the Hybrid's Prophecy

Chapter 1

The lecture hall buzzed with low chatter as students filtered in, the sound of zipping backpacks and clacking keyboards echoing off the high ceilings. Lia slipped into her usual seat in the back row, second from the end on the left side. She liked the distance. From here, she could observe everything without being observed.

The chair beside her remained empty, as it usually did.

She pulled out her notebook and a pen. No laptop today, even though the battered old model sat in her bag. Her phone, also an older model with a cracked corner, remained tucked away, notifications muted. The less digital noise, the better.

“Alright everyone, settle down.” Professor Kessler’s voice rang out, calm and deliberate. He was a tall man in his sixties with an unruly mop of silver hair and half-moon glasses perched on the edge of his nose. “Today we’re diving into instinct and spiritual dreams in early-belief systems. Pay attention, this might be on your final.”

Lia glanced at the projected slide. Three lines of text, nothing fancy, just dates and the title of belief systems, with a blurry freeze-frame of a cave painting in the corner. She already knew most of it. It was the reason she’d come here, the only reason she’d ever let herself hope for this kind of normalcy.

There was only so much her mother could teach her about their family, about their world. And when she’d seen the UBC course catalog, it had been the easiest decision she’d ever made. The most dangerous too, but necessary.

Kessler paced the stage with his usual dramatic pauses. “Early humans used myth, not just to explain the world, but to survive it. Our species’ sense of story was our first defense. Dream-visions weren’t dismissed as delusions. But they were warnings, delivered by a consciousness deeper than waking logic.”

She scribbled out of habit more than necessity. Shorthand phrases, an inverted triangle for relevance, a circle around the words “dream-visions”.

The pen moved, but her attention was split, partly scanning for anyone out of place in the lecture hall, and partly on Kessler’s lecture.

Dream-visions as warnings.

Lia’s pen stilled for a moment. She’d woken three times this week to the image of a blood-red moon and shadows that moved wrong, twisting in ways that defied physics. Her mother would have called that instinct, and the probability that she might have inherited clairvoyance. Kessler called it ancient wisdom.

I would call it a problem I don’t have time to solve.

He began explaining the relevance of the dates and belief systems as he passed out booklets, to be distributed around the room. When one reached her desk, she tucked it into her bag without looking. Kessler was always thorough with notes. Only one of the few professors who still believed in printed material. She appreciated that. Laptops could be hacked and phones tracked. Paper was just paper.

The lecture droned on. Kessler was fascinating at first, but he always lost momentum halfway through, circling back to points he’d already made. Lia’s gaze drifted towards the window. Outside, clouds gathered over the campus, thick and gray. Rain was coming. She could feel it in the air, that electric pressure that made her skin prickle.

When Kessler finally dismissed the class, Lia shoved her notebook into her bag and made for the door. She moved quickly, weaving through clusters of students who lingered to chat or check their phones. With fifteen minutes until Accounting, which she hated, she wanted to get coffee before class.

Once outside and standing in line for the coffee cart, Lia’s skin prickled with unease. She scanned her surroundings while giving the barista her latte order. Nothing unusual, thankfully. Just students going in and out of the main uni building, the library stood across the square and had students lounging on its main entrance steps.

She paid for her order, thanked the girl and walked back into the main uni building.

“Lia! Hey, wait up!”

She stopped, shoulders tensing before she turned.

Jeremy jogged toward her, backpack slung over one shoulder, that same easy grin on his face. His hair was slightly messy, like he’d rolled out of bed ten minutes before class, and his hoodie had a faded logo from some band she didn’t recognize. Something about him seemed different today, more energy, more intensity. His eyes tracked her movement a little too sharply, like a predator following prey.

“Hey,” she said, forcing a smile.

“I didn’t know you took classes outside of your Business master,” Jeremy said, falling into step beside her as they moved into the hallway. “Myth and Symbolism? That’s pretty cool.”

“Yeah, it’s… interesting.” She kept walking, hoping he’d take the hint.

He didn’t.

“So listen, about that Business Stats project,” he shifted closer, lowering his voice like they were sharing a secret. “I was thinking we could hit the library tomorrow. Get a jump on it before the weekend, you know?”

