"Make it stop!" I screamed into the air. I tried to gather my thoughts, but it kept coming in.
After I shouted, there was a brief quiet. Then the sound returned, a low hum creeping into the quiet corners of my mind.
Going to the market to get groceries was maddening. I remember the attendant asking a question, and I couldn't focus.
The man tallying the cost of the goods the woman beside him bought was driving me mad. His thoughts were like a honking car.
The woman with him was thinking in a language I didn't understand, and I can bet that she was cussing him out.
I could barely think or listen. It was hard to tell if people were speaking or just thinking.
All the words rushed at me. It felt wild, but I also noticed that my heart was pounding hard and quick too.
Like sparks coursing through my veins, my body hummed with raw, potent energy.
I glanced around the room. I had woken up in the same stale, dark room countless times, but now the shadows seemed alive, whispering secrets I wasn't sure I wanted to hear.
Then I remembered. Yesterday. Or maybe the night before.
No, it wasn't yesterday. It was the night I died. Blood, tar, betrayal. The alley. Ellie's voice. The knife. My mother. Death had been waiting for me. Somehow, against all odds, I had come back.
I staggered to the cracked mirror in the corner, expecting my reflection to betray me. However, I saw no signs of my previous weakness.
I saw new strength, well-defined muscles, and eyes that were more alert, sharp, and piercing. I flexed my hand before slamming it into the wall.
The plaster broke off. The air was heavy with dust. My mouth opened, half in shock, half in joy.
I have become something new. I have been transformed.
But it wasn't just my body that had changed. My mind buzzed too.
I could feel thoughts, emotions, and plans, thin and tangled like spiderwebs. I knew in my heart that this power was both a gift and a weapon.
I had a lot to try. A lot to learn about the new me.
I jumped when someone knocked on the door. Not fear, but a feeling of tension that I couldn't shake. "Elena?" The voice was soft, light, and familiar.
I had learned long ago that every sound in Mondrovia could mean danger. Opening the door "Tiffany?" I asked, voice cautious, hoarse from the lingering panic and lack of sleep.
"Yes!" she chirped, bundled in a thick coat and scarf, cheeks flushed from the cold. "I brought coffee and that muffin you love. Thought you could use a human visit."
Tiffany had always been there for me, a light in the dark. She didn't know about the alley, the death, or how strange it felt to wake up. She didn't need to know. Some things were just mine.
"You look different," she said as she stepped inside, scanning me with wide, curious eyes. "There's something in your eyes… like fire?"
I flexed my hands experimentally, the muscles responding with ease. "I am," I murmured. "I am different."
Her brow furrowed. "Different how? You sound like a superhero."
I smiled faintly. "Maybe. Maybe more. I notice things I didn't before. I seem to have grown stronger, too."
Tiffany laughed nervously. "Have you been going to the gym? Is that it? You know I have always been an advocate of Pilates and weight lifting."
I snorted. "It's not all that, my strength has improved by folds." Flexing again, I said, "Look over there, I smashed that wall myself." She put her hands on mine, lightly, teasing.
"Oh wow, Elena, that's impressive. Try not to punch me, okay. I think the strength you used for that could very well land me in the ICU. I like living."
A laugh escaped me—a real one. The heavy fog of fear and loneliness lifted, even if just briefly.
I let her sit on the couch and drink the coffee she brought along. I let myself forget about the darkness, the alley, and the blood for a moment.
"I've been cooped up," I admitted softly, voice low. "I needed someone normal. Someone who isn't dangerous or damaged."
Her grin was playful. "I can be dangerous, you know."
I smirked. "Not like me." She raised an eyebrow, curiosity and amusement in equal measure. "You look different. You look more alive, like fire. I have never seen you this way before."
"Yes," I admitted quietly. "Alive. For the first time in forever."
"So, when will you resume from your leave? We have missed you in the office." Tiffany said changing the subject.
"Well, that will be in another five days. I haven't had as much rest as I thought I would, but I'm getting there," I replied.
Tiffany stared at me some more, a confused smile playing on her lips. "You've changed, Lena. You're… like someone new."
I stared at her brown colored eyes for a few seconds and then replied, "I might have been reborn."
She laughed at me, and I joined halfheartedly.
We were quiet for a moment, and the noise of the city outside filled the space between us.
Then there was a strange pull, not strong but undeniable. It was a feeling I had never had before.
It was strange yet familiar. Like kin, yet different. I'm still adjusting to this new me, and now my thoughts, my senses pricked with a strong heat and tension, sharp intelligence, and control.
It approached me like a predator testing its prey, encased in a tight bundle of desire and danger.
I stiffened, not just the proximity, but the depth of his awareness was strong—trying to observe, evaluate, and read me—rather than just the closeness.
Tiffany noticed my pause. "Are you okay?" she asked softly. "Yes," I lied smoothly, forcing a smile. "Just… thinking."
While saying my goodbyes to Tiffany as she boarded her taxi, I sensed someone moving differently around me; like an intent, sharp, and invasive.
Not just a mind-reader, but someone hunting, someone dangerous.
Someone who knew I was different and wanted to test the edge of my strength. Then, I smiled, because for the first time since death, I felt truly strong and untouchable.
I felt it again stronger, a mind brushing mine, subtle but powerful, probing. I froze mid-walk.
There is someone here with me, floating on the recesses of my mind, but they knew it as well. I shivered at the feeling, which was a combination of curiosity and fear.