Amara sat on her bed, tugging at her sleeve, her eyes glued to the faint glow beneath her skin. The mark pulsed slowly, steady as a heartbeat. She was so caught up in it that she didn't hear the knock at the door.
Another knock came, louder this time. Still, no response.
With a creak, the door swung open.
Ngozi stepped inside, shoulders slouched, her face drawn tight with exhaustion. She froze for a moment, noticing how Amara's gaze was locked on her wrist like it held the secrets of the universe. Her irritation flared.
"Amara!" she snapped, sharper than she meant to.
Amara jumped, yanking her sleeve down in a rush as if she'd been caught stealing. Her heart raced. "Ngozi—! You scared me."
"You scared me," Ngozi retorted, tossing her bag onto her bed with a thud that rattled the wooden frame. "I've been knocking and knocking. What's so special about your sleeve that you didn't hear me?"
Amara forced a shaky laugh, scratching the back of her neck. "It's nothing… just—nothing."
Ngozi narrowed her eyes but let it slide. Instead, she sighed heavily and sat on the edge of her bed, rubbing her forehead. Up close, Amara noticed the weariness in her friend's face—the way her shoulders sagged and the faint puffiness under her eyes.
"You look worn out," Amara said softly, guilt pricking at her for not noticing sooner. "Was the test that bad?"
Ngozi groaned and flopped backward onto her mattress, one arm thrown dramatically over her face. "It was… something. I read all night, Amara. All night. And now I don't even know if what I wrote makes sense."
Amara leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "You probably did better than you think. You always do. You're the serious one between us."
That made Ngozi peek at her with a tired smile. "Serious? Please. I just don't like failing. And the lecturer—eh, the way he was smiling today, like he already knew how many people he trapped." She let out a humorless laugh and covered her face again. "I don't even want to think about it."
Amara chuckled softly, shaking her head. For a moment, the tension in her chest eased—until Ngozi peeked at her again, this time with a sly glint in her eyes.
"But you…" Ngozi sat up, crossing her arms with deliberate slowness. "You've been acting strange since Friday. Don't think I haven't noticed."
Amara's breath caught. Friday. The mark. She blinked, feigning confusion. "Strange? Me?"
"Yes, you," Ngozi pressed, tilting her head. "And don't act like you don't know what I mean. People are already whispering about you and that transfer student. Kael, right? That's his name?"
The mention of his name made Amara's chest tighten like a snare drum. She quickly shook her head. "It's not what you think."
Ngozi raised a brow, her suspicion sharpening. "Really? Because everyone saw him holding your hand. In broad daylight, Amara. Now tell me—are you hiding something from me?"
Heat surged up Amara's neck to her cheeks. She flailed her hands, desperate to wave away the accusation. "No! I'm not hiding anything. It's… complicated."
Ngozi's eyes lingered on her, unreadable, before she finally flopped back onto her pillow with a sigh. "Complicated, huh? Fine. Keep your secrets. But you know me—I'll find out sooner or later."
Amara's chest clenched at her words. She turned away, pulling her legs onto her bed and hugging them to her chest.
The rest of the evening passed in uneasy silence. Ngozi scrolled idly on her phone, yawning every so often, while Amara opened a textbook she didn't actually read. Her eyes scanned the same page again and again, her thoughts circling Kael, the bond, and that shimmering mark she couldn't escape.
When night finally came, Amara stretched out under her blanket, exhaustion heavy in her body but refusing to quiet her mind. She tossed. She turned. And when she did sleep, the dream returned.
She was sinking again—down, down into something endless. Her lungs burned, her body heavy as stone. She tried to scream but no sound came. And just when the darkness swallowed her whole—
An explosion. Blinding. Violent. It tore everything apart.
Amara shot up with a gasp, sweat clinging to her skin. The glow on her wrist pulsed softly, steady, uncaring of her fear.
Across the room, Ngozi stirred. Her eyes opened halfway, catching the sight of Amara trembling in the dark. Concern flickered across her features, but she didn't speak. She only turned toward the wall, whispering in her mind: I'll find out what's going on with you, Amara. Sooner or later.
Amara hugged her knees to her chest, staring at the faint shimmer under her sleeve until the first hints of dawn painted the window pale.
The week crawled by after that. Day after day, lecture after lecture, but Kael was nowhere to be found. Since Tuesday, he had vanished like smoke, leaving only silence in his place. Amara told herself she was glad, that she didn't need the confusion he brought—but her eyes still searched for him each time she entered the lecture hall, her pulse quickening with every disappointment.
She hadn't gotten the chance to confront him. And with each passing day, the bond weighed heavier on her heart.