MAYAThe knife in my hand hovered above the onion, but I hadn’t chopped anything in over a minute. My eyes were on the cutting board, but my mind wasn’t.“Maya?” I didn’t hear him the first time.Thane called again, louder. “Maya?”Still, I didn’t respond. My fingers were gripping the counter so tight they were turning white.Suddenly, I felt his hand on my shoulder.I jumped.“It’s me,” he said gently, moving to stand in front of me. “Hey… are you okay?”I blinked and looked at him. “Sorry. I didn’t hear you.”“I noticed,” he said. “You’ve been slicing the same onion for ten minutes.”“I have?” I glanced down. He was right. It was a mess. Uneven, wet, forgotten.Thane reached out and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. “What’s going on?”I hesitated.“Maya.”I finally sighed. “I’m scared, Thane.”He frowned. “Scared? Of what?”“You know what.” I dropped the knife into the sink and wiped my hands on the towel. “Ariel. I feel like she’s getting closer.”Thane was quiet for a second
LILAI sat at our usual lunch table, trying not to make it obvious that I was wearing charms again. One on my wrist, one around my neck, and one tucked carefully into my shoe, where no one could see. Sierra said they’d block my powers. Or at least slow them down. She said these would help.I wasn’t sure if I believed her, but I hoped she was right.The cafeteria buzzed with the usual noise, students laughing, trays clattering, someone yelling across the room about ketchup. It all felt normal, but that only made me more nervous. Like it was too normal.Zane slid into the seat across from me, balancing his tray on one hand like always. He gave me a quick once-over and frowned.“You okay?” he asked, picking up a carton of juice.“Yeah,” I lied.He raised an eyebrow. “You’re picking at your food like it’s poisoned.”I glanced down at the tray. “It just looks weird today.”“It’s literally just rice and chicken,” Zane said, watching me with a confused look.“Exactly,” I muttered, still push
SIERRAMath class was boring, like always. Mr. Griggs was droning on about variables, and I was halfway through a doodle of a sword when I noticed Dane shifting in his seat. He kept glancing sideways, toward Emily, the lady Kane saw yesterday.I looked too.Emily was pale. Really pale. Her head was tilted forward like she was struggling to stay upright. Then, out of nowhere, her pencil slipped from her hand. She started shaking.“Emily?” I said quietly.Her eyes rolled back.“Oh my God,” someone whispered.She gasped and collapsed onto her desk with a loud thump.“Emily!” Dane shot out of his seat.Students screamed. Chairs scraped. Mr. Griggs froze.Emily's lips moved.“She’s saying something,” I muttered, pushing past my desk. “Let me hear.”I knelt beside her just as she began whispering. Not English. Not any language I recognized. It was smooth, dark, and chilling, like wind rushing through dead trees. But something about it sparked in my brain. I saw symbols like this in my dream
DANEThe hallway was loud with chatter and footsteps, but I could feel the tension rolling off my brothers like heat. We were just trying to make it to class without anyone breathing down our necks. That was apparently too much to ask."Hey!" The jock pointed at Kane. "You're the guy who broke the bench, right? And now lockers are cracking? What are you, a demolition crew?"Kane clenched his fists. I stepped in front of him, placing a firm hand on his chest. "He didn’t break any locker."The jock laughed, loud and ugly. "Yeah? Then why are they all dented the same way the bench snapped? Just saying, man. You guys show up, and stuff starts falling apart.""That’s not proof," I said, trying to keep my voice even. "You don’t get to blame people just because weird things happen.""Weird things?" another jock cut in, stepping up beside the first. He crossed his arms. "Look around. Lockers dented. Lights flickering. That weird hum in the gym last night? People talk, man. Everyone’s saying i
SIERRAIt started with a feeling. Just a slight tingle at the back of my neck, the kind that tells you someone is watching. At first, I thought it was nothing. Maybe a teacher, maybe a random student. But by the third time I caught him looking at me, I knew it wasn’t a coincidence.He was older. Maybe late thirties. Always dressed in dark clothes, always near but never too close. Once near the parking lot. Another time across the street near the coffee shop where Kane had said he’d seen someone strange. And today, again. Leaning against the wall near the school gates.I slowed down, keeping an eye on him. He didn’t flinch, didn’t try to look away. Just calmly turned and walked in the opposite direction. My heart was racing. I glanced back toward the school, made sure no one was watching, and then followed him.He was fast. Not running, just… smooth. Like he was gliding. By the time I made it around the corner, he was already two blocks ahead. My boots hit the pavement harder than I wa
SIERRAIt was the end of the day and I was already halfway to the front office when my name got called over the intercom."Sierra, please report to Room 12."I stopped in my tracks, groaning inwardly. Room 12 was Mr. Lorne’s classroom, where the project partners were announced earlier.I turned around and made my way back down the hallway, tired and cranky. My shoulders were still sore from carrying Lila’s sparkly unicorn bag earlier, and my head was pounding from everything that happened.When I stepped into the room, Mr. Lorne looked up from his desk."Ah, Sierra. Good. I needed to let you know, Tara isn’t your only partner. Coach Pendergast said one of the boys from his class needed extra credit."I blinked. "What?"“I was about to plead with him to change my partner and this,” I muttered to myself.Mr. Lorne pointed toward the back corner.That’s when I saw him.The same jock that made fun of Kane during gym. The same one who almost got his jaw broken.He smirked at me. "Hey, fore