The Marked

The moment he touches my shoulder, pain explodes through me.It's not like any pain I've felt before—it's sharp and burning and deep, like something is being carved into my flesh from the inside out. I cry out, stumbling backward, but his hand follows, his grip firm on my shoulder. Through the pain, I feel something else: a strange warmth spreading from where he touches me, and with it, flashes of... something. Memories? Dreams? I can't tell.A younger version of myself, laughing. Trees rushing past. The feeling of running faster than should be possible. The moon, full and bright overhead. And him—this figure—younger too, smiling at me with a familiarity that makes my heart ache."You can't hide from what you are," he says, and his voice is gentle despite the pain he's causing. There's sadness in it, and longing, and something that might be regret. "I've tried to give you time. Tried to let you live a normal life. But they're getting closer, and you need to remember. You need to wake

Erin came running up to my car door, still smiling all giddy. She yanked open my door before I'd even turned off the engine. "Did you see who I was pointing at!?" I climbed out slowly, my legs unsteady. "Yes I did, but it's really strange. It's like a sense of déjà vu I can't quite explain it. I know for a fact I've never met him in my life." "Maybe he just has one of those faces?" Erin suggested, but she was barely paying attention to my answer. Her eyes kept drifting back to the new guy. "Come on or we'll be late to class. We have more investigating to do on who this new guy is, but from what I can tell he is HOT!" "Of course you think he is hot, you have a thing for almost all the guys here at school," I said while laughing jokingly, trying to sound normal even though my hands were shaking. "What can I say, I can't resist the tall handsome ones. You're just jealous because you haven't found anyone suitable even to catch your eye." That's true, I haven't had anyone catch my eye

I should leave. I should turn around right now and walk out before he saw me. This was too much of a coincidence—him being at my coffee shop, the one place I came to escape. How did he even know about this place? Had he followed me? But even as the thought crossed my mind, I dismissed it. He'd been here first. He was already settled in with his book and coffee. This was just... bad luck. Or fate. Or something. My pride kicked in. I wasn't going to let him chase me away from my favorite coffee shop. I came here for coffee, and I was going to get coffee. I'd just... avoid looking at him. Simple. I forced my feet to move, walking toward the counter with my head held high. But I was hyperaware of his presence, like every cell in my body was attuned to exactly where he was in the room. I could feel his eyes on me, tracking my movement. The barista, Jenny, greeted me with a warm smile. "Hey Ava! The usual?" "Yeah, thanks," I managed to say, my voice coming out steadier than I felt. "Y

ROGER **THE YEARS BETWEEN** The summer we turned eight, we were inseparable. Our parents joked that we were joined at the hip, that they should just build a bridge between our houses to save us the trouble of the five-minute walk through the woods that separated our backyards. Those woods became our kingdom. I remember the day Ava decided to teach me how to climb the old oak tree that stood in the center of our usual meeting spot. It was massive, its trunk so wide it would take three of us holding hands to circle it. The bark was rough and gray, covered in places with soft green moss that felt like velvet under our fingers. "You have to feel where the tree wants you to go," she told me, already fifteen feet up, perched on a branch like she'd been born in the canopy. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she had dirt smudged on her cheek. "Don't fight it. Just... listen." "Trees don't talk, Ava," I called up, though I was already reaching for the first handhold.