Jade's POV
The classroom was filled with morning sunlight. It warmed the shiny desks and made the dust sparkle like tiny stars. I sat near the window with my sketchbook open, but she wasn't drawing. My thoughts kept drifting back to Sebastian and how he had looked at me in the cafeteria yesterday.
This led me further back to the strange events of the night before. Ruelle leaned back with her arms crossed and her brow furrowed. Carmira fidgeted with her jacket zipper. Vynessa twirled a pen between her fingers, and Averyn's nervous energy was palpable. Gianna, usually quiet, kept stealing glances at Averyn.
Each of us seemed to be different.
We appeared to be awake to something that I couldn't quite grasp.
My cheeks warmed as my boyfriend, Sebastian glanced over my desk and said, "Hey, are you okay? You haven't said anything all morning."
"I'm okay," she replied steadily.
I turned to face Averyn, who was fiddling with the strap of her bag. I felt my stomach turn when I saw that the other girls were also noticing something about Averyn's posture. It seemed important. I spotted a small movement at the back of the room during our homeroom.
Vynessa looked out the window. She muttered, almost to herself, "You feel it too, don't you?" I leaned in closer. "What do you feel?"
Vynessa whispered, "The air is really quiet it is like it is holding its breath." I got a chill when I heard what she said.
We were sitting in our spot, near the library by lunchtime. My eyes looked pretty as I stared at the pages of the Codex that Averyn was holding. When we touched the symbols on the pages it felt like they were moving a bit.
Carmira ran her finger over one of the symbols. She let out a breath and said "It is like the Codex is alive."
Ruelle squinted at the detailed illustrations as she leaned closer. "Doesn't it whisper? Or perhaps I'm just dreaming."
I could feel the connection between us and the Codex. This connection was something I noticed from my point of view.
I felt that something was not right in the room. I sensed the tension, in the cafeteria.
Then across the area through the large glass doors, a ripple of shadow appeared at the cafeteria's edge. Almost playful, almost alive and it coiled like smoke. Unaware that the other students were laughing and chatting, I sensed the tension in the room.
"Have you noticed that?" I whispered.
Vynessa's eyes widened as they locked eyes. "It's getting closer."
Averyn took a deep breath. Her hands shook a little, but her voice remained steady as she said,"Whatever it is... we face it together."
The shadow paused, then vanished, returning the room's corner to its unsettlingly normal state. I looked across the room at Sebastian. He was blissfully oblivious to everything. Something inside me tightened at the thought. Regardless of what the Codex required of them, I would defend him.