Everyone thinks I have a perfect life.
Smiles in the hallways, second in class, a bit of humor when people get close enough to notice…
But they don't see the hollow inside. The part that laughs on cue, hides when no one's watching, and craves someone to truly talk to.
I'm Elina — quiet among the crowd, loud only with those I trust.
I hold onto things obsessively… then let them go when told to leave.
I smile through it all. It's easier than explaining.
Still, I tell myself it's okay.
I'm fine being the one no one looks for when the bell rings.
I'm fine watching others find their people,
while I keep pretending I already have mine.
But lately, something's been… different.
Every time he walks by —
the arrogant boy who calls me "witch" with that teasing grin —
my chest tightens for reasons I don't understand.
It's not love. It can't be.
It's just… something strange that makes my heart skip,
like the world shifts a little when he's near.
And maybe it really does shift—
because ever since that day,
the air around us hasn't been the same.
It started small:
a cold breeze where there shouldn't be one,
a whisper when no one's speaking,
a shadow that lingers a second too long.
Before I could even understand what I was feeling,
the world gave me something else —
something darker, something waiting behind that locked door.
They say every story begins with love.
Mine began with a smile—
and something that smiled back from the dark.🕸️