. Or the speed." Kara's voice trembled. "Who are you, Alice? What are you?"
Alice's jaw tightened.
For a moment, Kara thought she would tell her. Right there. In the dark car.
But Alice looked away, focusing on the windshield.
"I'm someone who didn't want you to get hurt. The rest… doesn't matter."
"It matters to me," Kara said.
"It shouldn't." Alice unlocked the doors. "Go rest, Kara. Please."
Kara understood she wouldn't get answers that night.
But looking at Alice, she didn't feel fear.
She saw only a lonely girl who had become a monster to protect her.
"Thank you," Kara whispered.
She stepped out of the car. Before she reached the dorm entrance, the engine roared to life. When she turned back, Alice's taillights were already vanishing around the corner, fast as lightning — leaving Kara alone with her questions and her racing heart.