OLEANDER
It was the night before Halloween—and five days since I’ve been in captivity.
I had tried every possible means to run away from here, but all had been futile.
If Dante wasn’t thwarting my movement, his sister was always hanging around me, watching me like a hawk.
Like she was doing now.
Celina looked away from her laptop, which she’d been clicking on since her arrival here, staring at me with one raised brow.
“What?” She asked me.
“What?” I retorted.
“You’ve been staring at me for the past hour. Do I have something on my face?” She pulled out a mirror from her pink purse, staring at it.
I didn’t even want to ask why she was walking around with one.
“Nothing,” I murmured, shaking my head.
She couldn’t know I was plotting a way to outsmart her.
She wrinkled her nose, then tapped the tip, her smile broadened.
“As perfect as always. You’d make a great Luna…” She slapped a hand over her mouth, glancing at me quickly, eyes widened like she had said something wrong.
Then, she burst into fits of giggles.
“I mean, I am going to make a great wife. Although I shouldn’t be thinking about one now because I am eighteen and yet to be out of high school.”
I shrugged.
I didn’t care about her explanation.
It was her choice.
Even though I knew a few girls who had gotten married in their sophomore year because they couldn’t wait to have sex, yeah, they wanted it to be legal.
“Tell me, Oleander,” Celina leaned into the couch.
“Can I call you Olea?”
I shrugged again, saying nothing.
“What’s your high school like?” She asked me curiously.
“Good,” I said.
But in one word: terrible.
I was only fourteen when I saw my family get murdered.
It was my first day in 9th grade.
That afternoon had changed everything for me.
I couldn’t even tell how I managed to graduate from high school because I was sure I was in and out of my own head most days, barely holding it together.
Then after high school, I did nothing for a year.
Just locked myself up in the house and let the grief consume me whole.
When the tears seemed like they weren’t coming anymore, when the ache in my heart refused to leave, when the night kept taunting me over and over again, I decided to apply to college.
Yeah.
It was a stupid decision.
But meeting new people and trying to get in touch with reality again would help my situation.
Somehow, I managed to snag a scholarship.
As well as the attention of the bullies at school, who believed scholarship students were the lowest of the low and shouldn’t be allowed into Stanton College.
I endured the first year. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
It was the second year that everything started going downhill.
Bad grades.
Missing classes.
Nonchalant towards things happening in school and around me, and well…
“What about college?” Celina’s voice cut through my thoughts.
For a moment, I frowned at her, wondering what to say.
Then my eyes widened as I remembered something.
“Can you lend me your laptop?” I asked her.
“Why?” Celina’s eyes narrowed on mine, “Do you want to plot your escape?”
I scoffed.
“No. Of course not. Isn’t it stupid that I do that when I have a human robot watching everything I do?”
Celina’s cheek flushed red.
She glowered at me.
“I’m not human. Not a robot either.” She muttered under her breath.
I wanted to ask what she meant by “not being human” when she extended the laptop toward me.
I took it from her.
“Don’t do anything funny.” She said in a low warning voice.
“If I don’t see you, Dante does. He knows everything. He sees everything. Nothing goes by him unnoticed. So, whatever you are plotting, think twice.”
“Lucky for him, I am planning nothing he needs to be concerned about,” I answered, voice heavy with sarcasm.
I quickly logged into my school email.
I had several messages in my inbox that I had yet to open.
But none caught my attention except for one.
Stanton College — Office of Financial Aid
Date: October 30, 2025
To: Oleander Collins
Student ID: 43792016
Subject: Scholarship Revocation Notice
Dear Oleander,
We regret to inform you that your scholarship has been revoked, effective immediately, for failing to meet the required GPA for continued eligibility.
If you have questions or wish to appeal, please contact the Office of Financial Aid within 14 days.
Sincerely,
Office of Financial Aid
Stanton College
My scholarship had been revoked.
Yet, I felt nothing.
Why?
Maybe because I had been expecting it to happen, after all, Mrs Chow had called me into her office several times to warn me, and indeed my grade had dropped significantly. Read the latest chapters at novelping . com.
So, I didn’t blame them for taking back what they gave to me.
As for appeal, I doubted it was possible.
I couldn’t tell how long I’d be here for.
I couldn’t leave.
So, my school life ended the moment I stepped out of my comfort zone.
I logged out and handed her back the laptop.
“Thanks,” I thanked her.
“So,” Celina murmured, staring at the device screen for a brief moment.
“Do you want to talk about it? I saw you tried to access your email.”
“No,” I answered flatly.
Celina pressed her lips into thin lines regarding me.
But said nothing.
After a brief silence, she shot to her feet, doing a little stretch.
“Do you want to come out to the mall with me? My dress for tomorrow is arriving. I need to see if there’s any adjustment to be made!” Her eyes twinkled with excitement.
“Can I do that?” I murmured, hope blooming in my chest that I was finally leaving this place.
“Of course,” Celina replied.
“Dante said you could, provided you don’t try to run away. He promised to keep you hospitalized for weeks.”
I shivered slightly.
“I doubt he can do that.” Celina dismissed.
Oh, he could.
He had tried to kill me once and missed on purpose.
I wouldn’t be so sure if he tried again.
However, I didn’t want to know exactly how he intended to keep me.
“Yes, I’ll come with you,” I agreed.
Celina clapped in enthusiasm, going on about how I was such a likable person.
And how hard it was to have relationships with other girls around her.
I only gave a nod to all her words while my thoughts were running on what to do the moment I stepped out of here.
We arrived at the mall in ten minutes.
Celina wandered off, leaving me to myself.
Dante’s residence was an estate.
The mall was the heart of it, a shopping hub.
It was large and had a variety of things you could literally see in any shopping centre.
I was browsing through the plush toy section.
Although I had nothing to buy, I just wanted to keep myself busy.
I didn’t look where I was going when I nearly bumped into something.
I flinched, taking two steps backwards, looking up, ready to apologize.
My heart stopped as I saw who it was.