Novels by Ayra Writes

Lila.Jace didn’t slow as he strode past us down the corridor, his broad shoulders cutting through the air like he owned it. His gaze never touched me at least, not in any way I could prove but for a split second, as he passed… I swore something invisible brushed against my skin. I swallowed hard, my fingers tightening on the strap of my bag.By the time I blinked, he was gone, leaving only silence and the faint echo of his boots against the floor.“Lila.”I turned, startled. He was still there… kael. He hadn’t moved an inch, his eyes were still locked on my face… like he was waiting for me to say something, or for me to bolt.“Sorry for asking but…. Can I help you though?” I slowly spoke as I stared back at Kael.“You don’t have to be scared,” he said gently. “Not of me.”The words twisted something deep inside me. My lips parted before I could stop them. “Then… why?”His head tilted. “Why what?”“Why are you outside the girls bathroom?” My voice came out fragile, but it was the on

Lila. “Arghhh” I groaned out in pure utter frustration. The laughter still echoed in my head long after the gym doors had shut behind me. Their sharp voices yet low voices, their mocking smiles and the way they stared at me like I was some sort of alien… it clung to me like smoke. I didn’t follow the other girls to the locker room. I couldn’t... Not with the way Brielle’s glares burned and drilled deep holes in my back and the way the squad buzzed around her like vultures who had scented blood. Instead, I quietly ducked into the girls’ bathroom, shutting the door quietly behind me. “Inner peace” I slowly mumbled as I stared at the mirror in front of me scanning myself. My reflection in the mirror looked pale, nervous and frustrated. She looked like a complete stranger. I gently leaned against the sink, gripping its cold edge before I splashed water on my face as I really need to cool off ‘Why did they look at me like that?’ I wondered to myself. As if on cue, my chest tigh

Lila.“Stop it!” Brielle’s sharp voice cut through the gym, snapping me out of my already messed up rhythm. My feet wobbled mid-spin, and I nearly toppled over but I was quick to stabilize my movement so my fall wouldn’t be too painful.“Arghh! Shameful! You’ve already made a mistake. Now get back to the side… Let someone else go first!” she angrily ordered, her eyes burning with disdain. And immediately, a chorus of snickers rose from the cheer squad. My face became red with embarrassment and I pressed my palms to the floor, trying to steady myself, but the laughter stung, echoing in my ears. “Ohhh… Not Suprise,” Brielle muttered, smirking at my clumsiness. “Clearly, you’re better at watching and dodging a ball than actually performing.”I quickly scrambled to my knees, swallowing my embarrassment as every part of my body screamed at me to vanish… to disappear.The hockey boys began to move towards us and Brielle’s smirk disappeared. She straightened her back and tried to recla

Lila. The gym smelled of polished wood and faint sweat, a smell that somehow seemed sacred here at Northvale Academy. I hugged my books closer as I stepped inside, forcing myself to breathe normally. My heart raced anyway. This was it.. the first real introduction to the cheer squad and, indirectly, to the hockey teams I’d supposedly be “supporting.” “Oh heavens be my strength” I slowly whispered… I had spent the last couple of days keeping my head down, following Aunt Margaret’s rule to blend in and be invisible. And now here I was, about to be scrutinized by the school’s most popular girls, while Mr. Leo stood beside me, grinning like nothing could go wrong when everything was already going wrong. “Everyone, quiet down!” his voice rang, piercing through the chatter. He clapped his hands once, his enthusiasm vibrating across the gym. “I’d like you to meet our promising members .” The cheer squad collectively groaned. Brielle, the cheer captain, shot me another look sharp e

Lila.The whistle blew, sharp and final, and the crowd roared.The hockey team had scored the last point, and the energy in the field was explosive.Students shot up from the bleachers, clapping, shouting, high-fiving each other. Everyone seemed to belong. Everyone except me...I pulled my bag a little bit closer to my side and pushed myself to my feet. The game had been fun to watch, sure… but sitting alone while the others laughed in their groups and gangs made the noise feel emptier, like I was an intruder at someone else’s home.Maybe that was my fault, but then… it was safer this way.I slowly moved towards the exit with my head down as I tried my best to act invisible as much as I could when the air around me shifted. A collective gasp rippled loudly through the field.And I turned… just in time to see the hockey ball flying towards me. Fast…. Too fast.My body immediately reacted before my brain could register my next move. A sharp sidestep, a half-turn, my hand brushing the

