The first day back at school felt heavier than usual. Jada dropped Calla and Nova off, giving them both a tight smile before pulling away. The tension was thick in the car everyone felt it.
Alina was quick to slide into the seat next to Jace before Calla could even think about it. Zoey took the other side, and Mya slipped in beside her, forming a quiet wall of solidarity. Calla sat in the back, silent.
Zoey's eyes flicked to the rearview mirror. She could feel Calla's discomfort like a sharp pinprick under her skin. The coldness she'd shown her all morning wasn't sitting right in her chest.
As they all stepped out of the car, Zoey hesitated, then tapped Calla lightly on the arm.
"Hey," she said softly. "I'm sorry if I've been rude lately. It's just... I've been through a lot. Jace he was the first person who really saw me, you know? He was there when I felt like no one else was. Patient. Kind. I can't lose him."
Calla looked at her for a long moment, then gave a small nod. "Yeah... it's okay. I'll back off."
Zoey managed a weak smile. "Thanks."
Class started off normally. Mr. France droned on about ancient wars, the kind Zoey usually liked. But then something shifted.
Her head began to spin. The lights flickered. Her pendant grew hot against her chest.
A whisper slid through her ears like a ghost:
"Not everyone is who they seem…"
Zoey gasped, clutching her chest as her vision clouded. She collapsed.
"ZO!" someone shouted Jace. Chairs scraped. Alina and Mya rushed to her side.
"She needs help!" someone yelled as Jace gently lifted her.
They got her home fast. Zoey stirred a few hours later, curled up under her blankets, Jace by her side. Her head ached, but that voice that warning echoed loud in her mind.
Later that night, when the house had settled into silence, Zoey stirred again. Something felt... off.
Peeking out her window, she caught a glimpse of someone sneaking across the yard.
Calla.
Zoey's instincts kicked in. She slipped on her hoodie, used her vampire speed to follow quietly, cloaking her heartbeat with magic.
Calla weaved deep into the woods.
Zoey stayed low, hidden behind trees.
Then she saw it.
Calla stood across from a man in a long coat. His eyes glowed unnaturally. A hunter.
Zoey's heart stopped.
Before Calla could turn around, Zoey vanished into the shadows, racing home faster than she ever had.
She burst through the door, breathless, her eyes wide.
"Calla… she was meeting with a hunter."