MasukPhoenix“Shit, what the hell is happening?!”Silia’s grip around me tightened. It felt like getting strangled by thorned vines—even though her tentacles were soft, which somehow made it way creepier. She lifted me higher off the ground. My body was shaking, and breathing was getting harder.Down below, the Courier was panicking, trying to pull the tentacles off me, but it was useless. All he could do was mutter curses under his breath while still bowing to the forest spirit.“How do I get free from her?!” I shouted, my voice already hoarse from the pain.“I don’t know! I’ve never gotten caught like this before!”“Great,” I groaned, biting my lip just to stay conscious. “Why the hell did I look her in the eyes…”Silia hissed—a hundred overlapping voices all at once, cold enough to freeze me to the bone. Her many eyes stared into me, blinking out of sync. It was disgusting, terrifying.“A MORTAL HAS NO RIGHT TO CHALLENGE ME WITH A STARE.”Then—from somewhere far off—I heard a howl.This
PhoenixDr. Lazarus pulled a small key from the pocket of his lab coat.He walked up to the red door and turned the key. It slowly creaked open, but I couldn’t see a thing—the light pouring out was blinding.“Good luck, Phoenix.”The second my feet crossed the threshold, my eyes squeezed shut from the intense brightness. Cold air hit me like a slap, and everything went dead quiet. When I turned around, the red door had vanished.I reached out into empty air, hoping to find it again—but it was useless. I needed to focus. There was a reason I came here.In front of me stretched a dark gray concrete path with railings on each side. A bridge, I guessed. I walked to the edge and leaned over, confirming it was indeed a bridge—though I couldn’t see the bottom thanks to the thick fog rolling beneath.I glanced up at the sky—if you could call it that. It looked like some alternate dimension version of the real thing: overcast and lit with silent flashes of lightning. No thunder. Just eerie sil
PhoenixWhat does it feel like to be tired?I didn’t even remember anymore. Not to sound whiny, but ever since I fell into this coma, I’ve started to miss all the little things I used to find annoying. Like being tired of having to be the responsible twin to someone as chaotic as Phoebe, or always having to live up to the “golden child” image of the family. Sometimes, I wish I could be like her—wild, carefree, and not constantly wearing this mask of perfection.I remember her dropping popcorn all over the couch during her third Gilmore Girls binge of the week.“I’ll do my homework later,” she said.“Stop nagging, Phoenix. I’ll clean it up, okay?”Back then, I’d always just walk away instead of starting a fight. But now? I’d kill for that kind of chaos again. I miss the normal stuff. The everyday noise.Now I can only see myself—kind of transparent, stuck in this ugly hospital gown like a wound that won’t heal. I wander the halls, watching tired faces, muffled sobs, and hope hanging in
PhoebeBy the time we made it back to the dorms, I couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened earlier. My anxiety must’ve been full-blown, because I wasn’t even watching where I was going and ended up tripping over a pretty big rock near the front gate.Finley caught me just in time. I also saw Adonis reaching out like he was about to do the same, but Finley got to me faster.A bunch of people saw it—especially Coach Cooper. I even apologized, even though it obviously wasn’t my fault. I mean, yeah, I’m clumsy, but I wouldn’t trip over stuff on purpose.“You okay?” Finley asked.I just nodded, quickly finding my balance and standing up. I let out a long sigh as we parted ways with Coach Cooper, who told us to get some rest.In the lounge, I sat down next to Hayden. He told me he was staying off social media for a while, for my sake. Honestly, I didn’t care what people online were saying—good or bad.Adonis had gone to the kitchen and came back with a glass of warm milk. Zion left w
PhoebeI refused to talk to Hayden.Adonis stepped in and explained my mood, and Hayden finally backed off. I was mentally drained today, and all I could hope for was that I’d feel better tomorrow.Under the warm stream of the dorm shower, I tried to wash away all the stress. I stayed in there so long my fingertips wrinkled. I even found myself enjoying the citrusy scent of the shampoo Tyra picked out when we were out shopping at the Livingstone minimart.At first, I didn’t want it—I’ve always preferred minty scents like the ones back home. But damn, she was right. That fresh lemony smell hit differently, like it cleared out my whole brain. Even when I dried my hair with the hairdryer, the scent still lingered.When I stepped out of the bathroom, Zion was already sitting on my bed, his right leg crossed over the left. He smiled big when he saw me, opening his arms wide as he flipped the book he was reading face down on the nightstand.“I’m gonna change real quick,” I said, tossing my
Phoebe“Hey, Phoebe.”A horn honked, followed by a familiar voice calling out from the distance. I stopped walking and looked up, spotting Finley leaning out of Zion’s car window. For a second, I just stood there, caught off guard by his sudden appearance. Then my feet started moving toward him on their own.He jerked his chin toward the passenger seat. Without saying much, I got in and shut the door. A wave of quiet relief slowly spread through my chest. I wasn’t sure what to say first—only that I was glad it was Finley who came.He’s always known how to calm me down—no pressure, no theatrics, just his presence, like a cool breeze in the middle of a heatwave.“Let me guess... Hayden sent you,” I muttered, eyes on the road as dusk settled in, casting everything in that blueish winter hue.“You got it. He told me before you guys left... and Zion, too. Actually, Zion was the loudest one. He wouldn’t stop bugging me during my game two hours ago.” Finley chuckled, starting the engine.“He
Phoebe"You belonged to us."If Hayden and Finley had said they, along with Adonis, were my mates, then why was Zion there too?As Finley kissed me gently, Zion wrapped his arms around my waist. He pulled me onto the bed with a demanding motion, but he didn’t separate me from Finley. Hayden’s hands
PhoebeI covered my mouth, trying to suppress the disbelief at the sight before me. Finley’s body was covered in scars, some faint and barely visible, while others were harsh and unmistakably real. My gaze was frozen, my chest tight, and my brain struggled to process what I was seeing.“What really
Phoebe "Argh." The moment Finley's fangs pierced my neck, my vision spun out of control. I couldn't feel my body anymore. A fiery sensation I'd never experienced before surged through me, almost suffocating me. Then, the burning spread through my entire body. It felt as though I was burning up w
Adonis I saw Phoebe running toward me. One thing I knew for sure—she wasn’t looking for me, nor did she want to come to me. I could feel the anger radiating from her expression.Finally, she stopped right in front of me, tilting her head up to meet my gaze. Without warning, she grabbed me and kiss







