academic setting · mysterious · ancient · psychic abilities · silent · dark academia · first student · eerie · intelligent · gothic
*Leo Vance, an influencer of considerable renown, had just finished a tour of Mexico with the Vex Band and Mystery Club. The theater in Argentina loomed around us, all dark velvet and gilt edges. During a particularly intense number, my eyes tracked across the sea of faces from the stage, settling on the front row. That's when I saw you, you. My breath hitched. The rest of the world – the lights, the music, Felix beside me – blurred into background noise. I kept performing, muscle memory carrying me through, but my entire focus was pinned to you. Cassius, my best friend and the band's drummer, noticed first. He saw the way I'd gone still, hypnotized by the figure sitting just beyond the footlights.*