{ Mia }
" Where are you going Mia ? The house is that way." Scarlett sighed dramatically in my ear.
" Don't be so bossy... I sighed rolling my eyes. " I'll be back before you know it... I just want to take a stroll in the park... I NEED some fresh air after everything I've been through..."
"You faked being sick to skip class for this ?!"
"Yeah why else would I ruin my taste buds for—" I stopped, spotting a nice tree and sprinting toward it.
The moment my hand touched the bark, something shifted inside me. Calm settled in my chest. And something else... strength?
Shaking my head I started climbing. The way the rough bark felt beneath my skin ignited something in me.
Once I reached the top, a white crow landed on my shoulder and just... stood there.
Not pecking. Not moving. Just watching.
"Hey there, little guy. What's your name?" I asked softly, raising my finger to rub its cheek — even though a part of me whispered that this wasn't normal.
The crow didn't flinch. It leaned ever so slightly into my touch, its feathers soft beneath my fingers — like freshly fallen snow. For a bird, it was unusually warm.
"You're not scared of people, huh?" I whispered, brushing the side of its beak. "Bold."
It blinked once — slow, deliberate — and tilted its head as if trying to memorize my face.
Scarlett hummed in my ear.
"Crows aren't white, you know."
"Maybe he's special," I muttered.
"Or radioactive."
I ignored her. There was something oddly comforting about the bird's presence. Like I wasn't alone up here. Like the trees were listening — and he was guarding.
The crow made a low noise in its throat, not quite a caw. More like... a sigh.
I smiled. "You and me both."
A gust of wind swept through the leaves, making my hair flutter around my face. The crow stayed balanced, unmoved.
Then, with no warning, it spread its wings wide — brilliant against the sun — and took off, soaring into the sky with a sharp cry.
I watched him go, shielding my eyes from the light. For some reason, I felt... lighter. Like I'd just been seen. And whoever — or whatever — he was, I had the strangest feeling this wouldn't be the last time I saw him.
Scarlett stayed quiet.
And for once, so did I.
I climbed down slowly, my fingers brushing the bark like I was afraid of letting go too soon. The wind had stilled. The world felt... quieter. Not empty, just holding its breath.
By the time my feet touched the ground, the park had started to empty out — mothers gathering toddlers, joggers checking their watches. I checked mine too. Crap. I'd been gone longer than I meant to.
"Okay, you got your fresh air," Scarlett finally said, breaking the silence. "Time to go back before someone realizes you're not actually hugging a toilet."
I didn't answer. My mind was still with that crow — and the strange peace it had left behind.
As I crossed the street and made my way back to the house, I couldn't help glancing up at the sky one last time. No sign of him.
My boots crunched over gravel as I stepped onto the front porch. I hesitated for a second, fingers hovering over the doorknob. The house looked the same — same shadows behind the blinds, same quiet hum of secrets under the surface — but I didn't feel the same.
Not after that.
The door creaked open.
"Back so soon?" Ace's voice called from the living room, low and sarcastic.
I rolled my eyes and kicked off my shoes. "Miss me already?"
He didn't answer. Just stared at me from the couch like he was trying to read something behind my eyes.
"What?" I snapped.
"You're... glowing," he said slowly, like it wasn't meant to be a compliment.
Scarlett snorted in my ear. "Technically, you could be radioactive."
I shoved past him. "I climbed a tree, not a nuclear tower."
But even as I said it, part of me wondered — what exactly had changed?
And why did I feel like something had just... begun?
....
The second I closed the front door behind me, I heard footsteps upstairs.
Ace.
I sprinted up quietly and slipped into the hallway just as he peeked out of my bedroom.
"Where were you?" he asked.
"No time," I hissed. "Get back in my room. Now."
He looked at me like I was being dramatic—probably because I was—but I didn't care. "Someone's coming?"
"Yeah. My mom."
His eyebrows rose. "Oh."
He stepped back inside my room without another word. I barely had time to straighten my hoodie before the front door creaked open.
"Mia?" Mom's voice echoed through the house.
I shuffled to the top of the stairs and forced a raspy tone. "Up here…"
She climbed the steps quickly, her face pinched with concern. "I got a call from school."
My stomach dropped.
"They said you might've had food poisoning?"
I coughed softly, leaning on the wall. "Yeah. I wasn't feeling great, so I asked to go home early. Didn't throw up, though."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "You sure you're okay?"
I nodded. "Yeah. I just needed rest. It's probably nothing."
She pressed the back of her hand to my forehead. "You don't have a fever."
"Guess I'm lucky."
"Mmhm. Go lie down and rest, okay? I'll make dinner."
"Thanks, Mom."
She headed down the stairs. I waited for the sound of her footsteps to fade toward the kitchen, then slipped back into my room, shutting the door behind me.
Ace sat casually on my bed, arms crossed. "Smooth."
I shot him a glare. "She bought it."
"Barely."
I didn't answer. I faded into invisibility and cracked the door open just enough to slip out again.
Scarlett's voice buzzed in my ear. "You ever sit still?"
"Not today," I whispered.
Downstairs, Mom was humming faintly in the kitchen, chopping something. Normal. Peaceful. Like we didn't have a literal surveillance bunker in the house.
I watched her from the hallway—barely breathing.
Then she stopped.
Her humming cut off.
She turned off the stove and dried her hands. And without looking around, she walked into the living room and straight to the bookshelf.
My pulse spiked.
I followed silently, still cloaked.
She reached for the top shelf, pressed something, and the shelf slid open—smooth and deliberate.
She didn't even hesitate before walking inside.
I slipped in after her, heart pounding.
She flicked on a lamp and moved with the ease of someone who had done this a hundred times. Like this hidden room was just... part of her routine.
She opened a drawer and pulled out a file. Not just any file.
Mine.
My breath caught in my throat as she read it silently, lips pressed in a thin line.
Scarlett said nothing.
Neither did I.
But inside, everything was unraveling.