The cake sat in the center of the kitchen table, sixteen candles flickering in the afternoon light.Luna stared at the flames. Something felt off. Wrong. The air tasted sharp. Metallic."Make a wish, mija," her mother said from across the table.Luna leaned forward. The candles seemed too bright. She could hear them. Actually hear them. The tiny hiss and crackle of wax melting. The whisper of flame consuming oxygen.When had she started hearing things like that?She closed her eyes and blew.The room erupted in cheers. Her little brother Diego whooped. Her father clapped. Miguel squeezed her shoulder from where he stood behind her chair, and several of her friends from school laughed and whistled.The touch burned.Luna flinched. Just slightly. But Miguel noticed."You okay?" he whispered.She forced a smile and looked up at him. "Yeah. Just startled me."Lie. She wasn't startled. His hand on her shoulder felt like heat. Like pressure. Like too much.Her mother started cutting the cak
Last Updated : 2025-12-28 Read more