8

Elara walked through the halls of the school, her footsteps echoing in the otherwise quiet corridor. The day had started off just like any other, but as it progressed, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. It wasn't just the whispers and the glances that followed her wherever she went, nor was it the weight of the incident with Tara still clinging to her skin like an invisible shackle. It was the feeling of being watched—a quiet, oppressive presence that seemed to hang over her, following her from the moment she opened her eyes that morning.

She had hoped, with everything inside her, that the day would pass without incident. That somehow, she could slip through the cracks and avoid the questions, the looks, the whispers. But it was as though the world had changed overnight, and with it, she had become something... different. Something that couldn't be ignored, something that couldn't be swept under the rug.

Elara's thoughts spiraled again, the same questions tumbling over one another in her mind. How did I do it? Why me? What does this mean? She couldn't make sense of it, no matter how much she tried. All she knew was that something had shifted inside her, and now it was only a matter of time before it broke free again.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, breaking her out of her thoughts. It was a text from Aiden, and the message was simple, yet somehow, it made her heart race in a way she wasn't expecting:

"Hey, can we talk after school? I'm really worried about you."

She stared at the screen for a long moment, her thumb hovering over the keyboard. Aiden had always been the one person she could count on, the one person who had never treated her like an outcast, never judged her for being quiet or distant. But now... now, she wasn't sure she could talk to him. Not about this. Not about what she was becoming.

What if he can't help me? What if he looks at me differently? The thought gnawed at her, and for the first time in years, she felt the weight of isolation press down on her with a suffocating force.

She slipped her phone back into her pocket without replying, the buzzing feeling fading as she approached the door to her next class. Her heart raced as her fingers brushed the cool metal handle. The classroom inside was full of students, their voices rising and falling in a symphony of teenage chatter, but none of it reached her. She was already retreating inward, the familiar walls closing in around her once again.

As she entered the room, she caught sight of Tara in the far corner, surrounded by her usual group of followers. The sight of them made Elara's stomach churn, but she forced herself to walk past them, trying to ignore the whispers that she could feel like a tangible presence in the air.

"Hey, freak." Tara's voice cut through the noise, sharp and bitter, and Elara flinched before she could stop herself.

She didn't turn around. She couldn't. But the words were like a slap, and they stung in a way they never had before. The day before, Tara's insults had felt like nothing more than the usual cruelty of a high school queen bee. But now, in the wake of what had happened, they felt different. They felt... heavier. Like Tara's words were somehow making her more aware of herself, more aware of the growing pressure inside her.

The class settled into a tense silence as the teacher entered, and Elara found herself sitting down at her desk, trying desperately to focus on the lesson. But it was impossible. Her mind kept drifting back to the incident, to the power that had exploded out of her, to the fear on Tara's face as she had been sent flying across the room. The memory was both thrilling and terrifying, and she didn't know how to reconcile the two.

She couldn't stop wondering if it was going to happen again. If she was going to lose control and hurt someone else. Her breath quickened at the thought, her palms beginning to sweat.

The rest of the class passed in a blur. She nodded along to the teacher's explanations, wrote down notes without really seeing the words, and tried to keep her eyes from wandering to the clock on the wall. She couldn't wait for the day to be over, for the noise and pressure to fade away, for her to be alone again where she could think in peace.

When the bell finally rang, signaling the end of the day, Elara gathered her things quickly, her movements stiff and mechanical. She wasn't ready to face Aiden yet, wasn't ready to talk about what had happened. Not when she still didn't understand it herself.

She slipped out of the classroom and made her way to the parking lot, the cool breeze brushing against her skin as she walked. The sky had turned a soft shade of orange as the sun began to set, but the beauty of the evening was lost on her. She had other things on her mind.

Aiden was waiting by his car, leaning against the hood with his hands shoved deep into his pockets. His posture was casual, but his eyes—his eyes were filled with that same concern, that same unspoken question.

"Hey," Elara said quietly as she approached him, her voice barely above a whisper.

Aiden looked up and gave her a small smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Hey. You okay?"

Elara hesitated, her gaze falling to the ground as she shuffled her feet awkwardly. She wanted to say yes, to tell him that everything was fine, that it was just another day. But the lie tasted bitter on her tongue. She couldn't lie to him. Not about this.

"I don't know," she admitted, her voice shaking slightly. "Something happened. Something I can't explain."

Aiden's expression softened, and he stepped closer to her, his concern deepening. "Elara, whatever it is, you don't have to keep it to yourself. You can tell me. I'll listen."

Elara swallowed hard, the weight of her secret pressing down on her chest. The last thing she wanted was to burden Aiden with something he couldn't possibly understand. But at the same time, his words... they felt like a lifeline, something to hold onto in the middle of the storm.

"I—" She stopped, the words caught in her throat. What if she told him? What if he looked at her like everyone else had? What if he was scared of her too?

Aiden watched her closely, waiting for her to speak. He didn't rush her, didn't push her to say anything she wasn't ready to. But his silence was just as heavy as the questions that weighed on her heart.

"I can't explain it," Elara finally said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "But yesterday, when Tara and her friends—when they cornered me... something happened. Something... strange. I don't know what it was, but I... I think I did something. Something that wasn't supposed to happen."

Aiden didn't say anything for a long time. He just stared at her, his brow furrowed in confusion, his lips pressed together in thought.

Finally, he spoke, his voice gentle but full of disbelief. "What do you mean? Did you—did you hurt them?"

Elara shook her head, her chest tightening with the memory. "No. I didn't... I didn't touch them. But it was like... I don't know, Aiden. It was like I forced them back, without even meaning to. Like the air around me just—changed. They were thrown backward, and I couldn't stop it. I—I don't know how to explain it. It wasn't me."

Aiden looked at her with wide eyes, his expression a mixture of concern and awe. "That's... that's crazy. But—Elara, are you okay? Like, really okay? This doesn't sound like something you can just ignore."

Elara swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his words settle in her chest. "I don't know what to do. I don't know who to talk to. What if this is... permanent?"

Aiden placed a hand on her shoulder, his touch warm, grounding. "We'll figure it out, okay? Together."

For a moment, Elara wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe that everything would be okay, that she wasn't alone in this. But deep down, she knew that whatever was happening to her, it was only the beginning. And no one—no one—could help her face it.