The Land Of The Spirits

Shattered ego

Chapter 2

SHATTERED EGO

Down the school hall, noise tangled together - kids laughing, shoes scuffling, metal lockers banging shut. Yet when Nessa appeared, everything just… slowed.

A whisper of movement, then she glided forward, dark hair falling behind her like smoke after dusk. Not quite looking, yet seeing everything, those old eyes traced the cracks in the stone, hunting a memory buried somewhere within.

Footsteps echoed, then silence crept in. People noticed without speaking. Her shadow moved like a question mark across the floor.

“Who’s that girl?”

“She looks... unreal.”

“I’ve never seen her before.”

Quiet filled the room. Not that it mattered to Nessa. Her mind roared louder than any sound outside. What reached her ears wasn’t what counted. Inside, everything shouted at once

"Don’t use your power."

Sound of Victor's words filled the air. Not just caution - this felt like an order she might not obey.

Her fingers found the phone, its glass showing a face unsure of itself. Most saw just walls and windows there, yet for her, the place hummed charged with lost pieces.

She took her phone,aiming for a snapshot.

Felix stood across the yard, surrounded by giggling girls, his laughter cutting through the noise. Tall, with sharp blue eyes and a smile that seemed too perfect, he pulled every gaze toward him. Teachers paused when he walked past, caught just like everyone else.

“Alright, ladies, one last picture before class,” Felix grinned, raising his phone.

Nearby stood David along with John, his nearest companions, pausing until he joined them.

That moment, Felix spotted her, Nessa, with a phone raised in one hand.

“She’s taking a picture of me, right?” he smirked.

Yet Nessa moved ahead, not even looking his way as she passed by.

Click.

A shot of the wall, not his face. Off she went.

Felix blinked, confused. “Wait… what just happened?”

David laughed. “She ignored you.”

With a smirk, John said it straight - she turned you down

Laughter suddenly filled the air between them.

Felix frowned. “It’s not funny. Do you know how many girls beg for my attention?”

David tried to suppress his grin. “Well, she’s clearly not one of them. I haven’t seen her before though… She must be new.”

Felix shrugged it off, yet a pull tugged behind his ribs. Her lack of care didn’t bother him, what stuck was the look in her gaze.

Once before, those eyes had stared back at him - faint, blurred, buried deep inside a dream he could almost forget.

Fingers tapping the brick, Nessa stood there breathing hard. Across from the main building, her chest kept thudding like a drum under skin.

What made this spot seem known already? Could be the structure tugged at something buried deep inside. Somewhere a flicker sparked where thoughts had stayed still too long

What made Felix’s face stir a memory? Why did it nudge something buried deep?

A jolt went through her when the phone vibrated. A note had arrived from Victor.

“Nessa. Are you okay? Remember, no powers. And please… don’t let your emotions open the gate again.”

The screen held her gaze. A shake ran through her hands.

That name stuck in her mind. Quietly, she spoke it into the air without meaning to.

One drop fell from her eye, moving slow over skin. It traced a thin line before dropping off.

Yet everything else… remained unclear.

A shape in the dark held its gaze on her. Stillness gave way to a presence just out of sight.

Breath by breath, quiet sounds moved through the room. Looks full of wonder slipped sideways, landing on the student alone near the window - Nessa. Not a bend in her spine, expression still, though something wide lived behind her stare. That look gave pause. She did not match the rest. Her quiet hummed through the room… then a flicker, just out of reach. A presence without shape, slipping past words.

A c***k split the air as the door flew wide. After that came voices, loud and close.

Fresh off the hallway, Felix arrived with David beside him, John trailing close. Noise filled the space, like always. Murmurs ran between desks, laughter popped near the windows. He was no secret, head above most, sharp-featured, eyes like ice, a grin that somehow disarmed even strict professors.

Felix! Over here,” a girl said, tapping the spot next to her.

Felix started toward the back when he saw her. His gaze stopped right there.

The girl.

The quiet one.

Nessa.

Out the window her eyes stayed fixed, untouched by the noise nearby. Perhaps it wasn’t unawareness, just silence on purpose.

“I’ll join you guys later,” Felix told his friends, ignoring the stares. “I want to talk to her.”

A flicker of doubt crossed Victor's face. Was that really true?

John chuckled. “Good luck, man.”

Felix moved close to Nessa, taking the spot next to her without a word at first. A grin broke across his face when he finally spoke just one syllable hanging in the air: "Hi." The way he smiled always stood out, like it had its own rhythm.

Slowly, Nessa pivoted, eyes locking onto his. Her face stayed still at first. After a pause, just above a whisper, she said, "Hello." A beat passed before anything else

A quiet hush lived in her words. Not close, not near, just floating beyond reach. As if miles stretched between us.

Felix opened his mouth, but stopped when footsteps sounded at the door. The teacher stepped into the room just then.

“Good morning, class!”

“Morning, ma,” came the voices together.

Felix moved in near Nessa. He said his name was Felix, just then

“I know,” she said, eyes still turned away.

Surprise showed in his eyes as he raised them slightly. “Really?”

“You were announced the moment you walked in. The girls said your name.”

“Oh…” Felix looked slightly disappointed. “Well… I’m kind of popular here. What’s your name?”

Nessa stayed silent. Her arm lifted without a word. “Excuse me, ma,” came quietly

“Yes, sweetie?” answered the teacher.

“Can I please change my seat?”

Breath hung in the air. Silence pressed down. Every face shifted at once.

Frozen in place, Felix blinked hard. Could it be true what he thought he heard? Her words hung in the air like smoke after a match strikes.

The teacher blinked. “Um… yes, of course.”

Nessa turned to the girl beside her. “Would you like to switch seats with me?”

Her head bobbed up fast, excitement shining through. "Oh yes, I'd love that!"

They swapped seats.

A small silence hung in the air. The teacher cleared their throat, shifting papers slowly. "We should probably keep going," they said, voice a little lower than before

Felix stayed still. Puzzled. Without words.

Felix - yeah, that one everyone looked up to, got turned down? Just now?

His eyes flicked toward Nessa again.

This girl, what was her story? That crossed his mind.

What made her seem less like an ordinary student... more like a quiet storm about to break?