SELENA'S POV
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The walls feel tighter every day.
Amara won't speak to me.
My parents are walking on glass.
And me? I can't even look in the mirror without feeling like a stranger.
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So I do what I've never done before.
I sneak out.
No phone. No bag. Just me. Just air.
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I walk. Past our street. Past the closed shops.
Until I reach a park — quiet, old, forgotten. The kind where even the moonlight feels tired.
I sit on the swings.
For a moment, I breathe.
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But then... I hear it.
> Leaves rustling behind me.
A cold breeze, even though the night is warm.
The scent of something sharp. Metallic. Familiar.
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A figure steps out of the shadows.
He's tall. Pale. Eyes like blood and ash.
He doesn't speak.
Just looks at me — like he's trying to decide if I'm real.
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"You're late," he finally says.
> I blink. "What?"
"We've been searching for you."
"The mark's awakened. You're no longer safe here, Zeria."
That name again.
> "I don't know what you're talking about!" I yell.
But my voice cracks. Because deep down... I do know.
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Before he can answer, another presence arrives — fast, violent, burning.
A blur slams him to the ground.
> "She's not yours!" a voice snarls.
Zack.
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They fight. Fangs flash. Blood sprays.
I scream, but they don't stop.
Then I see it — Zack's eyes are glowing.
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> He's not just human.
He never was.
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> Secrets unravel. The night reveals.
And Zack?
He's been hiding more than love.
— Mysterious_frnd