It came in the mail on a Tuesday afternoon.

The envelope was thin and colored ivory with deep maroon trimming. An elegantly drawn seal was stamped on the center of the upper flap. For the longest time, she simply held it. Despite the feathery lightness, it was a brick in her hands. Waves of terror poured from the object and into her hands, spreading throughout her body like liquid ice. The envelope mocked her. She knew what it meant. She had heard of the elite private school—who hadn't?

It was an invitation.

And at the same time, it wasn't. 'Welcome to Redstone Academy,' it read, with its fancy cursive lettering, making her stomach twist in knots. The rumors swirled inside her head like a tornado of words. This was a death sentence. A student that was sent an invitation like the one in her hands couldn't turn it down. Even if they tried, the victim vanished from their home after two days, never to be heard from again.

You just couldn't turn down a school like this.