Lia’s grip tightened on her bag strap. “I’m actually pretty swamped tomorrow and this weekend.”

Jeremy’s expression shifted, something flickering behind his eyes that she couldn’t quite read. Disappointment? Frustration? It was gone too fast to tell.

“Well, how about this afternoon then? After your last class today?”

She hesitated a tad too long, and he took that as a sign that she agreed.

“Perfect, let’s meet up at 4 in the library then.” He adjusted his backpack, and his gaze dropped to her neck. “That’s a cool necklace, by the way. Don’t think I’ve seen it before.”

Lia’s hand instinctively went to her pendant, fingers curling around it protectively, while simultaneously kicking herself for not thinking of an excuse earlier. “Thanks. It was a gift.”

“From your boyfriend?”

“My Mom.”

“Oh, cool.” He paused, then grinned again. “So, still no boyfriend then?”

Lia’s stomach twisted. She’d been careful around Jeremy, never giving him a reason to think there was more between them than study partners. But he kept pushing, kept circling back, and she was running out of polite ways to deflect.

She, thankfully, didn’t have to respond to that question, as Jeremy got pulled into a sports conversation with his friends. She exhaled shakily, walking away to her seat, and resisting the urge to look back over her shoulder, knowing that Jeremy would be looking at her until he took his own seat.

———x———

Accounting was every bit as soul-crushing as Lia had anticipated.

Professor Langford droned on and on while Lia stared at her notebook, absently tracing circles in the margins. She’d tried to pay attention, she really had, but the numbers blurred together, and her mind kept drifting back to Jeremy’s question.

“That’s a cool necklace. Don’t think I’ve seen it before.”

But she wore it every day. She always wore it. She never hid it either. So, why would he say that?

She shook the thought away. She was being paranoid. Jeremy was awkward and pushy, but that didn’t make him dangerous. She scoffed lightly.

No, Jeremy might be clingy and trying too hard, but he got scared easily over the simplest things. Just last week he’d jumped out of his seat because a spider had fallen on his desk.

Still, when the lecture ended and students began filing out, Lia packed her things quickly and headed straight for the library. She needed to clear her head, and the familiar quiet of the stacks always helped.

The university library stood at the heart of the campus, its old stone facade softened by ivy crawling up the outer walls. Inside, the scent of aged paper and ink greeted her like an old friend. The high ceilings gave it a cathedral-like air, with towering shelves stretching upward, filled with volumes both modern and ancient. Warm lighting bathed the reading alcoves, and worn leather chairs offered sanctuary for focused minds.

Lia had a favorite spot on the second floor, tucked between the Occult Studies and European History sections. Quiet, overlooked and perfectly shielded from foot traffic. The windows there overlooked a courtyard with a fountain that never seemed to work, but the view helped her center herself when the buzzing of thoughts became too much. Here, the world felt hushed, contained and manageable. At least for a little while.

She set her bag down and pulled out her laptop. A clunky old model that took a full minute to boot up. In the meantime, she grabbed her phone and texted Steph.

Lia: Skipped last lecture to study at the library. See you at home?

Lia: Also, are you up for some Thai tonight?

Not waiting for Steph to answer, she looked back at her laptop and opened a new blank document. She had an essay due next week for her occult history seminar, something about the intersection of folklore and historical witch trials. It should have been easy to write. She’d lived this subject her entire life.

But the cursor just blinked at her, mocking.

“Aha! There you are!”

Lia looked up to see Steph bounding toward her, all energy and color in a bright yellow sweater that somehow worked perfectly with her personality. She dropped dramatically into the chair across from Lia and sighed.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Steph said, pulling out her phone. “Okay, so remember that club I was telling you about? Pulse?”

“Vaguely,” Lia answered, though she didn’t remember at all. Steph had a tendency to talk a lot, and more often it was about nothing of importance. So, Lia occasionally drowned her out when she was working, or studying, or making dinner.

“Well, a bunch of people from my art history class are going tonight, and you’re coming with me.”

Lia blinked. “I am?”

