Through the Cracks

The crisp autumn air swept through the academy grounds the next day, carrying with it the scent of damp leaves and freshly turned earth. I pulled my jacket closer, the chill biting deeper than usual. Despite the chatter of students around me, a gnawing sense of unease lingered—like a shadow creeping just out of sight.

I hadn't seen Kieran since last night, and his cryptic words still clung to my mind, refusing to let go. Every glance, every whisper from him felt like it carried something heavier—something I wasn't yet ready to decipher. But the weight of it sat in my chest, unsettling and strangely comforting all at once.

As I made my way toward class, I felt eyes on me. Lianne Thornstone's voice drifted across the courtyard, her presence like a thorn pricking at the edges of my day. She stood by the steps with a few of her followers, her dark hair glinting in the pale sunlight.

"Well, well. If it isn't the queen of the hour," Lianne called out, her tone laced with mockery. "How does it feel, Monte Riego, carrying around all that attention?"

I paused, turning slowly to meet her gaze. There was something different about her today—a gleam in her eyes, like she knew more than she let on. Her words weren't just taunts—they were laced with intent.

"You should be careful, Lianne," I said, my voice calm but edged. "Some crowns come with thorns."

She laughed, a sharp sound that cut through the morning stillness. "Oh, darling, I wouldn't worry about thorns if I were you. Worry about the roots you can't see."

Leonara appeared by my side, her presence grounding me. "Ignore her, Sera," she murmured, her gaze flickering briefly toward Lianne. "She's fishing for something. Don't give it to her."

Lianne's smile widened as if she knew she had already stirred something. With a careless wave, she turned and vanished into the throng of students, leaving a sense of unease in her wake.

By lunchtime, the weight of unanswered questions grew unbearable. I found myself in the library, surrounded by old volumes that offered comfort but no solutions. The key tucked beneath my blouse felt heavier with every passing moment, a silent reminder of the mysteries I had yet to unravel.

As I traced my fingers along the spine of an old book, a familiar voice broke the quiet.

"Searching for something?"

I turned, and there he was. Kieran stood in the doorway, his black jacket slightly rumpled, as if he had just slipped out of the shadows. His dark gaze locked onto mine, unreadable as always, but there was a flicker of something deeper beneath it—something that made my heart skip a beat.

"You're late," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Again."

"I told you," he replied, stepping closer. "I had things to take care of."

"You seem to have a lot of those."

Kieran gave a small, almost imperceptible shrug. "It's a busy life."

I rolled my eyes, though the tension between us hummed like a live wire. He was infuriating and impossible, but he was also... grounding, in a way I couldn't explain.

"Why are you really here, Kieran?" I asked, watching him closely. "You disappear, you show up without warning. What do you want?"

His gaze darkened, and for a moment, he didn't answer. Then, without a word, he stepped closer, closing the space between us. His presence was overwhelming, like a storm that had settled just beneath his skin, waiting to break.

"I want to keep you safe," he murmured, his voice low. "Even when you don't want me to."

The words sent a strange warmth through me, unsettling and comforting all at once. He was close enough that I could catch the faint scent of rain and cedar clinging to him, and it wrapped around me like a memory I hadn't known I'd kept.

"You don't have to," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "I can take care of myself."

Kieran's lips twitched—almost a smile, but not quite. "You can try," he murmured. "But that doesn't mean I'll stop."

His words lingered between us, heavy with things left unsaid. And for a moment, the space between us felt charged, humming with an unspoken tension neither of us dared to confront directly.

Before I could say anything more, the library door creaked open again, and Leonara stepped inside, her expression tight with concern.

"Kieran," she said, her voice low and urgent. "There's something you need to know. It's about the Thornstones."

Kieran's posture shifted instantly, his easy demeanor vanishing as a darker edge settled into his gaze. He exchanged a glance with me, and for a brief moment, I saw it—the weight of responsibility he carried, the constant battle he fought in silence.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice calm but dangerous.

Leonara hesitated, her gaze flickering between the two of us. "It's not safe to talk here. We need to leave—now."

The urgency in her voice sent a chill through me. I didn't know what was coming, but I could feel it closing in, tightening around us like a noose.

Kieran turned to me, his gaze steady despite the storm brewing beneath it. "You stay close to me, Seraphine. No matter what."

The command in his voice was impossible to ignore. I nodded, the gravity of the moment sinking into my chest like lead.

As we left the library, the cool breeze of the autumn afternoon swept through the academy grounds. Something was coming—I could feel it in the air, thick and suffocating.

And whatever it was, I knew one thing for certain: I wasn't ready. But ready or not, it was coming.

Kieran's hand brushed briefly against mine—a fleeting touch, deliberate but subtle. A silent promise that, no matter what happened next, I wouldn't be facing it alone.

And as we walked side by side into the unknown, I couldn't shake the feeling that everything was about to change. Forever.