The moment I stepped outside, the city felt like it was holding its breath. Every sound was too sharp, every shadow too deep. The sun was out, bright and warm, but it didn’t touch the chill creeping along my spine. Something was watching. I didn’t need to see him to know he was there. Danger had a rhythm, and my body recognized it. Right now, it screamed.
My chest still thumped from last night. The diary had been open on my desk when I woke, pages fluttering like they had their own pulse. Its words burrowed into my mind, my blood wasn’t mine anymore. It was wanted, hunted, and desired.
And the thought that someone or something might take it by force made my stomach twist into knots I hadn’t thought possible.
I tried to go about my morning like nothing had changed. I showered, I dressed
