First Prey

I stared at the small leather book resting in my palms, tracing the embossed gold letters that spelled out *Student Handbook*. I raised it slightly in a silent, stiff gesture of thanks, refusing to look up and meet his gaze. Beside me, Tessa’s eyebrows pulled together into a tight knot of confusion. She shot a bewildered look between the two of us before smoothing her expression back into a polite