I barely slept. The voice's words haunted me all night—the blue moon, talents, Ava's strength, betrayal. My head was a storm.
When I walked into school the next morning, it felt like the storm followed me. The hallway buzzed with whispers. Every step I took, eyes turned, mouths moved. Why are they all looking at me?
I kept my head down, pretending not to notice, but the weight of their stares burned on my back. By the time I pushed into the classroom, the chatter cut off completely. Silence. Dozens of eyes locked on me like I was some criminal walking into a courtroom.
Confused, I slid into my seat. Then the murmurs began again, low but sharp, crawling under my skin.
Before the lesson even started, the loudspeaker crackled.
"Kai Hunter and Ava Meccer. You are wanted in the principal's office. Right now."
My heart sank.
What?
I froze in my seat as everyone turned to look at me. "What did I do?" I muttered under my breath. My pulse quickened.
The teacher's voice cut through the whispers. "Quiet!"
I pushed back my chair and stood, my legs feeling heavier than usual. The murmurs followed me like shadows until I stepped out of the room.
What's going on? I asked the voice inside me.
"Why are you asking me?" it replied, amused. "I'm not involved with your personal actions."
"Oh really?" I hissed under my breath. "Because the last time I checked, every bad thing that's happened to me somehow started with you."
"Relax," the voice said, calm but sharp. "They're probably just going to ask you about the shadow incident. Remember what I told you—if they ask what happened during the fight, say you don't know. That your body just moved on its own. And above all—act natural."
"Wait—they? Who's 'they'? And… other people actually know about talents?"
But before I could get an answer, I found myself standing at the door to the principal's office. My hand hovered over the knob, sweaty.
Act natural… right, I thought, taking a shaky breath. Yeah, because this feels totally normal.
I pushed the door open.
The principal was there, sitting behind his desk. But he wasn't alone.
Beside him stood a tall man, broad-shouldered, sharp eyes that felt like they could cut through me. He wasn't dressed like a teacher—he carried himself differently. Dangerous. Mysterious.
And then… Ava.
She was already there, sitting stiffly in one of the chairs, her arms folded across her chest. Her eyes flicked toward me the moment I stepped in.
Oh great, I thought, heart racing. I'm late. And how exactly am I supposed to act natural now?