Averyn POV
Three days slipped past.
I acted like everything was normal, but each day felt heavy—careful, exhausting.
The school bell kept ringing. Teachers still grumbled about late homework. Students crowded the halls, joking and yelling like nothing was different, even though the ground felt like it was shifting under us.
But I knew something was off.
Every second, I felt it.
The Codex stayed tucked deep in my bag, wrapped up tight, like that would keep it quiet. It kept up that low, steady hum—never really stopped—but at least it hadn't gone wild again.
Like it was listening.
Or maybe someone was listening to it.
"Are you even paying attention?" Gianna whispered, nudging me with her elbow.
I snapped out of it, pulling my eyes away from the window. The sky out there looked heavy, all gray and sulking, like the clouds couldn't decide if they wanted to fall.
"Yeah," I said, not even convincing myself.
She rolled her eyes and grinned. "You've been zoning out, staring at that same tree forever."
I shrugged. "It's a pretty fascinating tree, if you ask me."
Jade tried not to laugh behind us. Sebastian leaned in, chin propped on her desk, just grinning at the whole thing.
"You're gonna fail bio if you keep zoning out like that," he said, grinning.
Jade just rolled her eyes. "Please. Averyn doesn't fail things. She just… pulls off a dramatic comeback later."
I tried to smile.
Almost pulled it off.
Across the aisle, Carmira sat with Elliot, their heads close together over a worksheet. He whispered something, and she grinned—quick, a little shy. She nudged his shoulder. For a second, everything about it felt so painfully normal I could barely stand to watch.
Normal felt breakable now.
Like glass.
The bell snapped me out of it before I could sink too deep. Chairs scraped. Voices got louder. The usual mess of class change crashed through the room.
We poured out into the hallway, just another wave in the crowd of uniforms and backpacks. Lockers banged open and shut. Somebody's phone blasted music. The air was thick with perfume, cafeteria food, and rain that hadn't started yet.
Everything felt normal.
Well—almost.
There it was again. That weird little tingle at the back of my neck, like someone had just whispered my name. I couldn't shake it. My steps slowed, no matter how much I tried to keep moving.
Vynessa clocked it right away, like she always did. She slid up next to me, voice low. "What is it?"
I didn't really know. "Not sure," I muttered. "Just… don't look up. Not yet."
Up ahead, Ruelle paused, cocked her head. The air around her seemed to twitch, restless, like even it was waiting for something.
Honestly, it was too much. Too many signals. Too many little warnings piling up.
We reached the lockers by the stairs. Jade lounged against her locker, and Sebastian hovered nearby—standing just a little too close to be casual, but not enough to make a scene. He reached out, tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. She batted his hand away, but he just grinned.
"Stop," she said, low and quiet, but she couldn't hide that smile.
For a moment, I let myself watch her. The warmth in her face. The way Carmira burst out laughing when Elliot almost dropped his books, spinning his locker combo like he was in a race.
This is what we were here for. What we wanted to keep safe.
All of it.
Then the lights overhead gave a little shudder.
Once.
Again.
Nobody stopped laughing. Nobody screamed. Most people didn't even notice.
But we did.
We all went still.
Gianna's fingers twitched, sharp and nervous at her side. I caught that electric buzz in the air, humming close to her skin. Ruelle drew in a long breath, holding back the wind that always wanted to answer. And Carmira—she pressed her palm against her locker, like she needed to feel something solid, just for a second.
The Codex jolted in my hands, sharp enough to steal my breath for a moment.
"They're here," I whispered.
"Where?" Jade's voice dropped. She froze, even though Sebastian kept rambling about something else, completely oblivious.
"Don't look yet," Vynessa muttered.
But it was already too late. My eyes lifted before I could stop myself. Way down the hall, by the stairwell doors, something shifted.
Not a person. Not really.
Just… darkness.
It stuck to the wall like a smear, stretching longer than any shadow the broken lights could throw. For a heartbeat, it almost looked human—tall, thin, perfectly still.
The Codex jolted in my hands, sharp enough to steal my breath for a moment.
"They're here," I whispered.
"Where?" Jade's voice dropped. She froze, even though Sebastian kept rambling about something else, completely oblivious.
"Don't look yet," Vynessa muttered.
But it was already too late.
My eyes lifted before I could stop myself. Way down the hall, by the stairwell doors, something shifted. Not a person. Not really.
Just… darkness.
It stuck to the wall like a smear, stretching longer than any shadow the broken lights could throw. For a heartbeat, it almost looked human—tall, thin, perfectly still.
I stood there, just watching.
A bunch of students strolled right through it, laughing like nothing was weird. Not a scratch on them. They didn't even notice. The thing just stared. I felt this cold crawl down my back.
"It's not attacking," Ruelle whispered.
"No," I said. "It's learning."
And right then, I swear, the shadow moved. Not toward the crowd—toward us.
Jade sucked in a breath, barely a sound, and reached for Sebastian's arm like she needed something solid. Carmira did the same, grabbing onto Elliot's sleeve. Just normal stuff, really. But underneath, we were all scared.
We froze. No one dared do anything. Couldn't risk tipping anyone off.
The lights flickered. For a split second, the hallway plunged into darkness.
That's when I saw it. A face, or almost a face. Blank. Waiting.
Then the lights popped back on.
The shadow was gone.
Sound crashed back—voices, footsteps, the sharp slam of lockers.
Sebastian blinked. "Did the power just go out?"
"No," Jade shot back. "Just old wiring, probably."
He didn't push it. Just nodded, like that answer was good enough.
I squeezed my bag a little tighter.
"They're getting closer," Gianna whispered.
Vynessa's glow kept flickering, faint but steady, almost like a hidden pulse. "And they're not hiding anymore."
A classroom door swung open across the hall. Students spilled out, filling up the spot where the shadow lingered just a second ago. Like nothing was wrong.
Like we'd made it up. But I knew better. The Codex pulsed again. Not warning me.
Recognizing something. We started moving toward our next class. I felt it this time—strong, sharp, impossible to ignore. Somewhere above us, past the ceiling, past all the concrete and noise—Someone else was watching.
Unlike the shadows. Distinct. More powerful.
Awaiting the day wherein we would stop doing things like normal people.
And slowly start to become the people we were destined to be.