Jump

It had happened so fast. The Snatcher had vanished once again.

But this time, it had struck in broad daylight.

The Academy was on lockdown. Classes had been canceled, and the students confined to their dorms under strict orders. But Aziz knew better. The walls of the Academy didn't keep danger out—they trapped it inside.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, he stared out the window, watching as the last light of day bled into darkness. The air felt heavier tonight, thick with something unspoken.

"Maybe it won't come back," Marcus said from across the room, flipping through the pages of a book he wasn't really reading. "It already took another."

Aziz shook his head. "No. Something tells me it will. The attacks are getting bolder. First the shadows, then the halls, now in daylight. It's becoming desperate."

Marcus exhaled through his nose. "More people are going to die."

"And more mistakes will be made," Aziz replied.