Chapter 3

• Whenever she agreed to leave home, Victoria regretted it moments after arriving at the location. This time was no different. Glancing around quickly, you could see more than ten infractions committed in a short period.
• Fortunately, Liz was the daughter of one of the university's major contributors to donations.
• She had dark skin, red braids that reached her waist, and a black leather-like outfit, making her the attraction of the party. And no wonder, Liz was stunning.
• Victoria tried to contain her laughter as Marina repeatedly claimed to be certain of her heterosexuality until she met the party's host.
• Clara, on the other hand, was busy kissing some stranger standing next to the drinks. There was no time to lose; she wanted to make the most of the night.
• "Making the most of" is a very personal term for each person. For Clara, it was kissing as many mouths as possible. For Marina, it was enjoying time pleasantly, meeting interesting people, and having long existential conversations. And for Victoria, it was using time in the best way possible to finish anything that needed to be done. She hated having pending tasks.
• In short, being there was a huge waste of time, considering that, to her taste, the party had nothing fascinating.
• At every moment, she thought she could be using the lost hours to catch up on the subjects she had more difficulty with, like Biochemistry and Biophysics.
• Feeling suffocated by the massive amount of smoke filling the place, Victoria headed to the outdoor area behind the house, observing that there was only one person near the fountain centralized in the garden.
• Without intending to disturb, she leaned against a pillar in front of the large wooden door, trying to make some use of the photos of her class notes on her phone, even though it was challenging to concentrate on the type of music playing.
• The man observed the redhead in front of the door, analyzing her in detail, from top to bottom. He was too formal for a college party, which caused the young woman some unease. However, she decided to ignore the guy, focusing on her notes.
• At a certain moment, she realized the strange behavior of the man staring at her, feeling her spine chill. His eyes fixed on her face, wandering over her body from time to time, along with a cynical smile, was enough to make her uneasy.
• She went back inside the house, looking for her roommates.
• However, she failed to see Marina and Clara present in the place.
• Her first reaction was to go to the bathroom and wait for it to be safe to go to the dorm, even though the idea of ​​going alone on the deserted campus path was not the best of options.
• After a few minutes, she felt confident enough to leave the cramped space, her gaze wandering among the drunken people throwing themselves at each other to the sound of the strident music. Once again, no sign of either.
• Victoria felt as if the party had been going on for an eternity. The difficulty of passing through the crowded people made the situation even more suffocating. It was desperate.
• Fortunately, when she was in front of the glass front door, she managed to see Marina and Clara sitting on the stairs in front of the mansion.
• Frantically, she ran to meet her friends, eager to explain the whole situation that disturbed her. However, she soon noticed that in the car in front of the stairs where they were, the man was sitting in the passenger seat.
• Victoria felt the bad sensation invading her again while noticing the hair on her body standing on end frighteningly.
• It was as if her brain was sending an alert that something was not right. She felt it all over her body. Her friends tried to understand what was happening, but upon noticing the way Victoria looked at the man in the vehicle, it was enough to understand that something was wrong.
• Without saying goodbye to the men who accompanied them earlier, they held Victoria's hand, guiding her to the dorm, which, fortunately, seemed to be closer than it was.
• Realizing that she was safe, the redhead could finally recount the whole situation, receiving the comforting understanding of both.
• She knew it was a story that might sound exaggerated, considering that she and the guy had not interacted, but only his terrifying gaze was enough to activate an alert in her subconscious.
• Marina made chamomile tea to calm her, and after some resistance, Victoria could finally rest.
• …
• After a week since the terrible experience during the party, the first semester finally ended. All the exhausted students would have some free time to remember what their lives were like before dealing with the endless responsibilities of adult life.
• Victoria's excitement was not the most contagious when compared to that of her classmates, who would go on super fun trips to exotic and paradisiacal destinations. Unfortunately, her budget was limited, not to say non-existent.
• Her parents insisted that she stay on campus to save their last savings instead of spending them traveling back home. However, the homesickness was greater than any financial concern she might have.
• So, without telling them, Victoria booked a flight to surprise them.
• And in this way, she set a course toward the destination that would change her life forever.