Jade didn't remember the fall.
One second she was in the air, knees tucked, arms slicing clean through the wind—and the next, darkness swallowed her whole. No pain. No sound. Just a rush of cold that wrapped around her spine like a whisper.
She came to in the nurse's office, a headache blooming behind her eyes and a dull ache in her wrist. Everything looked normal—almost too normal. The hum of fluorescent lights, the sterile scent of rubbing alcohol, the distant echo of hallway chatter.
But her skin still tingled. Especially where her wrist had touched the mat when she landed.
A faint shimmer, like frost or stardust, lingered across her skin for the briefest second before disappearing. She blinked. Nothing. Just plain skin now, faintly bruised.
"Jade?" a voice cut in, deeper than she expected. Warm. Slightly rough.
She turned her head—and froze.
Kael.
He stood in the doorway like he didn't belong to this world. His dark eyes were strange, almost gold when the light hit them. And his black hoodie couldn't hide the slight silver shimmer at his collarbone—almost like…
No. Not possible.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice coming out hoarser than she meant.
"You fell," he said, stepping closer. "You were out for a minute. I walked you here. The nurse went to grab some ice."
"You were at practice?" she asked, furrowing her brow. "Since when do you watch cheerleading?"
His lips twitched like he almost smiled. "I was… passing by."
Right.
But something about his voice made her chest tighten.
He tilted his head slightly, examining her wrist. "Does it still glow?"
Her breath caught. "What?"
Kael's eyes flicked up to meet hers. "I mean—does it still hurt?" he corrected, but it was too late. The damage was done.
"You saw it too, didn't you?" Jade whispered.
Silence thickened between them. Then, Kael gave a single, almost imperceptible nod.
"I shouldn't say anything," he murmured. "Not yet. But…" His gaze locked with hers. "You're not imagining it."
Jade sat up straighter, suddenly very aware that the world she thought she knew was no longer stable.
"I think you're starting to wake up," Kael said, backing toward the door. "And when you do… they'll come for you."
"Who will?" she asked sharply.
But he was already gone.