Unseen tension

Ava woke to the dim morning light filtering through the cracks in the boarded-up windows. The air was still cold, the lingering scent of dust and sweat hanging in the classroom.

For a moment, she just lay there, staring at the ceiling, listening to the slow, steady breaths of the others still asleep around her. The events of the past day flickered through her mind—the chase, the Frostborn, the close calls. Her muscles ached, exhaustion weighing heavy in her bones, but there was no time to rest.

With a quiet exhale, she pushed herself up.

Riley stirred beside her, blinking sluggishly. "What time is it?" Her voice was hoarse with sleep.

"No idea." Ava rubbed her face before shifting her focus. "How's your leg?"

Riley moved to sit up but winced, sucking in a sharp breath. "Still stiff as hell."

Ava frowned. "Let me help."

They didn't have proper medical supplies, but they had basic knowledge—skills picked up during a summer camp first-aid course. Ava positioned herself beside Riley's leg, rolling up the fabric of her pants just enough to reveal the swollen muscle beneath. Carefully, she pressed her fingers along the tense area, starting slow.

Riley groaned. "God, that hurts."

"Yeah, well, it's better than you not being able to walk at all," Ava muttered, working her hands over the tight muscles, using slow, deliberate pressure to ease the tension.

Across the room, another voice grunted in pain. Ava glanced over and saw Vin, the boy whose arm had been injured during the escape. His brows—thick and a shade darker than his hair—were furrowed as he cradled his arm, shifting uncomfortably.

Ava sighed. "Riley, you good for now?"

"Yeah, yeah," Riley waved a hand, still grimacing. "Go play nurse."

Rolling her eyes, Ava stood and moved over to Vin. His features were sharper up close—a strong jawline, short but slightly unkempt dark hair. He had a bit of stubble, though it was more from exhaustion than an attempt at growing facial hair.

"Let me see." Ava crouched beside him, reaching for his arm.

Vin hesitated, then slowly extended it. The makeshift bandage was still in place, but it needed to be rewrapped. She carefully peeled back the layers, revealing the bruising and deep scratches underneath.

"You should've said something sooner," Ava muttered.

Vin gave a dry chuckle. "Figured there were bigger problems. You know, like not dying."

She shook her head but didn't argue, focusing instead on disinfecting the wound with what little supplies they had.

As she worked, another figure shifted nearby. Elise—the girl they had saved yesterday—sat against the far wall, her long, wavy brown hair slightly tangled from sleep. She was lean but had sharp features, high cheekbones, and a slender frame that made her seem delicate, though Ava could tell she had been through enough to not be fragile.

Elise noticed Ava looking and offered a small, tired smile. "You're really good at this."

Ava shrugged. "It's not much."

"It's enough." Elise pushed herself up and walked over, sitting beside Ava as she worked. "I should probably say this properly, but… thanks. For everything."

Ava glanced at her, but Elise's gaze was sincere, her dark eyes warm despite the exhaustion.

"You don't have to thank me."

"I do." Elise pulled her knees to her chest. "I thought I was going to die yesterday. I was alone in this class when everything started. The screams, the panic—it was everywhere. I tried to run, but I got stuck between the Frostborn. Vin and the others saved me before I could… you know."

Ava paused for a second, then resumed wrapping Vin's arm. "Yeah. I get it."

Elise exhaled, a short, shaky breath, before she suddenly held out her hand. "Let's do this properly—my name's Elise."

Ava blinked, then let out a small chuckle before shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you, Elise. I'm Ava."

Before she could pull back, Riley popped up beside them, grinning. "And I'm Riley, in case anyone forgot."

The three of them laughed, the tension in the room momentarily lifting.

But across the classroom, from a distance, Mia watched—her gaze sharp, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Something in her expression hardened.

------

The air inside the classroom felt heavier as the hours dragged on.

It was now midday, though with the windows boarded up, it was hard to tell unless someone looked through the cracks. The dim streaks of light that managed to slip through painted long, angular shadows across the floor, making the space feel smaller than it actually was.

Near the door, Liam and two of the other boys stood, keeping watch. Their shoulders were tense, ears trained on the faint noises outside.

They had all gone still just moments ago when a group of Frostborn had passed through the corridor, their distorted figures barely visible through the narrow slits of the classroom door. No one had dared to breathe too loudly.

And then—screams. Somewhere deeper in the school, sharp cries echoed before being cut off just as quickly as they had begun. The group had tensed, bracing themselves for any sudden movement, but nothing had followed.

Liam, exhaling slowly, pulled away from the door, rubbing the back of his neck. "That was close."

One of the boys, Jason, nodded, still staring at the door as if expecting something worse. "They weren't hunting us this time."

The other boy, Vin, huffed. "Doesn't mean they won't come back."

They all knew that. The Frostborn were unpredictable. There was no telling when they'd be lurking or when they'd disappear. It was a never-ending game of waiting, of holding their breath, of praying that they wouldn't be noticed.

Still, nothing happened, and after a while, they stepped back, allowing themselves to relax—if only slightly.

But the tension inside the room remained.

It wasn't just fear anymore. It was something else. Something unspoken.

The lines were there, drawn subtly yet unmistakably: Ava, Riley, and Elise on one side. Mia and the remaining students on the other.

Liam, though, seemed oblivious to the way conversations had started shifting, to the way certain glances lingered too long. He moved between both sides like nothing had changed. Maybe, for him, it hadn't.

But for the others, things were different now.

That Night

The weight of exhaustion had caught up to them.

As evening crept in, everyone made the quiet decision to rest.

It was impossible to fully relax in a place like this, but their bodies needed it. They arranged themselves across the floor, some leaning against the walls, others stretching out as best they could over the cold tiles.

Ava had managed to close her eyes for a while. She wasn't sure how long she had actually slept—minutes, maybe an hour at most—but when she stirred again, something was off.

The air felt heavier than before.

There was murmuring. A quiet, hushed conversation, voices too low to make out but thick with something unspoken.

Ava sat up, blinking in the dim light, and turned toward the source of the voices.

Liam, Mia, Jason, Vin and a few others.

They were gathered near the back of the classroom, standing around something—around the bags of supplies.

Ava's brows furrowed slightly as she pushed herself upright. Her movement must have caught their attention, because Mia suddenly turned, her gaze flicking toward Ava before settling back on Riley and Elise, who were also beginning to stir.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

But there was something in the way Mia looked at them. A suspicion. A hesitation that hadn't been there before.

It wasn't just exhaustion weighing on the room now.

It was doubt.

And Ava didn't like the way it felt.