Chapter 1 – Rebirth in Shadows
Page 1 (Part 3/4)
Jim Lake Jr. was laughing.
Seraphine studied the sound, the way it brightened his eyes and made his shoulders relax. He leaned across the table to show Toby something on his phone — a video, probably — and Toby nearly choked on his pudding as he cackled in response.
The scene was painfully ordinary. Two boys, best friends, eating lunch together. But Seraphine saw beyond the surface. She saw the ease in their body language, the trust binding them. That trust would need to be cracked, peeled away layer by layer until Jim was vulnerable.
Her gaze slid to Claire, sitting at a nearby table with a few other students. Claire's posture was elegant but tense, as though she was holding some private burden close to her chest. Interesting. Seraphine could use that.
The Trollhunter's allies were strong, but they were also human. Humans were fragile. Humans could be broken.
"Seraphine?" Megan's voice tugged at her attention.
She turned, her smile instant and flawless. "Yes?"
"You're staring off into space," Connor said with a grin. "First-day nerves?"
"Something like that," Seraphine said lightly. She let her voice tremble just enough to sound endearing, then brushed their wills with a subtle touch. Megan's eyes softened with sympathy, Connor's grin melted into reassurance. Both leaned closer, eager to comfort her.
It was almost laughable. One moment of feigned vulnerability, and they were wrapped around her finger.
"Yes, maybe it's just nerves," she added, her smile returning like sunlight breaking through clouds. "But with friends like you, I'm sure I'll be fine."
Megan's cheeks flushed pink. Connor's ears turned red.
Inside, Seraphine smirked. Pathetic.
She spent the rest of lunch weaving her influence through the cafeteria. Not directly — no, that would be too obvious — but in careful, deliberate nudges. A whispered comment here, a laugh there, each accompanied by the faintest tug of her will.
By the time the bell rang, she had tilted a dozen minds without breaking a sweat. A shy girl walked away believing she'd made a new best friend. A pair of students who had argued over a textbook suddenly reconciled, both convinced it was their own idea. Even Derek, sulking at his table, found himself glancing her way with a faint, inexplicable smile.
Every string she pulled tightened her web. And not a soul noticed.
She walked to her next class with an easy stride, every inch the perfect new student. Teachers welcomed her warmly, classmates whispered about her beauty, and each one she touched left just a little more eager to please.
It was intoxicating.
By the final bell, Seraphine had tested her powers enough to understand their rhythm. Large-scale manipulations drained her slightly, like overworked muscles, but individual tugs cost her almost nothing. She could sway dozens with effort, but one at a time? That was child's play.
As students spilled into the parking lot, she lingered by the steps, watching. Cars honked, voices called, the chaos of dismissal filling the air.
And then—there he was again.
Jim walked out of the school, Toby at his side, both laughing as they headed toward Jim's bike. Sunlight caught in his dark hair, and his expression was relaxed, open.
Seraphine's heart quickened. Not with affection, not with admiration, but with hunger.
She could almost see it: Jim kneeling, eyes glazed with devotion, his will bent beneath her hand. The amulet gleaming in her possession. Arcadia Oaks trembling at her command.
But not yet. Patience was the art of every predator. She would not strike too soon.
Instead, she stepped casually down the stairs, crossing paths with a group of students. With a flick of her will, one of them dropped a binder. Papers scattered across the pavement.
Jim paused instantly, crouching to help. "Here, let me get that."
The boy stammered thanks, cheeks red. Toby knelt too, cracking a joke that made the boy laugh nervously.
Seraphine watched, her lips curving faintly. Heroes. Always stopping to help. Always exposing themselves to risk.
Good.
She walked past, her gaze sweeping over Jim for just a heartbeat longer than necessary. Their eyes met. Blue met green.
And in that instant, she tugged. Not a command, not yet, but the softest brush of influence. Just enough to plant a seed of awareness.
Jim blinked, frowning faintly as though he'd noticed something odd. Then Toby cracked another joke, and his attention broke.
Seraphine's smile lingered as she disappeared into the crowd.
The seed was planted.
That night, she sat at her desk in the small, tidy room the world had crafted for her. Photographs of "family" she had never known decorated the walls — a mother and father she could summon with a thought if needed, their existence neatly fabricated by whatever force had reincarnated her.
She ignored the false comfort of the room. Her focus was inward, on the threads she had touched all day. Each pull replayed in her memory — Megan's blush, Connor's eagerness, Derek's confusion, Jim's fleeting glance.
She leaned back in her chair, eyes half-lidded, savoring it.
This world was hers for the taking.
And tomorrow, the real game would begin.