The crowd was still silent. No, not silent—stunned. It was like someone had pressed pause on the entire school. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath as Blair Kingsley turned on her heel and began walking back toward me. Every step she took echoed louder than the last. I had seen people move with purpose before, but this—this was something else entirely. It wasn’t just confidence. It was dominance. She didn’t demand attention; the universe just handed it over. And now, she was coming back to me. “You really said that out loud?” she asked, tilting her head with an amused glint in her icy blue eyes. I didn’t answer. I didn’t know what I had said, honestly. I was still riding the high of adrenaline, intoxicated by the sheer absurdity of this moment. It was like watching royalty descend into chaos—and then choose you. The three girls were still standing like discarded chess pieces. Their once smug expressions had faded into something far more bitter. Desperation, maybe. Or fear.

Have you ever felt suffocated?Can't breathe? That was what I was feeling. The mere thought of her being gone was making everything not worth fighting for anymore. Was this how losing a loved one felt? I had never had to go through it. I had never had to miss anyone the way I was missing her right now. My grandmother was enough for me. My father, my mother, and my friend. She was all in all, and now she was no more. I felt like taking her place even though I knew it was impossible. I tried hard to fight back the falling tears, but the more I tried, the more they kept pouring. Some of the students were looking at me, while others were making assumptions about Jordan finally putting me back in my place. I know I had seen something or someone. I needed to find the person who was behind her death, but where do I start? My leg felt heavy, and its life itself felt meaningless without Alexia in it. As I stepped out of Professor Halberd’s office, the hallway was quieter now, the stu

It came so suddenly that I couldn't turn away. It was my first kiss. Celeste’s lips clashed against mine as I looked at her face. Her eyes were closed as she fondled my soft lips. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. A part of me wanted to stop it, to step back and question why, but the other part—the one I didn’t even know existed—ached for this. I shut my eyes and leaned into it, letting the world melt away. For a second, there were no secrets, no doubts, no walls between us. Just the warmth of her lips, the way her breath mixed with mine, and the soft tremble in her fingers that rested against my chest. Then she pulled back. I kept my eyes shut. Not because I wanted more, but because I was scared of what I’d see in her eyes. Scared of what she’d see in mine. My heart was pounding so loud I could barely hear her laugh. It was soft at first, like the tinkling of glass bells. Then it grew bolder, richer. My eyes flicked open. "What’s funny?" I asked, tryin

Celeste didn’t blink. Her lips parted slightly as she studied me, like she was weighing my words, measuring the fire in my voice. Then she smiled—a slow, dangerous smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.“That’s more like it,” she whispered.The wind blows gently. It carried the smell of wet leaves and Celeste's fragrance. The pendant on my neck pulsed like it had a heartbeat of its own.“You have no idea what that name means,” she added, her tone turning grave. “But you will. You will, Eli Turner.”I stared out at the horizon. I still don't understand what she meant by everything she was saying, but I believe I was going to understand all of it with time. “So where do we begin?” I let out a stare at her face. She crouched down and traced something on the ground with her finger. At first it looked like gibberish—lines and circles, symbols I didn’t recognize—but then it all began to make sense, like I had seen the symbols somewhere. It all looked like it had been etched into my mem

Do you ever feel frightened at what you can do? At first, it was scary. It was almost like the death of Alexia unlocked everything within me but at the same time, I was grateful that it did. ****************************************************************** Degrees of pure blue flame, crackling and eating away at the fabric—but it didn’t burn me. The fire licked up my sleeves, dancing across my chest like a living thing, yet I felt no pain. “Celeste!” I shouted, staggering back. She raised a brow, her lips curving slightly. “Good. You didn’t flinch this time.” “What the hell was that?” I growled. My heart was racing now, my mind torn between panic and awe. “You lit me on fire!” “I activated your energy,” she said, stepping into the room. “Cosmos energy isn’t just summoned by pain, Eli. It’s triggered by intensity. Passion. Rage. Desire. Even fear.” I was still trying to pat out the flames, only to realize they’d vanished the moment she stepped forward. “You could’ve warned