Chapter 4: Warning unheard
419 Words
Pia barely made it through the rest of class. Her hands trembled as she cleaned up the broken beaker, her body still weak from the vision. The weight of what she saw pressed against her chest—Jason, bound and bleeding, his heart ripped from his body.
She had to tell him.
But how?
As soon as the bell rang, she followed Jason out into the hallway, weaving through the crowd of students until she caught up with him near his locker.
"Jason, wait," she said, grabbing his wrist.
He turned, looking at her with mild confusion. "You okay? You kinda spaced out in class."
Pia swallowed hard. How did she even begin to explain this?
"I… I need to tell you something. But you have to promise not to think I’m crazy."
Jason let out a short laugh. "That’s a great way to start a conversation."
"I’m serious," Pia insisted. "It’s about you. I saw something."
His smile faded. "Saw what?"
Pia hesitated, then pulled him into a quieter corner of the hallway. She lowered her voice.
"I saw you in an old church," she said. "You were tied up. Someone was there, cutting into you, saying these weird words—like a ritual. And then they… they reached into your chest."
Jason stiffened.
Pia took a shaky breath. "You were wearing a dark hoodie with a red stripe down the sleeve. It was covered in dirt, like you'd been outside all night."
Jason stared at her for a long moment before shaking his head. "Pia… I don’t own a hoodie like that."
Her stomach dropped. "What?"
"I mean, I have a lot of hoodies, but none like that. And I haven’t been anywhere near an abandoned church. So, either you had a really messed-up dream or—"
"It wasn’t a dream," Pia interrupted. "It felt real."
Jason rubbed the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable. "Look, I appreciate the concern, but I think you’re just stressed. Maybe all the stuff with Annalise is messing with your head."
Pia wanted to believe that. But deep down, she knew better.
She had never been wrong before.
"Just… be careful, okay?" she said finally.
Jason sighed. "Yeah, sure. But seriously, I think you need some rest."
Pia nodded, but her mind was racing.
If Jason wasn’t lying—and he didn’t own that hoodie—then what she saw hadn’t happened yet.
It was a warning.
Jason was going to be taken.
And she had no idea when.
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- Writer
