(Kai's POV)
I thought I'd escaped the day without having to face her again. But fate doesn't care what I want.
On my way out of school, I felt it—a chill, unnatural, creeping along my skin. The same kind of air I felt that night under the blue moon.
Then the lights along the hallway flickered, one by one, buzzing and popping like something out of a nightmare. Students screamed and scattered, the air thick with panic.
And that's when I saw it.
A shadow, tall and twisted, moving against the walls though there was nothing casting it. Its edges rippled, wrong, like the darkness itself had teeth.
My blood went cold. No. Not here. Not now.
Before I could think, Ava was suddenly at my side, grabbing my wrist. "You feel that too, don't you?" she whispered, her tone urgent.
I wanted to deny it. Pretend I didn't understand. But her grip was firm, unshakable, like she knew I couldn't lie my way out.
The shadow screeched, a sound that scraped against my bones. Students fled past us, but Ava and I stayed frozen, locked between fear and instinct.
"Whatever this is," she said, her voice steady, "we deal with it. Together."
The voice inside me snarled, louder than ever: No. Trust her, and you'll bleed for it.
But looking at her, fearless in the chaos, I couldn't move. Couldn't decide.
Was this the beginning of trust—or betrayal?
The hallway was chaos. Students shoved past me, their screams bouncing off the walls, but I couldn't move. That shadow—if it was even a shadow—clung to the wall like it was alive, stretching, twisting, pulsing as if it breathed.
My stomach knotted. I'd felt this before. The night everything changed under the blue moon.
Then—her hand. Firm. Warm. Wrapping around my wrist like an anchor pulling me back to reality.
"You feel it too, don't you?" Ava's voice cut through the panic, calm but sharp, like she already knew the answer.
I swallowed hard. My instinct screamed to deny it, to run, but the words wouldn't come. Because she was right.
"Yes," I breathed. The admission slipped out before I could stop it.
Her grip tightened. "Then stop pretending. Whatever that thing is, it's not after them." She nodded at the fleeing students. Her eyes locked onto mine. "It's after us."
My chest tightened. Us.
The shadow peeled itself from the wall, its form bending into something vaguely human but wrong—too tall, limbs stretching too far, its head tilting like it was studying prey.
Panic surged through me, my body screaming to unleash what I was holding back. But the voice in my head was faster.
Don't you dare. Show her, and you give her everything. Show her, and you die by her hands.
I trembled, teeth clenched, caught between fear and fury. "What the hell is it?" I hissed.
Ava didn't answer. Instead, she stepped in front of me. Her stance wasn't fear—it was defiance. "Doesn't matter," she said coldly. "What matters is stopping it."
The shadow shrieked, lunging forward.
I felt the power clawing at my skin, begging to break free, my hands sparking with a heat no one else could see.
And beside me, Ava moved. Not like a normal girl. Faster. Stronger. Like she had been waiting for this.
For the first time, I realized—maybe I wasn't the only one cursed with a secret.
The thing lunged, a blur of claws and black smoke. My body screamed to move, but Ava was already ahead of me—stepping forward like she wasn't afraid of dying.
"Stay behind me," she said.
I almost laughed. Me? Stay behind her? But before I could argue, she spun on her heel and kicked. Hard.
Her foot connected with the shadow's chest—or what I thought was its chest—and the creature skidded back, slamming against the lockers with a metallic clang. Gasps erupted from the few students who hadn't managed to escape yet. No normal girl could've done that.
"What… the hell…" I whispered, but Ava didn't answer. Her eyes were locked on the creature, sharp and cold.
It roared, the sound digging into my skull like knives, and surged forward again. I felt the heat under my skin rise, sparking, begging me to unleash it.
"Don't," the voice inside me hissed. Don't you dare. Show her, and you'll regret it.
But my hands were shaking, my breath ragged. If I didn't do something, Ava—no, we—were going to die.
The shadow raised its claw to strike her, but I couldn't stop myself. My hand shot out, raw energy bursting from my palm in a flash of light. The creature staggered, shrieking as if I'd burned it.
Ava whipped her head around to stare at me, her eyes wide. "Kai…"
My chest tightened. She'd seen it. The thing I'd been hiding.
The voice inside me laughed, low and cruel. There it is. The first crack. Trust her now, and you'll only bleed later.
The shadow wasn't finished. It screeched and lunged again. Ava didn't waste time—she darted forward with unnatural speed, faster than human, and drove her fist into its face. This time, it shattered, breaking apart into a mist that hissed before vanishing into nothing.
The hallway fell silent. Only the sound of our breathing remained.
Students peeked around corners, whispering, but my eyes stayed locked on Ava. She was strong—too strong. And when she looked back at me, her gaze wasn't soft, it was demanding.
"You lied to me," she said quietly.
I froze.
"You're hiding something, Kai. And now I know it's not small." She stepped closer, her tone sharp, almost threatening. "So either you tell me what the hell that was… or I'll find out myself."
My heart hammered. Part of me wanted to confess everything, but the voice slithered back into my thoughts.
Do it, and she'll turn on you. Betrayal wears a friendly face.
I clenched my fists, forcing my expression blank. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."
Her eyes narrowed. For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then she turned and walked away, her steps echoing down the hall.
I stood frozen, fists trembling, the weight of silence crushing me. Finally, I muttered under my breath, "Can I trust her?"
The answer came instantly, dark and merciless.
No one can be trusted… unless you're ready to face the consequences.
The room went cold.
"What consequences?" I whispered, but no reply came. Only silence.