Aria.Three days. That's how long I last on my own before everything goes to hell.I'm staying in a cheap motel outside the city, paying cash and using a fake name. The room smells like cigarettes and broken dreams, but it's better than going home and pretending my life is normal.I spend my time researching. The motel has terrible wifi, but I manage to find scattered information about supernatural bloodlines and ancient magic. Most of it sounds like fantasy novel garbage, but some things make my skin crawl with recognition.The First Blood. The Ancients. Children of the moon and stars who walked the earth before humans learned to make fire.According to one website that looks like it was made in 1995, they were the original supernatural beings. Gods, almost. They created other species as servants, werewolves to hunt, vampires to feed, witches to work magic.But something went wrong. The servants rebelled. The Ancients disappeared, leaving only their mixed-blood descendants scattered

Aria.I didn't go to school the next day or the day after that.I sat in my room, staring at the runes that appear and disappear on my skin like some twisted magic trick. Sometimes they glow bright silver. Sometimes they fade until I can barely see them. But they're always there, reminding me that my life is no longer normal.Mom thinks I have the flu so I let her believe it.On Wednesday, a knock came to my bedroom door."Aria, honey? You have a visitor," Mom called.My stomach immediately dropped. I have never had any visitor before. Please don't let it be Jace. I'm not ready to face him yet."Who is it?" I asked."A boy from school. Says his name is Tyler?"Tyler? What does Tyler want with me?I dragged myself downstairs, still in my pajamas and oversized hoodie. Tyler is standing in our living room, looking uncomfortable and out of place among Mom's antique furniture."Hey," he says when he saw me."What do you want?" I don't have the energy to be polite."Jace sent me." He repli

Aria."You're insane," I whisper, staring at Jace like he's grown a second head.He just sat there, calm as can be, watching me with those predatory green eyes. Like what he just said makes perfect sense. Like telling someone they're "yours" is totally normal."Am I?" he asks, tilting his head. "Look at your hands, Aria."I glance down at my hands resting on the white nurse's office sheets. They look normal. Pale, shaky, but normal."I don't see anything.""Look closer."Something in his voice makes me obey. I hold my hands up to the fluorescent light, turning them over. For a split second, I swear I saw something. A faint shimmer under my skin, like moonlight on water.Then it's gone."You're messing with me," I said with anger bubbling up in my chest. "This is just another way to humiliate me, isn't it? Get the weird girl to believe in fairy tales."Jace leans back in his chair, and for the first time since I've known him, he looks hurt. Actually hurt."You think this is a game?""Y

Aria.Monday morning came too fast. I stood in front of my bedroom mirror, staring at the girl who looks back at me. Same messy brown hair, same tired eyes behind thick glasses, same invisible girl who got destroyed in the library three days ago."You can do this," I whisper to my reflection. "Just get through the day."But the moment I step into Silverridge Academy's halls, I know it's going to be hell."Hey, look who it is," Tyler calls out from near the lockers. "Library girl."My stomach drops. I kep`t my head down and walked faster, but their laughter followed me like a shadow."I heard she asked Storm for his autograph," someone else says, loud enough for half the hallway to hear."No way. Really?""Yeah, totally threw herself at him. So embarrassing."The lies spread like wildfire. By the second period, everyone thinks I'm some desperate stalker who begged Jace Storm for attention. The truth doesn't matter. It never does.In English class, I slide into my usual back-row seat an

Aria.The library is my sanctuary. Tucked away in my corner booth by the tall windows, I can watch the world of Silverridge Academy pass by without anyone noticing me. Students rush past with their designer bags and perfect smiles, their laughter echoing through the marble halls like music I've never learned to play."Another thrilling Friday night planned, I see," I whispered to myself, adjusting my thick-rimmed glasses as I highlight another passage in my Advanced Literature textbook. The yellow marker has become my best friend over the years, reliable, quiet, and never judgmental.I've perfected the art of being invisible. I sit in the back row of every class, never raise my hand unless directly called upon, and eat lunch alone while buried in whatever book can transport me far away from this place. It's easier this way. Safer too."Aria Vale." I practice saying my own name sometimes, just to remember what it sounds like. Most days, I wonder if I disappeared entirely, would anyone