Silent panic

Chapter 18

The afternoon was dark and heavy. A thick fog rolled across the academy grounds, making the stone courtyard look like a gray sea. I was standing in the empty stairwell of the third floor, wiping down the iron handrails with a damp cloth.

Suddenly, a loud, piercing noise shattered the silence.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The emergency fire alarm system exploded through the speakers. Red lights on the ceiling began to flash violently, casting bright, bloody streaks against the concrete walls.

"Fire drill! Evacuate the building immediately!" a robotic voice boomed from the walls.

The sound hit my ears like a physical blow.

Instantly, my mind snapped. The cold stairwell disappeared. In its place, I heard the terrifying sound of twisting metal. I smelled the suffocating scent of burning rubber and thick, black smoke. The phantom memory of my first death—the crushing weight of the rolled truck, the agonizing snap of my bones, and the hot flames licking at my skin—surged through my mind with brutal force.

I dropped my cleaning cloth. My heart began to hammer frantically against my ribs, loud enough to drown out the alarm.

"No," I choked out, my voice small and terrified.

I couldn't breathe. My lungs felt like they were filled with hot ash. The panic was absolute, a blind, suffocating terror that paralyzed my legs. I slid down the stone wall, collapsing onto the hard steps of the stairwell. I pulled my knees tightly against my chest, burying my face in my arms, trying to block out the flashing red lights.

Above me, the heavy wooden doors banged open. Hundreds of students began running down the stairs, their heavy footsteps shaking the concrete. They ran past me, laughing and complaining about the drill, completely ignoring the scholarship girl curled into a ball in the corner.

Deep inside my chest, that familiar, white-hot heat flared up violently.

My royal magic was reacting to my extreme panic, trying to force its way through the seals to protect my breaking mind. The pain was blinding. A thick, metallic taste of copper flooded my mouth. I ground my teeth together, forcefully swallowing the blood down, my body shaking with uncontrollable tremors. I was drowning in my past life's ghost.

"Eva! Eva!"

Through the loud roar of the alarm, a clear, desperate voice called my name.

Chloe pushed through the crowd of descending students, moving upward against the traffic. Her bronze curls were messy, and her hazel eyes were wide with pure panic when she spotted me on the floor. She dropped her backpack and immediately threw herself down on the steps beside me.

"Eva, look at me!" Chloe shouted, grabbing my shoulders with her warm, strong Gamma hands. "It's just a drill! There is no fire! You are safe!"

I couldn't answer. My vision was blurry, and I was gasping for air that wouldn't come.

Chloe didn't hesitate. She wrapped her arms tightly around my shaking frame, pulling me against her chest. She used her own body to shield me from the rushing students, creating a small sanctuary in the middle of the chaotic stairwell. She began rubbing my back in slow, steady circles.

"I've got you," Chloe whispered loudly near my ear, her voice solid and unyielding. "Breathe with me, Eva. In and out. Just focus on my voice. The truck is gone. You are at Lunar Ridge. I am right here."

I clamped my fingers into the fabric of her school jacket, holding onto her like a lifeline. Slowly, the warmth of her touch began to melt the icy terror in my veins. The smell of burning smoke faded, replaced by the familiar scent of Chloe's vanilla perfume.

I took a deep, shaky breath, forcing the golden light pulsing beneath my sleeves to dim down. The blinding pain in my chest slowly receded, leaving my body damp with sweat and completely drained of energy.

By the time the alarm finally cut off, leaving the stairwell in a sudden, ringing silence, my breathing had leveled out.

"Are you back?" Chloe asked softly, gently pulling away to look into my face. She reached up and wiped a stray tear from my cheek.

"I'm back," I whispered, my voice tight and rough. I quickly used the sleeve of my oversized grey jacket to wipe a tiny trace of pink blood from the corner of my lip before she could see it. "Thank you, Chloe."

"You had a flashback, didn't you?" Chloe asked, her voice filled with deep, protective sorrow. "The car accident from three months ago. You looked like you were dying, Eva."

I did die, I thought coldly, but I didn't say it aloud.

I stood up slowly, leaning against the handrail until my legs felt steady. The panic was gone, replaced by a cold, hard focus. Cassandra Vance was planning to destroy my family, and Cassian was stalking my steps. I couldn't afford to let my past life's trauma make me weak.

"I am fine now," I told Chloe, my simple words filled with absolute steel as I picked up my cleaning cloth. "The drill is over. We need to get back to work."