SELENA'S POV
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Everything tastes wrong.
Mom made pancakes. My favorite — soft, fluffy, drowning in chocolate syrup. But when I take a bite, it's like chewing paper.
I try to smile, act normal, nod like I'm okay. But inside, I feel like something's missing. Like my body is searching for something I don't understand.
And then the smell hits me.
A sharp, rich scent — warm, metallic, almost sweet.
> Blood.
I don't know how I know that.
I drop my fork.
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Later, I lock myself in the bathroom and splash cold water on my face. My hands are trembling.
I stare at myself in the mirror again — afraid.
My eyes flicker.
Not red. Not black.
Silver.
What am I?
I touch the mark on my back. It's not glowing right now, but it burns. Not like pain — like something inside wants out.
I hear the voice again — louder than ever.
> "Feed."
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No. I'm not a monster. I'm not...
But when I walk past Amara's room, she pricks her finger on something — and I freeze.
I can hear her heartbeat.
I can smell the blood.
And for just one second, I want it.
> I want her.
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I run outside, clutching my chest, gasping. I fall to my knees under the old tree in our yard.
The wind howls.
My teeth ache. My body shakes.
> "I'm not like them," I whisper.
But what if I am?
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> Something is growing inside her — hunger, instinct, or something worse?
Can she resist it… or will it devour her first?
— Mysterious_frnd