Lahat ng Kabanata ng Rejected, Then Crowned Luna: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

“Where exactly are we going now because last time you said somewhere they won’t expect and that could mean anything, I mean… anything,” Ryan said. “At least tell me we’re not just walking into another problem again.”“We’re not walking into another problem, we’re walking into my territory, and yeah, that means things change once we cross in,” Ethan said. “So don’t expect it to feel normal or predictable.”“You keep saying that like it explains anything, ‘things change’, ‘don’t expect normal’, that’s not helpful, it just makes it worse,” Ryan said. “I need something real to work with, not just warnings.”“You don’t need everything explained right now, you need to keep moving,” Ethan said. “Because the longer we stand here talking, the easier it is for them to catch up.”“They’re already coming whether we move or not, you said it yourself,” Ryan replied. “So at least let me understand what we’re stepping into.”“It’s his territory,” I said. “But it’s not just that, I can feel it now, it

“What was that supposed to mean, ‘it’s already begun’, begun what exactly because nobody here is explaining anything and I’m done pretending this is normal,” Ryan said. “You heard it too, so don’t tell me to ignore it again.”“I heard it,” I said. “And it didn’t feel like a warning, it felt like… like something already in motion.”“That’s exactly the problem,” Ryan said. “Things shouldn’t already be in motion without us knowing what they are.”“Lower your voice,” Ethan said. “This isn’t the place to challenge everything out loud.”“No, this is exactly the place,” Ryan said. “Because everything here is reacting to her and you’re acting like it’s expected.”“It is expected,” Ethan said. “Just not by you.”“Then explain it,” Ryan said. “Because I’m not leaving this as guesswork anymore.”Ethan exhaled slowly. “Not here.”“Then where,” Ryan pushed. “Because you’ve been saying ‘not here’ since the beginning.”“I said I’d explain what you need,” Ethan said. “Not everything all at once.”“Th

Silence stretched longer than it should, and Ryan’s voice came tight as he said, “Becky… talk to me, are you okay, like actually okay, not just saying it to make this easier.”“I’m okay,” I said, “I don’t feel shaken, I don’t feel overwhelmed, it’s just… steady, like something settled instead of breaking.”“That’s not normal,” Ryan said, “after something like that you should feel something, anything, not just calm like this.”“I do feel something,” I said, “it’s just not fear, not panic, it feels clear, like everything inside me just… aligned.”Ryan exhaled slowly and said, “Yeah, that’s exactly what I don’t like, things don’t just align after something like that, they fall apart.”“I didn’t fall apart,” I said, “I’m still here, nothing in me feels lost.”“That doesn’t make it safe,” Ryan said, “it just means we don’t understand it yet.”“I know we don’t,” I said, “but I know it’s not wrong, I would feel it if it was.”Ryan stayed quiet for a second before saying, “What about him, bec

Evening settled slowly over the pack, the movement thinning but never fully stopping, and Ryan glanced around before saying, “Something’s off again, it’s quieter but not in a calm way, more like everyone’s waiting for something.”“I feel it too,” I said, “it’s heavier now, like the air changed and no one’s saying why.”“They’re watching you more,” Ryan said, “not just looking, actually watching, like they’re expecting you to do something.”“I’m not doing anything,” I said, “I’m just standing here and somehow that’s enough again.”“That’s what I’m saying,” Ryan replied, “it shouldn’t be enough, but it is, and I don’t like what that means.”A few passed nearby, some slowing, some keeping distance, and Ryan muttered, “Yeah… there, you see that, some of them can’t even come close now.”“They’re split,” I said, “some feel pulled, some feel… unsure.”“Uneasy,” Ryan said, “that’s the word, they don’t know if they should follow you or stay away from you.”“I don’t even know what I am to them,

“It’s not fading,” I said, my voice low, “it’s getting clearer, like it knows exactly where it wants me to go.”Ryan’s grip tightened slightly as he said, “Go where, because you’re not just walking out of here after everything that just happened, that’s not happening.”“I’m not trying to walk out,” I said, “but it’s not staying still, it’s pulling in one direction now.”“That’s exactly why we don’t follow it, because now it knows where it wants you and I don’t trust that,” Ryan said, shaking his head. “You don’t just trust something like this.”“I know what manipulation feels like and this isn’t that, it’s not forcing me,” I said. “It’s not pushing, it’s just there, waiting.”“That doesn’t make it safe, it just makes it harder to fight and I don’t like anything that feels this convincing,” Ryan said. “That’s how people get pulled in without realizing it.”Ethan’s voice came quieter. “Where exactly do you feel it, don’t just say outside, point it out.”I glanced at him. “You already kn