Chapter Four - Raven

Dinner smells incredible, warm spices, fresh cornbread, something sweet cooling on the counter, but my stomach is too tight to enjoy any of it. I sit between Emily and Mrs. Connor, trying to look normal, trying to pretend I belong here.

Ms. Carter left a few minutes ago after finishing the last of the paperwork. She hugged me before she left. She never hugs. Maybe she thinks this placement will stick. Maybe she hopes it will. I don’t let myself hope for things like that. Emily chatters nonstop about school tomorrow, teachers, hallways, the best vending machines, who to avoid, who to sit with. She’s bright and warm and impossible not to like.

I nod along, but my mind keeps drifting.

Noah sits across from me, barely touching his food. His phone lights up again and again, and every time it does, his jaw tightens. He glances at it, then away, then back again. He hasn’t said more than three words since we sat down.

He was quiet earlier, but present. Now he feels miles away. Maybe this is it. Maybe now that Ms. Carter is gone, the masks are coming off. Maybe this is the real version of them, the version that doesn’t want me here. My chest tightens. Mrs. Connor notices me pushing food around my plate. “Raven, sweetheart, are you feeling okay?”

I force a smile. “Just tired. Long day.”

“Understandable,” she says gently. “You’re welcome to rest whenever you need.”

I nod, but the knot in my throat grows. Panic creeps in, familiar and sharp. I’ve misread things before. I’ve gotten too comfortable before. I’ve been too much before. Noah’s phone buzzes again. He exhales sharply, annoyed, and flips it face‑down. My stomach drops. It’s me. It has to be me. I swallow hard. “Um… would it be okay if I went to my room? I’m just… really tired.”

Mrs. Connor’s face softens. “Of course, honey.”

Emily frowns. “But we were gonna...”

“Emily,” her mom warns gently.

I stand quickly, chair scraping against the floor. My hands shake. I don’t know why this hurts so much. I barely know these people. I shouldn’t care. But I do. Too much. I turn toward the hallway, trying to breathe, trying to keep it together, The lights flicker. All of them. Once. Twice. A picture frame rattles on the wall, tilts, and falls, shattering on the floor. Everyone freezes.

My heart slams against my ribs. I didn’t touch anything. I didn’t even look at it. But the air around me feels charged, humming, like something inside me slipped loose. Noah finally looks up. Really looks. His eyes lock on mine, wide and startled, like he felt something too. Like he knows exactly what just happened. I can’t stay here. I bolt up the stairs, taking them two at a time, breath shaking, pulse roaring in my ears. Behind me, I hear Emily call my name. Mrs. Connor gasps softly. Mr, Connor stands from his chair. But it’s Noah’s voice that follows me the longest, quiet, low, almost pained.

“Raven…”

I slam my bedroom door shut and press my back against it, sliding down until I’m on the floor. The house is quiet again. But inside me? Something is waking up.

I curl my knees to my chest, trying to breathe past the tightness in my throat. My hands won’t stop shaking. My heart won’t slow down. The lights flickered. The picture fell. Everyone saw. Not again. Not here. Not this soon. The house feels alive around me, like the walls are listening, like the air is waiting for something. For me. A soft knock breaks through the silence.

“Raven?”

Noah. His voice is low, careful, like he’s afraid I’ll run again. I stand slowly, wiping my palms on my jeans. I open the door just enough to see him, but not enough to let him in. Having him too close feels… dangerous. Not in a bad way. In a too‑much way. He leans against the doorframe, hands in his pockets, eyes searching my face. He looks worried. Really worried.

“You okay?” he asks.

I nod automatically. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

He raises an eyebrow. “You ran up the stairs like the house was on fire.”

Heat rushes to my cheeks. “I just… needed air.”

He studies me for a long moment, something softening in his expression. “You don’t have to be scared here.” I swallow hard. “I’m not scared.”

He doesn’t call me out on the lie, but his eyes say he knows. Silence stretches between us, warm, strange. His presence calms something in me I didn’t know could be calmed. My heartbeat steadies. The panic loosens its grip. I don’t understand it. I don’t understand him.

“I don’t know why you’re here,” I whisper before I can stop myself. “Why are you checking on me? You don’t even know me.”

His jaw tightens, like he’s holding something back. “You’re part of this family now.”

The words hit me harder than they should.

“I’m only here for a month,” I say quietly.

“No,” he says, voice low. “You’re here as long as you want to be.”

My breath catches. He shifts, glancing down the hall. “Mom’s worried. Dad too. They want to make sure you’re okay.”

“And you?” I ask before I can stop myself.

His eyes snap back to mine. Something flickers there, warm, intense, something I don’t have a name for. “I’m…” He clears his throat. “I’m just making sure you’re not freaking out alone.”

I let out a shaky breath. “I’m not freaking out.”

He gives me a look that says you absolutely are, but he doesn’t push it. Another beat of silence. Then his phone buzzes in his pocket. He flinches. His expression shutters. He pulls the phone out, glances at the screen, and his whole body goes tense. “Sorry,” he mutters. “I...uh...I should go.”

He turns quickly, heading down the hall, shoulders tight, steps heavy. I watch him go, confusion twisting in my chest. I don’t know what’s bothering him. I don’t know why he looked at me like that. I don’t know why his presence calms me when nothing else ever has. But I do know one thing:

Whatever is happening to me, whatever is waking up inside me, Noah feels it too.