“Yes, you are.” Steph leaned forward, eyes bright with excitement. “Come on, Lia. When’s the last time you did something fun? Something that wasn’t buried in textbooks or hidden up here in your little corner?”

“I like my little corner.”

Steph rolled her eyes. “I know you do. But you need to get out. Live a little.” Steph’s expression softened. “You’ve been here for months, and you still barely have any friends. No offense.”

“Some taken. Besides, I have you.”

“I’m serious.” Steph reached across the table and tapped Lia’s phone, which sat face-down beside her laptop. “You have an i********: account that I made for you, and you’ve never posted a single thing. Not one photo. Your profile picture is literally a book and flowers.”

Lia shrugged. “I like books and flowers.”

“That’s not the point.” Steph grinned. “The point is, tonight we’re going to Pulse, and you’re finally going to have something worth posting. Think about it… Lights, music, dancing. It’ll be amazing.”

Lia hesitated. The idea of a crowded nightclub made her stomach twist. Loud music, flashing lights, too many people pressed too close together. It wasn’t her scene. It had never been her scene.

But Steph was looking at her with such hope, such genuine excitement, that Lia felt her resolve crumbling.

“I don’t know, Steph. You know that clubs aren’t really my thing.”

“Just this once,” Steph pleaded. “I promise, if you hate it, we can leave. But you have to at least try. You deserve to have fun, Lia.”

Lia glanced down at her laptop, at the blank document staring back at her. She thought about Jeremy’s lingering gaze, about the dreams that kept waking her in the middle of the night.

Maybe a distraction was exactly what she needed.

“Alright,” she conceded. “I’ll go. But if it’s as crazy as it sounds, I’m out.”

“Deal!” Steph beamed. “Oh! this is going to be so much fun! We need to head back to the apartment by seven to get ready. I’m thinking we go bold. Maybe you should wear that little black dress you have buried in your closet?”

“I don’t have a black dress.”

“Yes, you do. I’ve seen it.”

“That’s your dress that I borrowed once and never returned.”

“Semantics.” Steph waved her hand dismissively. “Anyway, we’ll figure it out. Oh, and we’re meeting everyone there around ten. One guy from class knows someone who can get us on the list.”

Lia groaned. “Right, because we absolutely can’t just walk in like normal people.”

“Not to Pulse. It’s exclusive.” Steph pulled out her phone and started typing rapidly. “I’m texting the group chat now. This is going to be epic.”

Lia watched her friend, equal parts amused and apprehensive. Steph’s enthusiasm was infectious, but there was already a knot forming in Lia’s stomach that she couldn’t quite shake.

Sh*t. The study session with Jeremy.

“Wait.” Lia frowned. “I was supposed to meet Jeremy at the library today. For the project.”

Steph didn’t even look up. She just reached across the table and plucked Lia’s phone from beside her coffee cup, unlocking it with practiced ease.

“Steph-”

“Relax, I’m being nice!” Steph’s thumbs flew across the screen. “Just letting him know that you’re busy tonight and you’ll meet him after the weekend.”

“What exactly are you saying?” Lia reached for the phone, but Steph leaned back, grinning.

“Nothing weird, don’t worry. Just, ‘Hey Jeremy, something came up and I can’t meet today. Let’s meet on Monday instead. Hope that’s okay’.” She hit send with a flourish and handed the phone back.

A few seconds later, the typing bubble appeared. Then:

Jeremy: Oh, okay. That’s fine. Monday works. Hope everything’s alright?

Lia exhaled, guilt creeping in at how easily he’d agreed. She could practically hear the disappointment in his text. “I was actually going to tell him myself.”

“Yeah, and you probably would have apologized a thousand times for no reason.” Steph stood, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “Now come on. We’ve got a few hours before we need to head back. Let’s grab some food from that Thai place.”

“I really should work on this essay.”

Steph rolled her eyes and started packing up her things.

“You can work on it tomorrow. Tonight, you’re mine.”

Lia sighed, but she closed her laptop and followed Steph out of the library. As they walked through the main atrium, Lia glanced back over her shoulder. The feeling of being watched had followed her all day, prickling at the base of her neck like static electricity.

But the atrium was empty. Just shadows stretching long across the floor.