Cracks beneath the surface
863 Words
Morning feels different.
I stand in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection like I’m looking at a stranger. Same face. Same tired eyes. Same quiet girl everyone ignores.
But something is off.
Something has changed.
I raise my hand slowly, remembering the alley… the moment everything shifted. The surge of energy. The way the air felt alive.
I try to feel it again.
Nothing.
Just… me.
A knock on the door startles me.
“Hurry up!” Cassandra’s voice snaps from the other side. “Or are you planning to be useless all day again?”
My jaw tightens.
For a moment, I almost react. The anger rises fast this time—sharper, hotter than before.
But I force it down.
Not now.
I grab my bag and head out.
School feels louder than usual.
Every voice, every laugh, every footstep—it all hits me at once, like my senses are turned up too high. I flinch slightly as lockers slam nearby.
What is wrong with me?
“Look who decided to show up.”
Elisha.
Of course.
She leans against the lockers, arms crossed, watching me with that same mocking smile. But today… something is different.
Her eyes linger longer than usual.
Like she’s studying me.
“You look weird today,” she says, tilting her head. “Did something happen? Or did you finally lose your mind?”
I don’t respond immediately.
Instead, I just… look at her.
Really look at her.
And suddenly—
I notice things I’ve never noticed before.
The slight tension in her shoulders.
The way her fingers curl slightly, like she’s ready for something.
The flicker of something in her eyes…
Not just cruelty.
Something else.
Something hidden.
“You’re staring,” she snaps, her expression tightening for a split second.
I blink, pulling myself back. “Nothing.”
But she doesn’t look convinced.
“Stay away from me today,” she mutters under her breath, just low enough that no one else hears.
That’s new.
Before I can respond, she walks off quickly, disappearing into the crowd.
I stand there, confused.
Since when does Elisha walk away first?
Classes drag, but I can’t focus.
My mind keeps replaying everything—Nyra, the alley, the power, the hunters… and now Elisha acting strange.
Something isn’t right.
By lunchtime, I’m done pretending everything is normal.
I skip the cafeteria and head to the back of the school, near the old oak tree. The same place where this all started.
I sit, staring at my hands again.
“Come on…” I whisper. “Do something.”
I focus. Hard.
Nothing.
Frustration builds quickly.
“Why won’t it work?”
“Because you’re forcing it.”
I jump, spinning around.
Nyra stands behind me, calm as ever.
“How do you keep doing that?” I ask, breathless.
She shrugs slightly. “Practice.”
I exhale, running a hand through my hair. “Then help me.”
Nyra steps closer, her gaze sharp.
“Power like yours doesn’t respond to panic,” she says. “It responds to control.”
“I was definitely not in control yesterday,” I mutter.
“Exactly.”
She gestures for me to stand.
“Try again.”
I hesitate, then raise my hand slightly, focusing.
“Don’t think about fear,” Nyra says. “Feel what’s around you.”
I close my eyes.
The wind.
The faint hum of voices.
The ground beneath my feet.
For a second… nothing.
Then—
A flicker.
Something shifts inside me.
My breath catches.
“I feel it,” I whisper.
“Good,” Nyra says quietly. “Now don’t lose it.”
But the moment I realize it’s there—
It disappears.
I groan in frustration. “Seriously?”
Nyra almost smiles.
“You’ll get there.”
A sudden presence makes me turn.
Elisha.
She’s standing a few feet away, watching us.
My stomach drops.
How long has she been there?
Her eyes move between me and Nyra, sharp and unreadable.
“Well,” she says slowly, “this is interesting.”
Silence.
Nyra doesn’t react.
I feel tension snap tight in the air.
“Elisha—” I start, but she cuts me off.
“Who’s your new friend?” she asks, but her tone isn’t teasing this time.
It’s serious.
Suspicious.
Dangerous.
Nyra steps forward slightly, placing herself just enough between me and Elisha.
“That’s none of your concern.”
Elisha’s gaze sharpens.
“Oh, I think it is.”
For a moment, no one moves.
Then Elisha smirks—but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
“You should be careful who you trust, Riley,” she says softly.
A chill runs through me.
Then she turns and walks away.
Again.
Too easily.
Too calm.
I stare after her, my heart pounding.
“That’s not normal,” I whisper.
Nyra’s expression darkens slightly.
“No,” she says quietly.
“It’s not.”
Silence settles between us.
Heavy.
Unsettling.
Then Nyra looks at me, her voice more serious than before.
“You just got stronger,” she says.
My chest tightens.
“And so did your problems.”
- Writer
