MasukThe morning started like every other day.
The air was cool, the kind that made you want to stay curled up under the blanket for just a few more minutes.For a second, everything felt normal peaceful, quiet.Then I noticed it.A dark stain on the floor near my bed.At first, I thought it was water, maybe something I spilled the night before.But as I sat up, rubbing my eyes, my chest tightened.It wasn’t water.It was blood.A thin, dark trail stretched across the white tiles, leading straight toward my bathroom.My heart started pounding so fast I could hear it in my ears. I threw the blanket aside, slowly getting out of bed. My hands were already trembling.“What is that?” I whispered, though no one was there to answer me.The closer I got, the stronger the smell of blood became thick and real.My breathing turned shallow, every step I took felt heavier.I hesitated for a moment at the bathroom door, my fingers hovering oveLinda’s story:It all started when I began to notice strange signs.Before then, my mom never really talked about me being a witch. She had stopped practicing for a long time, so I never believed it meant anything serious. I didn’t even think it applied to me, the only thing she ever said was that something would awaken inside me on my nineteenth birthday.I thought it was just talk and nothing more, so I never told you about it.I was still eighteen then, just a few days away from turning nineteen, when we went on that exam excursion.That day changed everything.That was when we were attacked by werewolves.Panic broke out everywhere and students were screaming, running, falling. And obviously some of them didn’t make it. People were dying right in front of me that day.At first, I wasn’t the target.But then I saw another student in danger.I don’t even remember thinking, it was instinct so I moved to help.And that was w
The car slowed to a stop in front of a rocky path surrounded by thick trees. The place was quiet.I frowned as I unbuckled my seatbelt. “Where exactly are we exactly?”Bryain only smiled and stepped out of the car. “You’ll see soon.”Army and Elvin were already outside, waving for us to follow. Kathryn hesitated beside me, her eyes moving around nervously.“This place doesn’t look normal,” she whispered.“I know,” I said, forcing a breath. “But let’s go.”We followed them toward what looked like a narrow opening between two huge rocks.As we got closer, I noticed it was a cave.The entrance was wide but dark.“Are we going inside?” Kathryn asked quietly.“Yes,” Army replied calmly. “Trust us.”I didn’t like it, but I stepped forward anyway. As we entered the cave, Bryain moved ahead, his hand brushing mine like he was trying to reassure me. Army stayed close behind, and Kathryn didn’t leave my side.Then I saw her.
After a few months, we were finally resuming school. A lot had changed or at least, I knew it would feel that way and I was certain the news of my mom’s case had already spread through the school like wildfire. But honestly? I didn’t give a damn, they could say whatever they wanted.“Are we seriously going to school today?” Kathryn asked for what felt like the hundredth time that morning.I sighed. “Kathryn, we can’t keep running forever. After everything that’s happened, what’s there left to be afraid of?”Without waiting for her response, I walked past her and headed for the car… I’m driving I said to her.I slid into the driver’s seat, letting out a quiet breath as Kathryn climbed into the passenger seat. The drive to school was tense and silent, the kind that made every thought feel louder than it should.The moment we stepped out of the car and into the school compound, we knew something was wrong.A crowd had gathered at the center of the comp
Today was the day my mother would be sentenced.The courtroom was packed, heavy with silence and every bench was filled, yet it felt unbearably empty to me as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. I sat stiffly, my hands folded in my lap, beside me sat Kathryn and on my other side was Bryain, Army and Elvin.A seats ahead sat Mr. Andrew.My stepfather.Yes. My stepfather.The man who had spent months rotting behind bars for crimes he never committed was finally free. After my mother’s confession was leaked, after endless interrogations and verifications, the court had no choice but to release him. He had walked out of prison just a day ago, a free man at last.And here we all were, gathered to witness the fall of the woman who had destroyed so many lives.Stella Anthony.The woman I had grown up calling Mom.I had expected this, I knew the law would not be merciful to her and she deserved everything that was coming. E
I walked back into the interrogation room.She was seated where I had left her, the food tray was empty now and she was biting her nails, restless.“You’re finally here,” she said, looking up at me.“I thought you would have run away, probably afraid to hear the rest of this interesting story I have for you.”Her lips curved into a faint smile.I sat down slowly, keeping my eyes on her.“So tell me,” I said quietly. “What happened to my dad in prison? How did he die?”She let out a short laugh.“You’re in a hurry,” she said. “You want the truth so badly.”She leaned back in her chair.“When Josh was arrested and sent to prison, I actually sneaked into the station that night,” she continued. “I went there to save him, I wanted him to choose me for once.”“But your father didn’t want to be saved,” she said, her voice calm, almost casual. “He looked me straight in the face and told me he would rather rot in jail or die than come with me.”
She laughed louder this time as she continued.“I stopped talking to Kate after that, In my mind, she was to be blamed for everything and not me. None of this would have happened if she had done the right thing from the beginning, I couldn’t stand watching her happy with Josh, not when she knew I loved him too.She apologized, of course. Said she was sorry for not telling me earlier but her apologies meant nothing to me, they were like mosquitoes buzzing in the air…annoying and useless.I wasn’t going to give up on Josh, even if it cost me my friendship with Kate, I didn’t care… I truly didn’t.She kept trying to get close to me, to fix things, but I shut her out completely, I blocked her and cut off every form of communication. When I finally moved out of her apartment, I made sure to go somewhere she would never find me.Then one day, I called Josh, I told him I had something important to discuss so he came over without hesitation, he had no idea what







