LOGINThe night settled softly, like it wasn’t ready to make demands.Lola sat cross legged on the bed, laptop open but untouched, the glow of the screen reflecting thoughts she wasn’t ready to face. Outside, laughter drifted up from the quad college life in motion, unaware of the quiet gravity in her roo
Morning didn’t rush them.Sunlight slipped in gently, catching dust in the air and painting the room in soft gold. Lola woke with a strange, unfamiliar feeling peace. The kind that didn’t disappear the moment she opened her eyes.She was still in the middle.Jake lay on his back to her left, arm ben
The lights were off, but no one was asleep.Lola lay on her side, facing the wall, listening to the soft rhythm of breathing behind her. The room felt different in the dark smaller, warmer, more honest. There was no tension pressing down anymore, no threat humming under the surface.Just awareness.
Night arrived quietly.Not like before no alarms in Lola’s chest, no edge in the air. Just the soft hum of the dorm settling down, doors closing, laughter fading into low conversations and music drifting through walls.Lola stood at the window, arms folded loosely, watching the lights outside blink
The afternoon stretched out in a way that felt unfamiliar.Not tense.Not hurried.Just… open.Lola walked across campus with Jake and Damon flanking her not guarding, not hovering, simply there. The whispers still existed, but they were background noise now, like traffic she no longer needed to loo
Morning light slipped through the blinds in thin, pale lines.Lola woke slowly, awareness returning in layers. Warmth first. Then weight. Then the quiet certainty that she wasn’t alone.Jake was half-reclined against the headboard, one arm relaxed behind her shoulders, his breathing slow and even. D
This is mine. The flames flared once, then folded inward, collapsing into a pulsing ember that settled in her palms. The gym fell silent, the heat receding. Damien didn’t release her wrists. He stared down at the faint glow still burning in her hands, his jaw tight. “You’ve done what others died
The night felt too still. Even with the broken window patched by a thin sheet of plastic, Lola couldn’t sleep. Every creak of the dorm echoed louder than her own heartbeat, every shadow stretched too long against the walls. She sat on her bed, knees tucked under her chin, staring at Damien’s silhou
The paper crumpled in Damien’s fist, the edges curling against the heat of his skin. He stood there in the silence, eyes locked on Lola as if she were the only thing keeping him tethered to reality. Her voice trembled when she finally spoke. “Damien… what does it mean?” He didn’t answer right away
Sleep was impossible. Lola lay flat on her back, staring at the ceiling, the shadows of her dorm room stretching long and heavy. Every time she shut her eyes, the words pulsed in her head like a heartbeat: I know what you’re hiding. Her hand hovered just above the pillow, fingers grazing the fabri







