Cracks in control
1154 Words
The silence after everything feels wrong.
Not calm.
Not safe.
Wrong.
Just minutes ago—
The classroom.
The figure.
That thing that didn’t feel human.
And Nyra.
My chest tightens as the memories replay too fast, overlapping in my head.
The way it looked at me.
Not like a stranger.
Like it knew me.
Like it was waiting for me.
I swallow hard, forcing myself to stay still, but my body hasn’t caught up yet. My pulse is still racing, my thoughts scattered, uneven.
Nothing about this feels over.
If anything—
It feels like it just started.
“What now?”
My voice comes out quieter than I expect.
Elisha doesn’t answer immediately.
She’s watching me again.
Not casually.
Not normally.
Carefully.
Like she’s expecting something.
Like she’s waiting for something.
“I’m still me,” I say.
The words come out sharper this time.
“I didn’t say you weren’t.”
“You didn’t have to.”
She exhales slowly. “Riley—”
“No,” I cut in. “Don’t start acting like I’m about to lose it.”
Her expression tightens. “You almost did. Back there.”
My jaw clenches.
Because she’s right.
That moment—
When everything felt like it was slipping—
When that thing looked at me—
Something inside me responded.
And I didn’t like it.
“I stopped it,” I say.
“For now.”
The same words.
Again.
I let out a frustrated breath. “You and Nyra keep saying that like I’m running out of time.”
Elisha doesn’t hesitate this time. “Maybe you are.”
The answer hits harder than I expect.
I don’t respond.
Because I don’t have anything to say to that.
The room still feels off.
Too quiet.
Too heavy.
Like something hasn’t left.
Or maybe—
Like something stayed.
“Say something useful,” I mutter.
Elisha crosses her arms slightly, her gaze still fixed on me. “Fine. You need control.”
“I have control.”
“No,” she says. “You’re holding it back. That’s not the same thing.”
I frown. “What’s the difference?”
“Control means it listens to you.”
A pause.
“What you’re doing?” she continues. “That’s resistance.”
The word settles heavily in my chest.
Because it feels right.
Too right.
Before I can respond—
It hits again.
Stronger.
Faster.
The air shifts sharply, like something just moved through it.
My breath catches.
“Riley,” Elisha says immediately.
“I feel it,” I reply, my voice tightening.
It’s not subtle anymore.
It’s pushing.
Hard.
Like something is trying to force its way through me.
Through whatever I’ve been using to keep it back.
“Then stop it,” she says.
“I’m trying!”
The pressure builds rapidly, rising from that same place deep inside me.
But this time—
It’s not just pressure.
My vision flickers.
For a split second—
The room distorts.
Darkens.
Like something is layered over it.
Something wrong.
Something that doesn’t belong.
Shapes move where nothing should be.
A shadow where there shouldn’t be one.
Then—
It’s gone.
I stagger slightly, grabbing the edge of a desk.
“What did you see?” Elisha asks quickly.
“I don’t know,” I say, shaking my head. “It wasn’t real… but it was.”
That’s the only way I can describe it.
Real and not real at the same time.
The pressure surges again.
Stronger.
Closer.
Like it’s not just inside me anymore.
Like it’s trying to come out.
My hands clench into fists automatically.
“Not again…” I mutter.
But it doesn’t stop.
Of course it doesn’t.
It never listens.
The energy spikes—
And this time, it snaps outward.
A sharp c***k echoes through the room.
We both freeze.
Slowly, I turn.
The window behind me—
Is cracked.
Not slightly.
Not faintly.
Split.
Like something struck it from the inside.
My chest rises unevenly.
“I didn’t touch it,” I say.
Elisha doesn’t respond.
She doesn’t need to.
“That’s new,” she says finally.
I let out a breath that doesn’t feel steady. “That’s not good.”
“No,” she says. “It’s not.”
Silence falls again.
But it’s worse now.
Because now—
There’s proof.
This isn’t just in my head.
“This isn’t just me losing control,” Elisha says slowly.
I don’t like where this is going. “Then what is it?”
She looks at the window, then back at me. “Something’s pushing through.”
My stomach tightens.
“You mean—”
“Yes,” she says. “Your ‘bridge’ problem.”
I look away immediately. “Don’t call it that.”
“That’s what it is.”
Another wave hits.
Stronger than before.
This time—
I hear it.
Clear.
Close.
Right at the edge of my thoughts.
Let go.
My breath stops.
“No,” I whisper.
You’re holding it back.
“I said no.”
Elisha steps closer. “Riley, what’s wrong?”
I don’t answer.
Because I’m not listening to her anymore.
You felt it too… back there.
The voice again.
Calm.
Certain.
Familiar in the worst way.
“You’re not real,” I say under my breath.
I’m more real than you think.
My chest tightens.
The pressure spikes again.
The air grows heavier.
“You’re hearing it,” Elisha says.
I don’t deny it.
Because I can’t.
You’re not supposed to resist.
“I am,” I say through my teeth.
You’re supposed to open.
Something inside me shifts.
Dangerously.
Like a door just cracked open slightly.
I push back immediately.
Hard.
“No!”
The energy bursts outward—
Desks shake.
The cracked window splinters further, thin lines spreading across the glass.
The lights flicker violently for a second—
Then—
Everything drops.
All at once.
Silence.
The pressure disappears.
The voice fades.
Like it was never there.
I stand there, breathing unevenly, my chest rising and falling too fast.
Elisha is staring at me.
Not cautiously.
Seriously.
“That’s getting worse,” she says.
I let out a weak breath. “You think?”
“That wasn’t just power,” she continues. “That was communication.”
The word sends a chill through me.
“I’m not talking to anything,” I say.
“You already are.”
I shake my head. “No.”
But even as I say it—
I remember the voice.
Clear.
Patient.
Waiting.
And the worst part?
It didn’t feel like an enemy.
That’s what scares me the most.
Elisha steps closer, her voice quieter now. “We can’t ignore this anymore.”
I don’t respond.
Because I know she’s right.
Something followed me out of that classroom.
Something didn’t leave.
And now—
It’s inside my head.
Waiting.
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