I didn't know why I kept following him. There was something off about him, something dark, and every instinct in me screamed to stay away. But I couldn't. I just had to see where he was going.After a while, the narrow street I ended up in looked abandoned, as if the city itself had forgotten it existed. Broken windows, crumbling walls, and some stray garbage littering the ground made the atmosphere feel heavy."Sarah, what are you doing?" I muttered under my breath while my voice was shaking. "This is insane. You could get yourself killed."But my legs moved on their own, following the figure until he stopped in front of an abandoned building. Its paint was already peeling while the windows were boarded up, and a shadow seemed to cling to it like a living thing. I shivered violently and dove into the nearest trash can and pulled the lid over my head as silently as possible.I crouched inside while trying to control my ragged breathing. "Why am I like this?" I whispered. "Why do I alw
After a few days, time seemed fleeting as we started campaigning for Gabriel as the next president of the Student Council. It was a good thing that we didn’t have much assignments and exams throughout the week that we were able to support Gabriel all the way out. It was around 2 in the afternoon when the campaign field was alive with all the noises and colors. Banners flapped on the poles with Gabriel's name painted in bold blue letters. Our whole biology department had practically taken over the east corner of the quad while setting up a booth decorated with handmade posters and stacks of flyers.Jason, of course, was the star of the show. He balanced a cupcake on his head while dancing ridiculously. "Vote for Gabriel! Free sweetness, free smiles, and of course, free cupcakes!" Students started laughing, swarming our booth, and snatched some flyers and frosting-streaked treats.I couldn't help but laugh too while clutching my stomach. "Jason, you're insane.""That's what makes me e
I could barely focus on my food at the cafeteria as we were having our lunch. My fork just kept scraping across the plate while moving the rice from one side to the other without me even realizing it. Beside me, Lily was chatting with Maxine while asking some questions about her pack and traditions and even the kinds of celebrations they had.I just listened to them but I was really not in the mood to talk. I felt my mind wasn't here at all but still stuck back in that classroom and hearing that strange voice in my head again and again."Sarah," Lily suddenly nudged my arm, pulling me back. "What's wrong? Is the food bad, girl?"Maxine tilted her head slightly. "She's right, you've barely eaten. Are you okay, Sarah?"I set my fork down and took a slow breath. "Actually, something happened earlier during the recitation."They both straightened immediately and their attention on me, so I began explaining everything. How I froze on the question and how suddenly a voice spoke inside my he
The next morning, I woke up long before the triplets' alarms went off. Today was recitation day with the subject I hated the most. I didn't even bother eating breakfast at the condo since I couldn't keep anything down anyway. I just slipped out quietly while clasping my books, and made my way to school while the city was still cloaked in faint dawn light.When I reached the campus a few minutes later, there were only a handful of students present. I settled at the gazebo in front of our department building while hoping that the fresh air would help me think. Pulling out my phone, I dialed Lily's number, but it just rang and rang. I sighed while shaking my head."She's probably still snoring," I muttered to myself. "Lucky her."I ended up opening my notebook and began muttering all the formulas and concepts like I was giving a lecture to invisible students. I started repeating steps and examples over and over. For almost thirty minutes, I buried myself in it while drowning in numbers
When the elevator finally stopped at our floor, I heaved a faint sigh. When I stepped inside the condo, the faint smell of something sweet and creamy wafted through the air."Welcome home," a familiar voice called.I flickered my eyes and looked toward the kitchen. Tyler was standing there while wearing an apron with a whisk in one hand as he stirred something in a glass bowl."You're home late, Sarah," he uttered while tilting his head as his eyes scanned my face. "Are you okay?"I hesitated before answering. "Yeah, I'm fine, Ty. I was just tired. First days are always heavy, right?"Tyler set the whisk down, walked over, and before I could retreat, he pressed his palm gently on my head. He faintly ruffled my hair just slightly before sliding it into a light caress."You've worked hard today," he softly muttered and smiled at me in that gentle way of his. "Don't worry. I'll make a good dinner for us tonight."My heart fluttered unexpectedly. I smiled back and the heaviness in me ease
It was around 3:30 in the afternoon when the bell finally rang and I felt that my shoulders drop in relief. It was only our first day, but all the schedules had already promised a lot of chaos for the rest of the semester. But at least, our classes for today were over.Lily and I just strolled slowly across the campus grounds when we saw some banners and posters were hanging everywhere and some colorful announcements of the candidates running for this year's student council.I stopped dead in my tracks when a familiar face caught my eye."Wait—" I stepped closer to a large banner fluttering slightly in the breeze. "That's Gabriel?"His photo smiled confidently down at us with some bold letters underneath reading: Gabriel Alaric, Candidate for Student Council President.But it wasn’t just for our department, but for the entire academy.My jaw almost fell. "He's running for president of Blakefield? No wonder he's always so busy and I can't believe that he didn't even mention it."I turn