Chapter 2: The First Spark

Aria.

Monday morning came too fast. I stood in front of my bedroom mirror, staring at the girl who looked back at me. The same messy brown hair, the same tired eyes behind thick glasses, the 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 stepped into Silverridge Academy's halls, I knew it was going to be hell.

"Hey, look who it is," Tyler calls out from near the lockers. "Library girl."

My stomach drops. I kept 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, she 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 and pull out my notebook. Maybe if I focus on Shakespeare, I can forget about everything else.

"Rough weekend, Vale?"

I looked up to find Jace standing beside my desk. My heart stops. He's wearing a black T-shirt that shows off his athletic build, and his green eyes are studying me like I'm some kind of interesting bug.

"I don't know what you mean," I whispered.

"Sure, you don't." He leaned against my desk, and I caught that expensive cologne again. "I heard you've been telling people we talked."

"I didn't tell anyone anything."

"Right." His smile is cold, predatory. "Just so we're clear, what happened in the library? That was nothing. You are nothing. Got it.?"

The words slice through me, but before I can respond, Mrs. Patterson walks in.

"Mr. Storm, please take your seat," she says.

Jace straightens up, but not before whispering, "Remember what I said."

I spent the rest of class trying not to cry. I didn't even know Jace from anywhere and wasn't planning to. Why is he trying to make it feel like I'm forcing myself on him?

At lunch, I find my usual corner table in the cafeteria. I was halfway through my sandwich when I overheard the conversation at the popular table.

"I'm telling you, he was arrested," Jessica Williams' voice came hushed, but still audible. "My dad's a cop," he said. Jace Storm has a record."

"What kind of record?" her friend asked.

"Something bad. Awful. They moved him here from some boarding school after he got kicked out."

"That makes him even hotter," another girl sighs.

I listen to myself. What did Jace do? And why doesn't anyone seem to care?

"My cousin lives in his old town," Tyler chimes in from the next table. "Said weird stuff happened when he was there. Like, really weird. People are getting hurt in ways that don't make sense."

"You're full of it," someone laughs.

"Am I? Ask him about the scars on his back sometime."

Scars? What scars?

I was so lost in thought that I didn't notice Jace approaching until he was standing right next to me.

"Enjoying your meal, library girl?"

I looked up, and my blood immediately turned ice. He's holding a cup of chocolate milk, and there's something dangerous in his eyes.

"Please don't," I whispered.

"Don't what?" He tilts his head, pretending to be confused.

"Whatever you're thinking of doing."

"I'm not thinking of doing anything." He pauses, then "accidentally" bumps the table. The content of his cup tips over, spilling all over my lunch, my books, my lap.

"Oops," he says with fake concern. "How clumsy of me."

The entire cafeteria erupts in laughter. I just sat there, soaked in chocolate milk, while everyone points and whispers. Jace just stood there, watching me with those cold green eyes.

"You should be more careful where you sit," he says quietly, so only I can hear. "Accidents happen around me."

Then he walks away, leaving me sitting in the mess he created. If this is how it feels to be noticed, then I don't want to.

The rest of the day is torture. People make jokes about the "milk incident" everywhere I go. By the time gym class rolls around, I'm ready to disappear forever.

"Alright, ladies," Coach Rivera shouts. "We're running the mile today. No exceptions."

I hate running. I'm terrible at it, and it gives everyone another chance to watch me fail. But I line up with the other girls anyway.

We started jogging around the track, and I immediately fell behind. My lungs burned, my legs felt like lead, and the other girls lapped me before I was even halfway done.

"Come on, Vale!" Coach Rivera yells. "Push yourself!"

I try to run faster, but something's wrong. Really wrong.

Pain shoots through my chest like lightning. Not normal running pain or something else. Something that makes my vision blur and my skin feel like it's on fire.

I stumble, gasping for air.

"I can't… I can't." I started to say, but the words died in my throat.

The pain gets worse as it spreads through my whole body, starting from my chest and racing outward like electricity. I look down at my arms and nearly scream.

My veins are glowing.

Bright blue light pulses under my skin, following the path of my blood vessels. It's beautiful and terrifying at the same time.

"What's happening to me?" I whisper.

The world spins. The track tilts sideways, then I hear screaming of mine or someone else's. I can't tell.

And just then, everything went blank.

***

I woke up slowly, like swimming up from the bottom of a deep, dark pool. My head felt like someone hit it with a hammer, and my mouth tasted like cotton.

"She's awake."

That voice. I know that voice.

I force my eyes open and find myself staring at the ceiling of the nurse's office. The fluorescent lights were too bright, making my head throb worse.

"How are you feeling, dear?" Nurse Campbell asked, appearing in my line of sight.

"Dizzy," I croak. "What happened?"

"You fainted during gym class. Gave everyone quite a scare."

Fainted? That's what they think happened. But I remember the glowing veins, the electric pain. That wasn't fainting.

"I should call your parents," Nurse Campbell says, reaching for the phone.

"That's not necessary."

The voice came from the corner of the room, and my blood freezed. I turned my head and saw Jace Storm sitting in a chair by the window. His green eyes are fixed on me with an intensity that makes my skin crawl.

"Why are you here?" I whisper.

Nurse Campbell looks between us, confused. "Mr. Storm carried you here after you collapsed. Very heroic of him."

Heroic? This is the same boy who humiliated me with chocolate milk three hours ago.

"I should go," I said, trying to sit up, but Jace stands and crosses the room in two quick steps.

"No," he said, his hand gently but firmly pushing me back down. "You need to rest."

His touch sends shock waves through my skin. Not painful like before, but something else. Something that makes every nerve in my body light up.

"I'll stay with her," he tells Nurse Campbell. "To make sure she's okay."

"That's very sweet of you, Mr. Storm. I need to file some paperwork. Can you watch her for a few minutes?'

"Of course."

The nurse leaves, and suddenly we're alone in the bay. Jace moved his chair closer to my bed, his eyes never leaving my face.

"What do you want?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

He leans forward, so close I can feel his breath on my cheek.

"You felt it, didn't you?" he says quietly. "The power."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"The glowing. The pain. The electricity in your veins." His eyes are intense, almost glowing themselves. "I know because I felt it too. The moment you changed."

Changed? What is he talking about?

He reaches out and touches my hand. The moment our skin connects, that electric feeling shoots through me again. But this time, it doesn't hurt. This time, it feels like coming home.

"You're mine now," he whispers, his voice different than I've ever heard. Possessive. Dangerous. Almost hungry.

"What do you mean?"

His smile is sharp, predatory. "You'll understand soon enough, Aria Vale. We're connected now. Whether you like it or not."

The way he said my name makes my heart race for all the wrong reasons.

"Connected how?"

But before he could answer, Nurse Campbell came back into the room.

"How is she doing?" she asked.

"Better," Jace replied, but his eyes never left mine. "Much better."

I want to ask a thousand questions, but something in his expression tells me to wait, to be patient and not just that, to be scared.