SELENA'S POV
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I haven't been able to sleep.
My dreams are loud. My body feels wired. Like something inside me is changing... or waking up.
And the worst part?
The mirror won't reflect my face properly anymore.
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Mom thinks I'm stressed. Dad offered to take me to the hospital.
But when I look at them, I see something I've never noticed before:
Fear.
Not for me.
Of me.
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Zack hasn't texted since school. I miss him. I want to talk to him. But every time I open my chat... I feel like something is watching.
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Then, it happens.
I'm brushing my teeth. It's late. The hallway light flickers.
And suddenly — the mark on my back starts to burn.
> Not like fire.
Not like pain.
Like a voice. Whispering. Singing. Calling.
I fall to the floor, gripping the counter. My vision blurs, flashes of castles, blood, glowing eyes swirl in my head.
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A voice speaks from deep inside me:
> "You are not theirs."
"You are not human."
"You are Zeria."
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I scream.
Amara bursts into the bathroom.
Her eyes go wide. She sees the mark glowing.
Then she says it. The one sentence that ruins everything.
> "You're one of them."
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> Secrets never stay buried.
The blood remembers.
So does your sister.
— Mysterious_frnd