Chapter 521 A Gun!

The girl clearly didn’t believe her, but Meryl didn’t bother explaining further.

The cello was quite heavy, and as she walked into the classroom, she spotted an empty seat where she could set it down.

“You’re really getting carried away with this act, aren’t you?” the girl sneered. “Just because Mr. Herty isn’t here doesn’t mean you can throw his name around and fool everyone. This is an orchestra, not some place where just anyone can walk in!”

The boy who had first spoken to Meryl stepped in. “Come on, Christine Brown, what’s the harm in letting her put down her cello? The seat’s empty anyway.”

“Mark Miller, whose side are you on? Don’t tell me you’re defending this outsider just because she’s pretty,” Christine shot back.

Mark turned to look at Meryl. “I just think she doesn’t seem like the type to lie. Besides, we’ll know the truth when Mr. Herty gets back from his business trip, right?”

More importantly, Mark had noticed the bracelet on Meryl’s wrist.

This bracelet was exclusively for orchestra members, serving as an access card to various areas of the building. Having this bracelet proved at least one thing: Meryl wasn’t lying.

Without teacher supervision, everyone was practicing freely.

The cellists around her were rehearsing together, apparently for some upcoming performance next week.

Meryl listened quietly, noticing how each player had a unique style. She realized that everyone in this orchestra was seriously skilled. She clearly had a lot to learn.

Coming here had definitely been the right choice.

She decided to explore the orchestra building first to familiarize herself with the layout.

As she left the rehearsal room, Christine’s face twisted with contempt.

“What a newbie,” she thought. “Looks like my little performance was enough to scare her off.”

Christine didn’t give Meryl a second thought, confident that no one could challenge her position as the principal cellist.

Meryl picked up some basic supplies at the campus store and headed back to her dorm to get organized.

By the time she finished putting everything away, night had fallen without her noticing.

Her stomach growled, so she decided to grab something to eat.

Still unfamiliar with the campus layout, she wandered around, looking for the dining hall just as she was about to stop someone for directions.

A sudden loud thud broke the silence.

The sound made her jump since this part of campus was mainly deserted.

While the grounds were bustling during the daytime, they became eerily quiet at night. The cold wind whistling through made everything feel spooky.

Her heart started racing as she instinctively clenched her fists and scanned her surroundings.

Looking down, she spotted something that made her blood run cold. There was a gun lying in the flower bed at her feet!

“What is going on here?”

She’d just walked past this spot, and there definitely hadn’t been a gun there before.

A thousand thoughts flooded her mind all at once.

Not wanting any trouble, Meryl instinctively turned to leave.

As she tried to move, she realized her legs felt like jelly.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Meryl was about to walk away when she heard movement behind her.

From the thick bushes came a man’s cocky laugh, sending chills down her spine.

His mocking eyes were now locked onto Meryl’s back, unblinking.

Meryl heard the laughter but didn’t turn around.

Being new here and unsure of the situation, playing dumb seemed like her safest bet.

“Leaving so soon? Looks like you forgot what you promised me!” he called out.