Hearts on the Court

Chapter 1: The Beginning

"Finally, we found you!" a familiar voice called out behind me. "What took you so long?"

I turned around, still out of breath. "Sorry, my alarm didn't go off," I mumbled.

"Of course," Noah scoffed, rolling his eyes. "That's why you're late. Whatever, we gotta move—don't wanna miss the freshman starters event!" He darted off, barely giving me time to catch up.

We sprinted through campus, narrowly making it inside the packed auditorium. As we slid into our seats, a cheerful voice echoed from the stage.

"Hello, everyone! I'm so happy you're all here. I'll be your host for today's event!" The speaker flashed a bright, almost too-perfect smile. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm Maria Lucifer, and I'll be helping you navigate your first year with the help of my peers."

Andrew leaned over and whispered, "Hey, who's that?"

I shot him a sarcastic glance. "Dude, seriously? She literally introduced herself five seconds ago. That's Maria."

"No, not her," Andrew replied, annoyed. "The guys behind her. They look like they're posing for a cologne ad or something."

I glanced over, spotting three tall, intimidating figures standing perfectly still, like statues. Noah noticed them too. "Why are they standing like that?" he asked.

"Maybe they're second- or third-years," I shrugged. "They're definitely not seniors."

Maria's bubbly voice interrupted our conversation. "That's all for today! Tomorrow, you'll meet your mentors—so make sure to come prepared!" She waved enthusiastically as the crowd dispersed.

I helped a groaning Noah off the ground—he had somehow managed to collapse during the closing speech—and we headed out. "I'm floating to the moon, guys! So excited!" Noah chirped.

Andrew, with his usual deadpan expression, muttered, "I don't feel anything. I just want to get back to my apartment."

Noah looked at him, deflated. "Come on, we just started university and that's all you have to say?"

I couldn't resist. "Yeah, that's about right for Andrew."

Laughing, Noah threw his arms around us. "Enough with the boring stuff. Let's go celebrate!"

We hit up a nearby pub, where Noah cheered loudly. "Here's to us, making it to university! Bottoms up!" After a couple of drinks, Noah grabbed my arm. "C'mon, Jacob! Let's dance!"

"Why me?" I grumbled. "Ask Andrew!"

Andrew immediately backed off. "I'm out. Go with Jacob."

Before I knew it, I was dragged to the dance floor. One song turned into another... and another. By the time the night ended, we'd all crashed at Andrew's place, utterly exhausted.

The next morning, a familiar, annoying sound pierced my sleep. "Jacob, wake up!"

"Mmm... five more minutes, Mom," I muttered, pulling the blanket over my head.

"I'm not your mom, idiot," Andrew snapped, poking my face. "Get up!"

I groaned, rubbing my sore cheek. "Ow! Why do you always resort to violence?"

"Because it works," Andrew replied, stone-faced. "Now, shower. We're late."

After a quick wash, we made our way back to the university. As we walked, Noah, ever the optimist, asked, "Who do you think your mentor will be?"

"I hope mine's nice," he added, grinning.

Andrew shot back, "I'm sure he'll be kinder than you."

Noah pouted. "Why are you so mean in the mornings?"

"It's my natural state," Andrew deadpanned.

I burst out laughing. "Okay, okay, stop roasting each other. Let's just find our mentors."

When we arrived at the university, Maria was waiting by the entrance with a stack of envelopes. "Who's going first?" Andrew asked.

"I'll go!" Noah said, eagerly tearing open his envelope. "I got... Tom Jefferson. Fourth year."

"Sounds familiar, but I can't place it," I said, shrugging.

Andrew went next. "Steven Starlight. What kind of last name is Starlight?"

Noah giggled. "Maybe he's from a family of wizards."

Now it was my turn. I nervously opened my envelope. "William Jones."

Noah smirked. "Well, now that we've got our mentors, let's go find them!"

We wandered through the campus, scanning the endless sea of faces, searching for the names pinned to people's chests. It took forever, but finally, Noah shouted, "Hey! I found mine! Look, there's Tom!"

The three of us stared across the courtyard at a tall, brooding figure who looked like he'd stepped out of a superhero movie. Noah's face lit up. "This is going to be awesome!"

But as we stood there, I couldn't shake the feeling that something strange was going on. Those three guys we'd seen earlier, still standing off to the side, were watching us. And my mentor's name—William Jones—felt oddly familiar, like something I should remember, but couldn't quite grasp.

Whatever was happening, this was just the beginning.