The snake lord and the lover boy part one

Chapter 1: The Voice That Shouldn’t Exist I swear I was a normal girl. Well… as normal as someone can be when her alarm clock hates her, her school uniform never fits right, and her best friend thinks everything is a “sign from the universe.” My name is Lira Vale. And the day my life started going wrong… started with a whisper inside my head. Not the “you forgot your homework” type of whisper. This one said: “We found you.” I paused mid-step in my bedroom. “…Okay,” I said out loud, slowly backing away from my mirror, “that’s not normal.” The mirror didn’t answer. Obviously. Mirrors don’t talk. But I was pretty sure my life just did. --- At school that morning, my best friend Mia was already waiting for me at the gate, chewing gum like she was auditioning for a gangster movie. “You look like someone who saw a ghost,” she said. “I think the ghost saw me first,” I replied. She laughed. “Girl, you need sleep or Jesus. Maybe both.” If only she knew Jesus wasn’t the problem right now. --- First period was biology. Or as I call it: the official government-approved nap time. But halfway through the lesson, something weird happened. The classroom lights flickered. Once. Twice. Then stopped. Everyone ignored it except me. Because I heard it again. That same voice. Closer this time. “You are waking up.” My pen dropped. The sound was too loud. Like the whole room heard it. “Miss Vale?” the teacher said. “Is something wrong?” I forced a smile. “No ma’am. Just… emotionally unstable.” A few students laughed. Great. At least I’m funny while being haunted. --- At lunch, I sat under the big oak tree behind the school with Mia and two other classmates—Jordan and Felix. Jordan was the type of boy who looked like he knew secrets but forgot them on purpose. Felix was the type who believed every conspiracy theory except the ones about him. “So,” Felix said, leaning closer, “if you had to choose: invisible for a day or read minds?” Mia didn’t hesitate. “Read minds. I want to know why boys are like that.” Jordan coughed. “We are sitting right here.” “Exactly,” Mia said. I wasn’t listening anymore. Because the voice came again. But this time it wasn’t inside my head. It was under my skin. Like something was… moving. I grabbed my wrist. My veins—just for a second—looked darker. Like ink spreading under glass. “What the—” I whispered. “Lira?” Mia frowned. “You okay?” I smiled too fast. “Yeah. Just… lunch digestion.” But I wasn’t okay. Not even close. Because across the school courtyard, a boy I had never seen before was standing under the shadow of the library. Watching me. Not blinking. Not moving. Like he already knew my name. And worse… Like he had been waiting for me longer than I had existed. And then— He smiled. And the voice inside me whispered one last thing: “Do not let him find you first.” I stood up too quickly. “Where are you going?” Mia asked. I didn’t answer. Because for the first time in my life… I wasn’t sure if I was walking to class. Or walking straight into something that was already inside me. --- End of Chapter 1