LOGINEVELESSA There’s something about dance that strips everything away.No titles.No war.No expectations.Just movement and the quiet rhythm of something that belongs only to me.I stand in the center of the rehearsal studio.Mirrors stretch across the walls.Reflecting every angle.Every flaw.Every strength.Music plays low through the speakers.My body moves before I think.Step.Turn.Breathe.Again.Faster.Sharper.Because this isn’t just practice.It’s discipline.It’s control.And control?Is the only thing keeping everything else from burning out of my hands.“Again.”My voice cuts through the room.The other dancers groan softly.Tired.Sweating.Human.I ignore it.“From the top.”They reset.Positions locked.Eyes on me.Always on me.Because if they’re watching they’re learning.Music starts again and I move.Everything else fades.The world narrows.Just steps.Just rhythm.Suddenly I feel a strange presence with us.My body reacts before my mind catches up.I stop.Mid-s
LIRADragons don’t trust easily.We remember too much.Betrayals.Wars.Promises broken long before most of this world was even built.So when someone asks for an audience with me especially now I don’t assume it’s respect.I assume it’s a test.Or a mistake.Mara?She feels like both.I stand at the edge of the cliff overlooking the sea.Waves crash below.The wind moves through my hair.Carrying salt.Carrying warning.Because something about tonight?Is wrong.“You chose a dramatic place.”Her voice cuts through the air behind me.I don’t turn.Not yet.“Dragons don’t do subtle,” I reply.A pause.Footsteps.She’s not rushing.That means she’s thinking.Or pretending to.“Is that what you are?” she asks.“A dragon?”I smile slightly.Now I turn.Face her.“Do you want to find out?”She holds my gaze.Doesn’t flinch.Doesn’t step back.Interesting.“Not tonight,” she says.Smart answer but not honest.Because she didn’t come here to talk.“You’ve been busy,” I say.“Everyone has.”“
ALEXIS"Come out...come out wherever you are now"Arena.Even thinking her name feels like touching something sharp because she doesn’t fight like the others.She hides.Builds layers.Creates versions of herself.Covers.Faces.Lives.And each one?A lie.But lies leave traces.They always do.You just have to know where to look.I stand at the edge of the city.Far from campus.This part of town doesn’t sleep.It festers.Broken glass crunches under my boots.And somewhere behind all of this she’s here.Not physically.Not fully.But one of her shadows is.One of her carefully crafted identities.And tonight I burn it.“Are you sure about this?”The voice comes from behind me.Sebastian.He always shows up when things get interesting.Or dangerous.Usually both.I don’t turn.“I didn’t come here to second-guess myself.”“That wasn’t what I asked.”I exhale slowly.Then glance over my shoulder.He’s leaning against a car.Arms crossed.Watching me like he’s trying to read something I
UNKNOWN The gun range reeked of gun powder, I'd been here longer than necessary, and the kick in my shoulder was starting to feel like a dull throb in my head but it didn't matter. The target at the far end continued to stand there, its edges running in and out with the precision of each shot that I fired. It felt like the only thing I was capable of doing now was shooting, hit something, I am beyond frustrated as father cut me off his will but as soon as the bullet hit the target, I couldn't help but feel like I was just striking pieces of my own fury. I could not hit the thing that mattered. I could not hit what I actually had on my mind. I fired again. The sound reverberated out, sharp and distinct, and I could sense the weight of it push into my chest. I was tired of chasing dreams, tired of chasing rabbits who were only going to chase me round and round. I placed the gun down, cleaned my forehead of the sweat, and breathed out slowly. There was a crackling silence as I conte
ALEXANDER "Keep searching till you find something. We won't leave empty-handed."There’s a rhythm to places like this.Underground.Not just in location, in energy.In the way people breathe when they think no one important is watching.Music pounds overhead.Bass thick enough to feel in your bones.Bodies move.Sweat.Heat.Noise.Chaos.Perfect cover.Which is exactly why I’m here.I lean against the railing overlooking the lower floor.Drink untouched in my hand.Eyes moving.Always moving.Because nights like this?They don’t stay quiet.Not anymore.Not with everything going on.Not with him out there.Thalrion.Even thinking his name feels like an invitation.And apparently he accepted. “Alright,” I mutter.“Let’s do this.”I push off the railing.Move through the crowd.Not rushing.Not reacting.Just… stepping into it because if they’re here for me, I’m not going to make them chase.I head for the back.The quieter part.Where the music fades just enough to hear footsteps.W
EVELESSA “Siren.”I repeat the theme under my breath as Alexis adjusts the strap on my dress.“Very fitting,” she mutters.“Danger wrapped in beauty.”I glance at her.“Or beauty mistaken for danger.”She snorts.“No one is mistaking you for harmless.”I turn toward the mirror.And for a moment even I pause.Silver.Not soft.Not delicate.The fabric clings like liquid metal, flowing over my body in a way that feels almost alive. The neckline dips just enough to be daring, the slit high enough to make a statement without asking permission.My hair falls in loose waves, catching the light.My eyes?Cold.Focused.Unapologetic.I don’t look like a girl attending a school competition.I look like something summoned.“Cassain is going to lose his mind,” Alexis says.“He already has ” I reply.She grins.“Fair.”A knock interrupts us.“Five minutes!” someone calls.Showtime.I take one last look at myself.Not for validation.For control.Because tonight isn’t about winning.It’s about pr
CASSAIN "Can you please stop pacing your highness?"I don’t stop as I continue pacing back and forth at an event with the music bleeding in from the main hall like a bad headache.Lucian watches me from near the bar, arms folded, expression calm in that irritating way of his. He’s pretending every
EVELESSA By the time we get home, my head is pounding constantly with many emotions sitting on my chest like weight I can’t shake off.Immediately I push the door open and step inside the house before others, I freeze because right before me are three strangers in the living room.A woman sits on
EVELESSA "What's going on here?, why are they all running?"It's been a whole day since Cassain left, he's been so occupied that it's by midmorning that I get a text from him. Getting to school, in class, the scratching of pens fills the room like insects crawling inside my skull.We've got mid te
CASSAIN "Do I have to go now?"“You’re brooding again,” Lucian says from the doorway.I don’t look up. “I’m thinking.”“That’s worse,” he replies. “When you think, people end up bleeding or apologizing.”I snort softly and shove a jacket into the bag. “Relax. This time I’m just annoyed.”“Because







