Awakened fury

Nothing feels normal

Morning comes… but it doesn’t feel like morning.

I sit on the edge of my bed, staring at my hands.

They look the same.

But they don’t feel the same.

I flex my fingers slowly, like I’m expecting something to happen.

Nothing does.

And somehow, that’s worse.

“Are you going to sit there all day?”

Cassandra’s voice cuts through the silence.

I flinch slightly.

That never used to happen.

I used to just… take it.

Now, everything feels sharper.

Louder.

More irritating.

“I’m coming,” I reply quietly.

Even my voice sounds different to me.

School feels wrong the moment I step in.

The noise.

The movement.

The people.

It’s all too much.

Like my senses are turned up too high again.

I can hear conversations I shouldn’t be able to hear.

See small movements I never noticed before.

It’s overwhelming.

I grip my bag tighter and keep walking.

Just act normal.

“Riley.”

I freeze.

That voice.

Elisha.

I turn slowly.

She’s leaning against the lockers like always—but not really.

Not the same way.

Her eyes are fixed on me.

Sharp.

Focused.

Curious.

“You look different,” she says.

I shrug, trying to play it off. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She pushes off the locker and steps closer.

Too close.

“You do,” she says quietly.

My heart starts racing.

“Stay away from me,” I mutter.

For a moment, I think she’ll laugh.

Make a joke.

Say something cruel.

But she doesn’t.

Instead, her expression hardens slightly.

“Yeah,” she says under her breath. “You should be saying that to yourself.”

Confusion flashes through me. “What?”

But she’s already stepping back.

Watching me like I’m something dangerous.

That look again.

“I saw what happened,” she adds quietly.

My stomach drops.

“What are you talking about?”

Her eyes don’t leave mine.

“The warehouse.”

My breath catches.

She steps closer again, lowering her voice.

“You lost control.”

Panic spikes instantly.

“You don’t know anything,” I snap.

Too fast.

Too defensive.

Her gaze sharpens.

“I know enough.”

Silence stretches between us.

Heavy.

Uncomfortable.

Then she leans in slightly.

“Be careful, Riley,” she whispers.

A chill runs down my spine.

“You’re not the only one who can feel it.”

My chest tightens.

“What does that mean?”

But she just straightens, her usual smirk slipping back into place—almost like a mask.

“Figure it out,” she says.

And then she walks away.

Again.

I stand there, frozen.

My thoughts racing.

She knows.

Not everything.

But enough.

And that’s dangerous.

The rest of the day is worse.

Every sound feels like a trigger.

Every movement pulls my attention.

Every emotion hits harder than it should.

By the time class ends, my head is pounding.

I head outside quickly, needing air.

Space.

Anything.

But the moment I step into the empty hallway—

I feel it.

That same shift.

The air tightens slightly.

Subtle.

But familiar.

My heart starts racing again.

“No…” I whisper.

Not here.

I turn slowly—

And there, at the far end of the hallway…

Someone is standing.

Watching me.

Not a student.

Not a teacher.

A hunter.

My breath catches.

How did they find me here?

The figure doesn’t move.

Doesn’t speak.

Just watches.

And then—

Slowly—

He smiles.