Sera's POV
The voice in my head won't shut up.
Test your new abilities, Sera. Pick up that coffee mug.
I stare at the mug on my nightstand. It's just a regular ceramic mug with a chipped handle. I've had it for three years.
"This is insane," I mutter. "I'm going crazy. That dream wasn't real."
Pick it up.
Fine. I'll prove I'm just having a mental breakdown. I reach for the mug—
And my hand moves so fast it's a blur.
The mug flies across the room and smashes against the wall, exploding into a hundred pieces.
I stare at my hand. It's still tingling with energy, like I stuck my finger in an electrical socket. That shouldn't be possible. I barely touched it.
Interesting. Your strength has increased approximately ten times normal human capacity. Try reading something.
My eyes land on a law textbook I borrowed from the office. It's sitting on my desk, thick as a brick. I've been trying to read it for two months and barely made it through the first chapter because the legal language is impossible to understand.
I pick it up and open to a random page. The words about "habeas corpus" and "tort liability" that used to make my brain hurt suddenly make perfect sense. It's like someone downloaded the information directly into my head.
I flip through page after page. Contract law. Criminal procedure. Constitutional rights. I understand all of it. Every single word.
"Oh my God," I breathe. "It was real. The deal was real."
Of course it was real. Now hurry. You'll be late for work.
I check my phone. It's 8:47 AM. Work starts at 9:00, and it's a thirty-minute subway ride. I'm definitely going to be late.
Unless...
I run to the bathroom, brush my teeth in ten seconds flat, and throw on my work clothes. My fingers button my shirt so quickly they're almost invisible. I grab my bag and sprint out the door.
The subway station stairs are usually torture for my weak legs. Today I take them three at a time, barely breathing hard. An old man on the platform stares at me like I just performed a magic trick.
The whole subway ride, I can't stop looking at my reflection in the window. My eyes keep flashing silver. And that voice—it's still there, whispering in the back of my mind.
You're different now. Better. Stronger. Finally able to fight back.
I should be terrified. But instead, I feel... powerful. For the first time in my entire pathetic life, I feel like I matter.
The law office of Patterson & Associates is on the fifteenth floor of a building that probably costs more than I'll make in my lifetime. I've worked here for three years as a paralegal, which is a fancy word for "lawyer's servant." I make copies, file papers, and get yelled at when things go wrong.
I rush through the door at 9:02 AM. Janet Corso is already at her desk, smirking at me.
"Late again, Sera?" Janet is everything I'm not—confident, pretty, connected. Her dad plays golf with Mr. Patterson, which is why she got hired despite being terrible at her job. "Mr. Patterson is going to love this."
I open my mouth to apologize, like I always do. Like a trained dog.
Then I actually look at Janet.
And I see something impossible.
Black marks cover her body like shadows. They swirl around her arms, her neck, her face. Dark stains that look like oil spreading across her skin. Nobody else seems to see them—the other paralegals walk past her like nothing's wrong.
But I see them. And somehow, I know exactly what they mean.
Sins, the voice whispers. You're seeing her sins. Every cruel thing she's ever done, marked on her soul.
I stare at the marks, and suddenly I know things. I know Janet stole money from the office supply budget. I know she spread rumors that got another paralegal fired. I know she cheated her way through law school and lied about her qualifications.
I know she's rotten to the core.
"What are you staring at, loser?" Janet snaps.
Before, I would've looked away. Apologized. Made myself small.
Not anymore.
"I'm looking at you, Janet," I say calmly. "And I see exactly what you are."
Her smirk falters. "Excuse me?"
"You stole three thousand dollars from the supply budget last year. You got Sarah Chen fired by telling Mr. Patterson she made mistakes you actually made. And you're sleeping with his son to keep your job."
Janet's face goes white. "How did you—"
"Sera!" Mr. Patterson's voice booms from his office. He's a large man with grey hair and a permanent frown. "My office. Now."
I walk past Janet, who looks like she might throw up. Inside Mr. Patterson's office, he's holding a legal brief that I typed up last week.
"This brief," he says slowly, "is full of errors. Spelling mistakes, wrong case citations, formatting issues. It's embarrassing."
My heart sinks. I worked so hard on that brief. Stayed late three nights.
Then I look at Mr. Patterson. And I see the marks.
They're everywhere. Thick, dark stains covering him like tar. Worse than Janet's. So much worse.
And I know. I know everything.
The bribes. The evidence he's destroyed. The innocent people who went to jail because he buried the truth. The judge he paid off. The DA he blackmailed.
Mr. Patterson isn't just corrupt. He's evil.
"That brief was perfect when I submitted it," I hear myself say. My voice sounds different. Colder. Stronger. "Janet changed it to make me look bad. Check the computer logs. You'll see she accessed the file after I went home."
Mr. Patterson's eyes narrow. "That's a serious accusation."
"So is destroying evidence in the Mendez case," I say quietly. "The evidence that would've proven he was innocent."
The color drains from his face. "What did you say?"
"I said I know what you did. I know everything." I take a step closer. "And I'm done being afraid of people like you."
Mr. Patterson's hand shakes as he reaches for his phone. "Get out. You're fired."
"Fine," I say. And I mean it. Why would I want to work for a monster?
I walk out, grabbing my personal items from my desk. Janet tries to say something, but I ignore her. The other paralegals whisper as I leave.
I don't care. Because as I walk through the office, I see marks on everyone. Some small, barely visible. Others large and spreading. Every sin, every cruel act, every evil choice—they're all written on people's souls for me to see.
This is my gift. Or my curse. I can see the monsters hiding in human skin.
Outside the building, I stand on the sidewalk, unemployed and strangely calm. The voice in my head speaks again.
Now you see the truth, Sera. The world is full of people who deserve punishment. People who hurt others and face no consequences.
"What am I supposed to do about it?" I whisper.
Whatever you want. You have the power now. Use it.
My phone buzzes. A news alert.
"BREAKING: Five gang members arrested in connection with murder of honor student Tommy Chen. Witnesses came forward after viral video of attack surfaces online."
My hands shake as I read. They arrested them. Tommy's killers. They'll face justice.
But it's too late for Tommy.
It doesn't have to be too late for the next victim, the voice says. You could stop them before they kill. Before they hurt anyone else. You could become the justice this city needs.
"How?" I ask.
Then I see him.
A man across the street, wearing a business suit, looking normal. But his marks—they're so dark and thick they're like a black cloud around him. And I know, somehow I just know, what he's done.
Three women. He killed three women. And the police never caught him.
He's walking away, disappearing into the crowd.
And I'm following him before I realize I'm moving.
Good girl, the voice purrs. Let me show you what real justice looks like.
My reflection in a store window catches my eye as I pass.
My eyes are glowing pure silver now.
And I'm smiling.
But it's not my smile.