on Autumn's desk

ting harsh shadows across the open pages of Advanced Jurisprudence. Autumn

own hovered in the c

s remaining. Failure to complete

cracking. "I've been staring at this fo

iolation of elite par

electricity snapped acros

skidding across the textbook page, leaving a thick, jagged line over the dense text. She

n the lock, and the dorm

ing of cheap vodka and stale beer. She kicked the door shut beh

earlier that day clearly hadn'

. As she passed Autumn's chair, she deliberately swung he

crumpled paper and empty snack

ng her face. "We all know you're just a gold digger. Selling yo

the sheer indignity of her situation suddenly coalesc

The metal legs screeched

face Kira. Her eyes were completely de

Her voice was terrifyingly

stility radiating from Autumn. But the alcohol

character parameters. Imminent physi

ectricity ripped thr

e, leaving her chalk-white. She bit down on her lower lip so hard she tasted blood, refusing t

nd the trembling. She mistoo

victim." She turned her back, grabbed her shower caddy, an

weat drenched her shirt. Her hands shook vio

quota immediat

ge didn't fade; it crystallize

ice with absolute, venomous clarity. If you shock me one more time, I will pick up

n her vision f

e primary relationship arc will r

Delete me. Let the whole simulation crash. Let's see how your core programmi

le

her head vanished. The

happened. Autumn held her breath,

red text

l limits reached. Academic quota suspe

, burying her face in her arms. She had won. It was a tiny, p

her phone. She stared at the blank

sure the system knew she was actively maintaining th

he keyboard. She typed ou

for today.

n the desk, and crawled into bed, dead to

ist penthouse overlooking the cit

een lit up in

ssage. Thank you fo

same strange, tight sensation from the library bloomed again,