Chapter One
There's a silence that isn't really silence at all, It hums, Breathes and it waits. I've been floating in it for what feels like forever-weightless in a place where time forgot to move. There's no light, no sound… just a dull throb behind my eyes and the slow bloom of warmth trailing down the side of my head.
I think I'm bleeding or maybe I'm just tired.
Everything feels far away, like I've drifted too far from something important… something I was supposed to hold on to.
But I let go not realising it's worth.
Then a flicker in my heart.
[My eyes open]
The ceiling greets me in shadow. Cracked paint. A faint stain in the corner that looks like a bird if I squint. I've memorized it all. The room is still, save for the distant clink of dishes downstairs and the low breath of wind pressing against the windows.
I pull myself upright. The air tastes stale.
Another morning.
Outside, the sky sulks, thick clouds hanging low like smoke that forgot how to rise. Everything is quiet, heavy. I like it that way, the light hurts sometimes.
I move through the routine without thought. Shower, Breathe as the water runs too hot, then too cold. I let it, It reminds me I'm still here.
My name is Nova.
Seventeen. Final year. Just another blurred face in the halls of Century High a school that worships order and perfection like it's a religion. I don't pray. I just… endure.
People talk, whisper sometimes.
"She's strange."
"She's quiet."
"Probably thinks she's better than us."
They don't get it. I don't expect them to. I was never made for crowds or chatter. I listen more than I speak. I see more than I should and People hated that.
Music helps you know the kind that crashes like waves, all sharp guitars and cracked voices. The kind that says everything I never say out loud.
Downstairs, the kitchen is empty clean, silent, unlived in. A folded note sits alone on the counter like it's waiting to be blamed.
We left early. There's food in the fridge. Also... we saw your science results. A B+ isn't acceptable. Family meeting tonight. Be ready.
No signature. Just expectation, underlined in guilt.
Third in the class. And still, not enough.
I stare at the note until the letters blur.
Then a voice murmurs. "Morning big sis"
I turn. Niki, my cousin, stands barefoot by the doorway, mug in hand. Her grey hoodie hangs off one shoulder. She's barely awake, her eyes still soft with sleep but there's something sharp behind them. She notices things. Says little, we understand each other without needing to try.
"You're leaving early again?" she asks. Her voice is light, like she already knows the answer. I nod, and she doesn't bother to stop me.
The bus ride was a blur. My headphones drown the world out and I watched as people went on with their day going in and out.
At Century High, everything feels too clean. Too white, too bright like the walls were trying too hard to look perfect.
In the hallway, a group of girls pass by laughter trailing behind them like perfume. I keep walking.
Then I see Eli.
Back leaned against a locker, fingers drumming against his jeans to a beat only he hears. His black hoodie is half-zipped, eyes low, but there's this electricity around him not loud, just… live. Like he's holding something just under the surface of his mask. We didn't talk, not really. But he always nods whenever he sees me.
Today, he doesn't. He just watches.
So I just keep walking.