Chapter 18: The new Normal

Chapter 18: The New Normal

Life, as Anita knew it, had officially taken a detour into the bizarre.

Jace had settled into the guest room at her house, his presence both comforting and unnerving. He was quiet, observant, and always seemed to know when Anita needed space—or when she needed someone to pull her out of her spiraling thoughts.

“You’re pacing,” Jace remarked one evening as Anita wore a groove into her bedroom floor.

“I can’t help it,” Anita replied, throwing her hands up. “How am I supposed to act normal when I’ve got a mystical fox spirit living under my roof and a glowing bead of doom fused with my soul?”

“Doom is a strong word,” Jace said with a faint smirk.

Anita shot him a glare. “You know what I mean.”

Meanwhile, Claire and Max were growing increasingly restless. The secrecy surrounding Jace and the events at the temple didn’t sit well with them.

“Why won’t you just tell us what’s going on?” Max asked one afternoon as they sat in the school cafeteria.

“It’s complicated,” Anita said, stirring her soup absentmindedly.

“It’s always complicated,” Claire cut in, her voice tinged with frustration. “But we’re your friends, Anita. Don’t you think we deserve to know what’s putting you in danger?”

Anita hesitated. She hated keeping them in the dark, but how could she explain any of this without putting them at risk?

Before she could answer, the school bell rang, sparing her from the conversation—but the weight of their worry lingered.

That night, Jace found her sitting on the porch steps, staring up at the stars.

“They’ll never understand,” Anita said softly.

“They don’t have to,” Jace replied, sitting beside her. “Your job isn’t to make them understand. It’s to keep them safe.”

Anita nodded, but the hollow ache in her chest didn’t fade. Keeping secrets was harder than she thought, especially when the people she was protecting were the ones she cared about most.

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