Chapter 4 – The War Has Begun

The bell echoed through the ancient hallways of Vermont Hill Academy, sharp and cold like a warning shot. Ava adjusted the strap of her backpack and stepped into the debate room—Room 214, a high-ceilinged chamber lined with dusty portraits and darker secrets.

Dev Aryan Singh was already there.

Sitting casually in the front row, legs stretched out like he owned the damn academy, he looked up from his phone and smirked. “Didn’t think you’d show up on time, Princess.”

She didn’t flinch. “I don’t recall inviting you to speak.”

He chuckled lowly, standing. “You never do. But I speak anyway.”

Their debate coach, Mr. D’Lima, arrived seconds later, cutting the tension with a clipboard and zero patience. “You two will be representing our academy in the upcoming interschool policy debate. Weekly prep sessions. Equal contribution.”

Dev raised an eyebrow. “Equal’s a stretch.”

Ava turned to Mr. D’Lima. “Will professionalism be optional in these sessions?”

Mr. D’Lima blinked, then muttered, “God help me,” and walked out, leaving the war zone behind.

Dev stood, closing the space between them with slow, deliberate steps. “So… scholarship girl with a mysterious past and sharp tongue. What’s your angle?”

Ava opened her notebook. “Winning.”

He leaned closer. “Is that what you tell yourself before sleeping? That this place owes you something?”

She met his gaze head-on. “No. But it clearly owes you a lesson in humility.”

Dev’s smile faltered for half a second. Then he laughed, low and wicked. “Interesting.”

They sat across from each other, and for the next hour, it was a duel of voices. Arguments flared. Logic flew. Every counterpoint Ava made, Dev matched with venom-tipped precision.

But she didn’t back down.

She matched his intensity, blow for blow. And when the session ended, Dev looked almost... intrigued.

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Later, as she walked through the corridor alone, Ava felt her phone buzz. A text from an unknown number.

> Unknown: You’re better than I expected. But I’m still going to break you. – D

She stared at it, lips curling.

Then typed back without hesitation.

> Ava: Try. But remember—pressure creates diamonds. Or dust. Let’s see what you become first.

She hit send and slipped the phone back into her pocket.

Let the games begin.

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