~Sara's POV~
The day refused to leave me.
Even after I reached home, even after I washed my face and changed into comfortable clothes, the feeling lingered—like something unfinished was waiting for me in the quiet.
I sat by my window, knees pulled to my chest, watching the sky darken slowly. Streetlights flickered on one by one, and the city settled into its nighttime rhythm.
Yet my thoughts were elsewhere.
With him.
Necole's voice replayed in my head—not loud, not emotional, just steady. The way he looked at me earlier… like he was afraid of something he didn't want to name.
Did I imagine it?
My phone buzzed beside me.
A message.
Unknown number.
Are you feeling better?
My breath caught.
I stared at the screen, heart pounding.
There was only one person it could be.
*Sara: Yes. Thank you for asking.
Three dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
*Necole: Good.
Just one word.
Yet it made my chest feel warm in a way I didn't understand.
I typed, erased, typed again.
Sara: You didn't have to check on me.
A pause.
*Necole: I wanted to.
I pressed the phone to my chest, smiling without realizing it.
Outside, the wind stirred.
The lights flickered.
And for a brief moment, the room felt… different.
~Necole's POV~
I shouldn't have texted her.
That single action alone was a mistake—crossing a line I had sworn never to touch. But when night fell, and the world grew quieter, my thoughts found her without effort.
She had felt it earlier.
The shift.
The disturbance around her wasn't coincidence. It was a response.
To me.
I stood on my balcony, shadows stretching unnaturally at my feet, moving like they were alive. The air around me pulsed faintly, reacting to the thoughts I tried so hard to suppress.
Stay away, I told myself again.
But the message had already been sent.
And her reply…
simple, warm, trusting—
It made the shadows hesitate.
That never happened.
~Sara's POV~
The conversation was quiet. Short. Almost awkward.
Yet it felt important.
We didn't talk about school.
Or friends.
Or anything meaningful on the surface.
Just small things.
The weather.
The headache.
How tired the day had been.
And somehow, in between those words, something else passed.
Something unspoken.
At one point, I typed:
*Sara: You're very quiet in real life too.
I waited, suddenly nervous.
Necole: I'm quieter inside.
That answer stayed with me.
I turned my gaze back to the window—and froze.
For just a second, I thought I saw something move in the reflection behind me. Not a person. Not a shadow.
Something else.
My heart raced.
I turned around.
Nothing.
When I looked back at my phone, a new message waited.
*Necole: Are you alone right now?
~Necole's POV~
I felt it.
The moment she sensed something, the air around me reacted sharply—like a warning bell echoing through a place that shouldn't exist.
Her world was thinner than it should be.
And she was standing too close to the edge.
I tightened my grip on the railing, forcing the shadows to still.
Not yet, I thought. She's not ready.
But fate had never been patient with me.
~Sara's POV~
*Sara: Yes… why?
There was a longer pause this time.
Long enough for unease to creep in.
*Necole: Just… lock your window. And don't panic.
My heart skipped.
*Sara: Necole, what do you mean?
No reply.
The lights flickered again.
The air felt heavy.
Then—softly—my phone buzzed.
*Necole: I'm close. You're safe.
Trust me.
I didn't know why.
But I did.
I locked the window.
And somewhere deep inside, a quiet voice whispered—
This is no longer just a coincidence.
~Necole's POV (Ending)~
I watched the building from a distance, unseen, unheard.
The bond had awakened faster than expected.
And now, the night itself was paying attention.
If she continued walking toward me…
the truth would come with consequences.
For both of us.