Daphne's POV
The man's laughter rolled through the hallway like smoke, rich and unsettling. His eyes gleamed with something that felt far too knowing, as if he understood a joke I hadn't been told yet.
"You really don't know, do you?" His voice carried a lazy amusement that made my skin crawl. "Still sweet and innocent. They always let the new ones enjoy that feeling for a while."
He gestured carelessly with one hand, the movement somewhere between a dismissal and a benediction. With him, everything felt like it carried double meanings I couldn't decipher.
"We'll cross paths again soon enough. Maybe by then you'll be ready to listen."
As he moved past me, his shoulder connected with mine in what felt like a calculated bump. The heavy scent of marijuana clung to him, growing stronger as he passed before fading as he vanished around the corner.
"Freak," I whispered once the corridor swallowed him up.
