All Chapters of EMERGENCE: The Subnatural Chronicles: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I've never been normal, well what even is normal anyways? In this dystopian world is it even a thing anymore? The wars had scarred the world everywhere, even in places like here in the middle of nothing and nowhere the evidence was clear. Humans did not take it nicely to finding out that all those ghost stories were real, and it was even worse when the subs (subnaturals) didn't ask to come out of hiding. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost over this never-ending war, leaving people who grew up like me, alone.I stare at my reflection in the cracked bathroom mirror of my studio apartment. Same dull eyes, same untamable hair, same unremarkable face that's carried me through eighteen years of existence. Nothing special about Lena Hargrove, just another war orphan trying to survive another day.I've been a ward of the state, technically, since I was 12. I have been on my own. I have a studio apartment in a decent enough area and my bills have always been covered, a compensation

Everything seems to be going too fast and I can't handle it."Get out," I say, my voice low but trembling with emotion.Maddox just stands there, staring at me with those strange eyes that have now returned to normal—or what passes for normal. Human-looking. The revelation, his warnings, the journal, my supposed "unique" heritage—it's all too much, too sudden."Lena, you need to listen—""I don't know what games you all are playing at, but I don't want any part of it," I cut him off, anger bubbling up from somewhere deep inside me. "Get out and leave me alone. NOW!"Something shifts with the last word. The air between us seems to compress and then expand outward from me like a shockwave. It's subtle—no Hollywood special effects, no furniture flying across the room—but I feel it. And judging by the way Maddox staggers back a step, his eyes widening in surprise, he feels it too.It almost seemed to hit him like a punch, and this time he doesn't hesitate. The pain is clear on his face as

Morning arrives after a restless night spent with my mother's journal, my mind overwhelmed by revelations about my heritage and the dangers surrounding me. Despite everything, I decide not to run. Not yet. I need answers, and Professor Winters seems like my best chance to get them.I prepare for the day with calculated precision. In my bathroom, I take out the blue contact lenses I'd bought for a costume party I never attended and carefully place them over my increasingly silver-flecked eyes. The transformation is immediate—gone is any trace of the supernatural, replaced by startling blue that bears no resemblance to either my natural brown or emerging silver.Next comes scent. I work tropical-scented hair oil through every strand, the overpowering coconut and mango nearly making me gag. For good measure, I add a liberal spritz of perfume—a sixteenth birthday gift from my state-appointed guardian that I'd never used. Was she part of this conspiracy too? Another watcher I never recogni

After Winters walks away, I don't immediately head back to my apartment. Instead, I circle around the science building and catch up to him in the faculty parking lot. My mind is spinning with questions after my conversation with Maddox, and I need to test something."Professor," I call out, quickening my pace. "I have a few more questions."He turns, looking mildly surprised to see me. "Lena, we should limit our interactions in public. It's safer for both of us.""This can't wait until tonight," I insist, catching up to him beside his car—an unassuming gray sedan that looks at least ten years old. Perfect camouflage for someone who doesn't want to draw attention.Winters sighs, checking his surroundings before nodding toward a small courtyard nearby, sheltered from view by a row of hedges. "Five minutes."I follow him into the secluded space, and once we're out of earshot from potential passersby, I ask the question that's been bothering me since I discovered my new ability."How many

Sera leads me away from the main campus buildings, her pace brisk but not running—trying not to attract attention. We cut through a wooded area that separates the college from the surrounding neighborhood, following what seems like a deliberately meandering path."Where are we going?" I ask after we've been walking for fifteen minutes."Somewhere safe," is all she says, checking over her shoulder periodically.We emerge from the trees into an old industrial area—abandoned warehouses and manufacturing buildings that have been empty since long before I was born. Evidence of the economic collapse that preceded the Emergence War. Sera guides me toward a dilapidated brick structure with most of its windows broken out, weathered plywood covering the gaps."This is your idea of safe?" I mutter, but follow her anyway.She approaches what looks like a sealed loading dock, checks her surroundings carefully, then slides aside a panel of plywood that moves more easily than it should. Behind it is