Sleep didn't come gently.
It pulled him under.
Chloe was running.
Too small. Too slow. Breath tearing through his chest as the alley stretched endlessly ahead. The dark wasn't empty. It felt… aware.
Behind him—
Click.
Click.
Click.
Not footsteps.
Measured. Patient.
He stumbled.
Hit the ground hard, palms scraping, air knocked out of him in one sharp instant. For a moment, everything rang hollow—
Then silence.
A chirp.
Right behind him.
He turned.
The creature stood there, lean and still, its head tilted like it was studying him. Not rushing. Not wasting movement.
Learning.
Its jaws opened—
—and something split the moment.
A spear.
Clean. Final.
The creature dropped.
A figure stepped forward.
Calm. Unshaken. Like this was routine.
Young. Steady.
He crouched in front of Chloe.
"Hey," he said quietly. "It's okay now."
A hand rested on Chloe's head.
"You're safe."
—
Chloe woke up.
Breath uneven. Eyes fixed on the ceiling.
The dream clung longer than it should.
Like it had weight.
He sat up slowly, exhaling before dragging a hand through his hair.
"…again."
Morning didn't wait.
—
The classroom was already loud when he walked in.
Chairs scraping. Conversations overlapping. Someone at the back laughing too loudly at something that wasn't that funny.
Chloe dropped into his seat.
Ethan glanced at him once. "You look like sleep rejected you."
"I rejected it first."
"Mutual breakup, then."
"Something like that."
Ethan studied him for a second, then shrugged. "You'll survive."
"Probably."
The door opened.
The teacher stepped in. "Settle down. We have a transfer student."
That was enough to shift the room's attention.
Not silent.
But focused.
Then—
She walked in.
She stood there.
Still. Composed. Like the noise of the room didn't quite reach her. Platinum twin tails, red eyes that scanned the class once, unhurried.
A beat passed.
Then whispers started to leak out.
"…she's new?"
"No way, look at her—"
"Those eyes are kinda crazy…"
"Bro, she's actually—"
"Shut up—"
"Introduce yourself," the teacher said.
She gave a small nod.
"My name is Lia Steele," she said. "Nice to meet you."
Her gaze moved.
Paused.
On Chloe.
Just for a moment.
Chloe stared back… then let out a quiet, almost disbelieving breath.
"…seriously… Lia Steele?" he muttered under his breath.
Ethan caught it instantly, leaning slightly toward him. "You know her?"
"Unfortunately."
"That tone says history."
"Drop it."
Ethan didn't press.
But he definitely stored it.
The teacher gestured toward an empty seat.
Lia walked forward without hesitation.
And sat beside Chloe.
Of course.
A few heads turned more openly now.
Someone in the back whispered, "She picked his seat?"
"Why him?"
"No idea…"
A girl from the side leaned over toward her friend, whispering just loud enough to carry, "This just got interesting."
Her friend nodded, watching carefully instead of laughing.
A second of silence.
Then—
"Missed me?" Lia said quietly.
Chloe didn't look at her. "You've always had terrible timing."
Her lips curved slightly.
—
The class tried to resume.
Tried.
It didn't fully succeed.
Eyes kept drifting back.
Whispers kept circling.
"Do they know each other?"
"Has to be."
"He didn't even react properly—"
"Maybe that was his reaction—"
Ethan tapped his pen lightly against the desk. "You attract weird situations."
"I don't attract them."
"They find you anyway."
"…unfortunate."
Break time came.
The room loosened instantly.
Groups formed, voices rose, the usual chaos.
Chloe stayed where he was.
Ethan spun his chair slightly. "So. You going to explain or should I invent something better?"
"Do that."
"Alright. Childhood friends. Separated by tragedy. Reunited by fate—"
"Stop."
Ethan smirked. "Worth a shot."
Before Chloe could respond, someone slid into the empty space near his desk.
A guy. Slightly too curious for his own good.
"So," he said, looking between Chloe and Lia, "what's the deal?"
Chloe didn't respond.
The guy leaned in a bit. "You two clearly know each other. Don't tell me it's just coincidence."
Ethan leaned back, watching with interest.
Chloe sighed once. "…ex co-workers."
The guy blinked. "Co-workers?"
Lia tilted her head slightly, then smiled.
"I thought we had something special going on," she said, almost lightly.
The timing was perfect.
A couple of boys nearby immediately reacted.
"…what?"
"Seriously?"
