Chapter 1 – Rebirth in Shadows
Page 3 (Part 2/5)
Toby was the easiest to ensnare. Seraphine knew it from the first moment she'd met him—the way his excitement overflowed without filter, the way he wore his emotions openly like an unguarded door.
So when he cornered her after gym class, grinning and sweating with all the energy of a loyal puppy, she didn't waste the chance.
"You gotta show me," he insisted, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. "The… the thing you said at lunch! About noticing stuff."
Seraphine blinked, feigning embarrassment. "Oh, Toby, that was just… nonsense."
"No way." His grin was unwavering. "Come on, prove it. Just a little."
She hesitated, long enough for his anticipation to swell, then gave a conspiratorial glance around the empty hallway. "Alright. But only you, okay? Don't tell Jim or Claire yet. They'll think I'm weird."
Toby mimed zipping his lips shut. "Scout's honor."
Seraphine closed her eyes briefly, letting the god's gift hum through her veins. When she opened them again, her gaze sharpened on him, brushing against his mind like fingers tracing glass.
"You're… hungry," she said softly. "Not just gym-hungry. You skipped breakfast this morning, didn't you? You grabbed something sweet on the way, but it wasn't enough."
Toby's jaw dropped. "Wha—how did you—?"
"And…" She let her smile curl, playful but precise. "You're nervous about a math test tomorrow. You didn't study enough, but you'll laugh it off, pretend you're fine."
His face went pale, then flushed red. "Okay, that's—wow. You're like… psychic or something!"
Seraphine tilted her head, letting her smile soften into humility. "Just intuition. I notice patterns. People tell me more than they realize."
But beneath the words, her power twined around him, reinforcing awe, loyalty, admiration. Toby's grin widened, his faith solidifying like wet cement drying fast.
"You can totally trust me with this," he said quickly. "I won't tell anyone."
"I know," she murmured, brushing his arm with a feather-light touch. Another thread secured.
The next day at lunch, Toby could hardly keep himself contained. He fidgeted, threw Seraphine secretive looks, and nearly burst into laughter whenever she glanced his way.
Jim noticed. Claire noticed. And that was exactly what Seraphine wanted.
"What's with you, Tobes?" Jim asked finally, suspicious.
"Nothing!" Toby blurted, far too fast.
Seraphine hid her amusement behind a sip of water, watching the tension tighten between them.
Claire's eyes narrowed slightly. "You're hiding something."
Toby's grin was sheepish, his gaze darting to Seraphine for rescue. She let the silence linger before sighing lightly.
"It's my fault," she said, her tone contrite. "I… told Toby something silly. Just a stupid trick I do. He promised not to tell."
Jim's brow furrowed. "What kind of trick?"
Seraphine tilted her head, letting her gaze soften on him. "It's harmless. Just me being… observant. Like guessing when someone's going to sneeze, or when they're about to say something. Nothing important."
Claire didn't look convinced. Jim didn't either. But Toby leaned forward, bursting to defend her.
"It's not silly! She's, like, crazy good at it. You gotta see sometime."
Seraphine shook her head gently, feigning embarrassment. "Toby…"
Her restraint was deliberate, baiting them further. By denying the reveal, she made them crave it.
Jim exchanged a glance with Claire, his suspicion sharp. Claire's arms crossed, her expression unreadable. But both of them leaned ever so slightly closer, hooked despite themselves.
Seraphine smiled faintly into her drink. The dance was working perfectly.
That night, she sat cross-legged on her bed, the window cracked open to let in the cool Arcadia air.
Her fingers drummed against her knee as she whispered into the darkness.
"Toby is mine. Claire will break soon. Jim…" She let her smile sharpen. "Jim will resist. And that resistance will make him fall harder when I finally pull."
The god's gift pulsed within her, approval curling through her veins. Outside, the quiet hum of Arcadia Oaks went on, oblivious.
But the web was growing.
And soon, there would be no escape.