Nathan moved quietly through the shadows, his breath clouding in the chill air. The thrill of trespassing on the exclusive campus was matched only by his anxiety; every footstep felt heavy with risk. He pressed himself against the wall of the administration building, glancing nervously toward the glowing windows above.
"Just a quick look around, then out," he whispered to himself, edging closer to an open door.
Amara, the resident advisor, led the group, her sharp eyes catching movement by the nurses’ station.
"Hey, who are you? You’re not supposed to be here!"
Nathan froze, caught in the beam of a flashlight. Panic flickered across his face, but before he could bolt, several pairs of hands seized him, dragging him toward the medical ward.
Dr. Evelyn Marrow, the head of the medical faculty, entered the room with an air of authority, her silver hair pulled into a severe bun.
"What do we have here?" she demanded, her gaze icy as she regarded Nathan.
"I—I was just lost," Nathan stammered, but Dr. Marrow was unmoved.
"We have ways of dealing with trespassers," she said, her tone final.
"You wanted to see the secrets of Briarcliff, didn’t you?" she intoned. The needle pierced his skin, and warmth spread through his veins. Lights swirled and dimmed as his body shrank; hair curled and skin softened, clothing swallowed by a new, smaller frame.
Disoriented, Nathan tries to sit up, only to be greeted by Dr. Marrow, now speaking in a gentler, almost maternal tone.
"Good morning, little one. From now on, you’ll call me Mommy," she said, smoothing the hair from Nathan’s—now Natalie’s—forehead.
"M-mommy?" Natalie echoed, confusion and fear mingling in her eyes.
"You’ll have a new life here, with new lessons to learn," Dr. Marrow reassured her, smiling down with calculated affection.
"Will I ever go back?" Natalie whispered, her voice barely audible.
"You are exactly where you belong," came the gentle, unyielding reply, as the college gates loomed in the distance, closing softly behind them.