"No way—"
The guy looked between them again, now more confused than curious. "Wait, so are you—"
"No," Chloe cut in flatly.
Lia didn't correct it.
She just watched, faint amusement in her eyes.
From the side, a girl covered her mouth to hide a smile. "That's rough."
Her friend whispered back, "He walked into that one."
The guy scratched the back of his head. "Right… okay… I'll just… leave you two to it."
Good decision.
He backed off.
Ethan let out a quiet breath. "Ex co-workers."
"It works."
"It raises more questions than it answers."
"Not my problem."
—
A few minutes later, another presence stepped in.
A boy this time. More composed.
"Hey," he said, stopping near Lia's desk. "I'm Daniel."
She looked up at him.
"If you need help settling in," he continued, "classes, notes… anything, really."
She considered him briefly, then nodded. "That would be helpful. Thank you."
A couple of nearby boys immediately tuned in.
"…he's actually talking to her—"
"Confidence, man…"
Daniel gave a small smile. "There's a café nearby. People usually go there after school. If you're free, we could—"
"I already have plans," she said.
Calm. Easy.
Her gaze shifted.
To Chloe.
Subtle.
But clear enough.
The reaction this time was quieter.
But sharper.
"…of course…"
"Man…"
Daniel followed the glance, then nodded once. "Another time, then."
"Maybe," she said.
He didn't push.
Left it there.
—
Lia stood.
"Show me around," she said.
"No."
"Yes."
Chloe exhaled once, then stood anyway.
Ethan watched them go, resting his chin on his hand. "This is going to end badly."
"No predictions," Chloe said.
"Too late."
—
They walked until the noise faded.
The corridor was quiet, sunlight stretching across the floor.
No one around.
Chloe stopped.
"…what are you doing here, Alice?"
She smiled immediately.
"It's Lia," she corrected. "While at school."
"…Right."
The shift came naturally.
"What did you feel?" she asked.
"Last night," Chloe said. "Something's here."
She nodded.
"It's a nocturnal," she said. "Snake-type."
Chloe's gaze sharpened.
"It doesn't hunt directly," she continued. "It lures."
"How?"
"Sound," she said. "A rhythmic vibration."
"…affecting perception."
"Yes," she said. "It throws off your senses. Makes you unfocused."
Chloe looked ahead, thinking.
"Like being pulled somewhere without realizing."
"Exactly."
A pause.
"It stays out of sight," she added. "Usually behind you."
Chloe's jaw tightened slightly.
"And when you turn?"
"It locks eyes with you," she said. "After that… you're not really there anymore."
"…hypnosis."
"Something close," she said. "We don't know how it works yet."
Silence settled.
"We observe first," Chloe said.
She nodded. "Tonight."
"Tonight."
A brief pause.
Then she tilted her head slightly.
"You didn't answer."
Chloe glanced at her. "About what?"
"Were you jealous?"
He didn't react.
"Focus on the hunt."
A small smile returned to her face.
—
When they walked back into the classroom, the noise dipped for a moment.
Not silent.
Just… aware.
Then it picked up again, quieter, threaded with curiosity.
Ethan glanced at Chloe. "You survived."
"Barely."
"Tragic."
Lia took her seat like nothing had happened.
Before things could settle fully, the dark-haired girl from earlier turned around in her chair, resting her arm over the backrest.
"So," she said, looking directly at Lia, "you just arrived and already dragged him out of class. Impressive."
Her tone wasn't hostile.
Curious. A little amused.
Lia met her gaze calmly. "I like getting familiar with my surroundings."
"That's one way to put it," the girl replied.
Her friend leaned slightly forward, more observant than expressive. "You picked your guide pretty fast."
Lia's eyes flickered briefly toward Chloe. "He seemed reliable."
From behind, someone muttered, "Since when?"
The first girl smirked faintly. "You'll have to excuse him. He's not exactly known for being… social."
"I've noticed," Lia said.
Chloe didn't react.
The quieter girl added, "If you need notes, I can share mine. He won't."
"I don't take notes," Chloe said.
"Exactly," she replied.
Lia gave a small nod. "I'll keep that in mind."
The exchange ended there, but the attention didn't fully leave.
It just settled.
Like the class had accepted her presence—
Without understanding it.
The bell rang soon after.
And just like that, everything pretended to be normal again.
On the surface.
Underneath—
Something waited.
Patient. Listening.
End of Chapter 5