Chapter 5

SERA'S POV

"That petty, punny-ass bitch always gets on my nerves. I’m just glad I taught her a lesson," I muttered to myself, the words a bitter taste as I walked out of the kitchen.

I reached slowly into the small bag cinched around my waist. My hand brushed against my phone, and I just stared at it for a long, quiet ten seconds before pulling it out. After a moment of hovering, I rolled my eyes at my own weakness and shoved it back into the bag.

Then, the familiar buzz.

‘To be frank, I miss you,’ Jerry’s message popped up on my screen.

A second later, another followed: ‘Come on, reply to me. Whatever happened in the past, let’s just leave it there’.

I went completely still, like a statue carved from ice. My gaze was anchored to the phone; I didn't want to look, but I couldn't seem to turn away. My fingers felt numb, like they belonged to a stranger, as I fumbled with the bag and snatched the device out one more time. The blood drained from my face, leaving me cold and hollow. The night air didn't help, its damp chill seeping right through my clothes.

I lifted my head, looking down the long, quiet hallway. My eyes landed on an old chair sitting out on the balcony. I didn't want to move—I wanted to disappear—but I forced my legs to find their rhythm. My feet felt like lead, dragging across the floor with a tired, rhythmic *scuff-scuff*.

I reached the balcony and yanked the chair back. The legs scraped harshly against the floor, a stubborn, angry sound that echoed the storm brewing in my chest. I didn't want to sit. I didn't even want to be here. But my strength simply evaporated, and I dropped onto the chair, my body feeling too heavy for my bones.

*Why am I doing this?* I thought, my chest tightening until it hurt to breathe. *Why did I even sit down?*

The phone was still there, a small, cold weight in my palm. I looked at his message again, the words stinging like salt in a fresh cut. My face felt tight and bitter. With a shaky breath and a heart full of reluctance, I began to type.

‘I don't have issues with you or our past,’ I wrote, my thumbs feeling heavy. ‘You did what you did. I felt what I felt. It is what it is’.

‘But you seem upset,’ he replied instantly. The speed of it made my stomach flip. ‘You took hours to reply. This isn't the normal you, Sera. We both know that’.

I felt a surge of heat crawl up my neck. ‘It’s been months, Jerry! You pop out of nowhere and start sending me messages. I think the only reason you’re talking is because I forgot to block you’.

‘No,’ his reply came back, smug and sharp. ‘You did block me. But then you unblocked me’.

I stared at the screen, my face burning. I closed the app immediately, shoving the phone away as if it had burned me. I looked up at the sky, searching the stars for some kind of answer, but they just stared back, cold and distant.

I couldn't believe I’d even replied. What was I thinking? Who did he think he was, tracking my every move like that? So what if I unblocked him? It didn't give him an invitation to crawl back into my head. I slammed the phone face-down onto my lap. Disgrace. Utter disgrace. I blamed myself for even giving that rogue a second of my time.

*Pim… pim… pim.*

The notification beeped again. I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. I brought my palm up and gave my forehead a gentle, frustrated *bam*.

This man wouldn't leave me alone. Why was I even bothering? My face twisted in disgust. I reached down to shove the phone back into my pocket, but for a split second, my gaze caught the screen.

I froze. My heart didn't just skip; it did a full backflip. My hands started to shiver, but I caught myself, lifting the phone slowly toward my face. A huge, uncontrollable smile began to crawl across my cheeks.

Silly and desperate, I wiped the screen against my gown just to make sure I was seeing straight. I rubbed my eyes hard, squinting at the light.

"He sent me a message!" I shouted, my hands flying into the air.

I leaped up from the chair, my breath racing. In my excitement, the phone slipped through my fingers. Time seemed to slow down. Before it could hit the hard floor, I threw myself downward, sliding like a baseball player into home base.

The phone landed with a soft *thud* right on my chest. I hugged it to me, gasping for air. There was no way I was letting anything happen to this phone. Not now. Not when Chris had actually replied.

I stayed there on the floor for a long moment, lost in a cloud of pure, dizzy excitement. Finally, I worked up the courage to actually read what he’d written.

‘Hello beautiful….’

“Ahhhhhhhhhh!”

I screamed so loud I was sure the birds in the trees took flight. I didn't even finish the sentence before I dropped the phone like it was a hot coal. I scrambled to my feet, one hand clutching my heart while the other fanned my face.

“Air! I need air!” My breath was coming in short, happy gasps. “He called me beautiful,” I whispered, my voice thick with a joy I couldn't quite contain. I fanned myself even faster, my skin tingling.

But then, the heat changed. It wasn't just excitement anymore; it was that familiar, searing burn at the base of my spine. I gasped as I felt my tail begin to sprout, the fur thick and wild, reacting to my soaring heart. The ground suddenly felt too hot, as if the earth itself were vibrating with me. Panic flared, cutting through the bliss. I reached back, desperately tucking and forcing the tail back under my skin with a painful, mental tug. I looked around, my chest heaving, searching the shadows.

“Thank the Moon Goddess,” I breathed. No one had seen my slip-up.

I picked up the phone again, my hands shaking as I read the rest.

‘Hello, beautiful. I’m Chris. I noticed you liked my photos, so I thought it was only right that I do the same. However, I can’t help being curious about the wonderful young lady who suddenly appeared on my profile. I’ll be waiting for your reply’.

My feet took off on their own. Suddenly, I was a ballroom dancer. My audience was the endless darkness and the silent, lifeless furniture on the balcony. I twirled, my hands moving in graceful arcs, my feet tip-toeing across the stone. I was the star of the night, my voice humming a private opera of happiness.

But then the unheard music stopped abruptly.

A hand landed on my shoulder, firm and cold. A gentle tap that felt like a death knell.

“The Lord summons you”.

That was it. Just four words. Before I could even process the message or hide my phone, he was dragging me by the arm. The air around us felt stagnant, heavy with the stench of disaster. I couldn't shake the feeling of impending doom that hung off his voice like a thick, black shroud.

My heart, which had been dancing just a second ago, now felt like a stone sinking into the pit of my stomach.