Shadows And Silence

Orion walked back to his dorm, his mind a tangled mess. The night air was crisp, but the feeling in his gut was anything but refreshing. Every step felt heavier than usual, like something was weighing him down. His face still stung, a dull ache settling in his skin.

And the earphones. They were mine.

That was the part that messed with him the most. If someone had put them in his ears, that would have been one thing. But they were his—he always had them. So why didn't he remember putting them in?

By the time he reached his dorm, his thoughts were spiraling. The door beeped as he pressed his keycard against the scanner, and he stepped inside.

Neil was at his desk, deep in his usual chaos—a mess of wires, circuits, and a half-finished device that looked one accidental spark away from an explosion.

For a moment, Orion thought he'd slipped in unnoticed. Then Neil turned—and nearly fell out of his chair.

"What the—" Neil's eyes went wide. "Dude, you look like crap?"

Orion shut the door behind him, not answering.

Neil studied him for a second, then frowned. "Hold up. Where the hell were you?"

Orion hesitated. A part of him wanted to shrug it off. Say he was fine. But Neil wasn't the type to let shit go, and honestly? Orion needed to tell someone.

He exhaled sharply, leaning against his bed. "You ever get the feeling you're caught up in something way bigger than you, but you have no idea what the fuck is going on?"

Neil snorted. "Yeah. It's called life."

Orion shot him a look.

Neil's smirk faded. "Alright. What happened?"

"I got a message," Orion started, voice low. "Told me to be at The Haven at seven. I went, waited—no one showed. Just as I was leaving, Seth walked in. We talked for a bit, then I left."

Neil raised an eyebrow. "Seth? That rich bastard? What did he want?"

"Nothing. Just asked why I was there. Told him I came for a drink."

Neil scoffed. "Wow. That's the best lie you could come up with?"

"Apparently, it worked."

Neil rolled his eyes. "And?"

Orion hesitated. "Got another text after I left."

Neil's expression darkened. "What did it say?"

Orion's jaw tightened.

Neil sat up straight. "Dude."

"...Nothing important." Orion's voice was quiet, but Neil wasn't an idiot.

"Bullshit." Neil's tone sharpened. "What. Did. It. Say?"

Orion sighed. "Something about looking behind me."

Neil tensed. "And?"

"I turned," Orion said slowly. "And then I heard it. A voice. All distorted, like a broken radio. It said…"

He hesitated. The memory made his skin crawl.

"Peek-a-boo."

Silence.

Then Neil let out a low whistle. "Yeah, fuck that."

Orion exhaled. "Next thing I know, it's 3 AM, I'm sitting on a bench, listening to lofi, and my face hurts."

Neil blinked. "I—what? No memory of anything in between?"

"Nothing."

Neil ran a hand down his face. "Okay, yeah. That's… some horror movie shit."

"No kidding."

"You sure it wasn't some drunk a-hole messing with you?"

Orion shot him a look.

"Right, dumb question." Neil rubbed his temples. "But seriously, someone baiting you out like that? That's not normal. And you blacked out for hours? That's some next-level shit."

Orion didn't respond.

Neil let out a long sigh. "You're not gonna tell Rin or Cas, are you?"

"No."

Neil studied him, then shook his head. "Alright. But if this happens again, I'm telling them."

Orion didn't answer.

Neil groaned. "Great. Love that response."

The Next Morning

Despite everything, Orion managed to sleep. Or something close to it.

By the time he woke up, the dorm was quiet, the only sound being the soft hum of Neil's computer.

He checked his phone. Shit. Late.

Or… maybe not.

First lecture? Canceled.

Lucky break.

He threw on a hoodie, grabbed his stuff, and made it to class just in time for the second lecture.

When he walked in, Rin was mid-rant about something, and Cas was half-listening while scrolling through her tablet. Neil was already there, barely glancing up as Orion slid into his seat.

"You're late," Rin commented.

"Yeah, well," Orion muttered, rubbing his face. "The universe gave me a free pass today."

Cas raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"

"First lecture got canceled."

Rin sighed dramatically. "Unfair."

Orion glanced at Neil. A silent reminder: Don't say shit.

Neil rolled his eyes but kept his mouth shut.

The conversation drifted to the usual topics—coursework, the upcoming division selections, and, of course, the factions.

The debate over which faction was better went in circles, as always.

Orion didn't care.

He had bigger things to worry about.

Later That Evening

Hours passed.

Eventually, Orion found himself walking back to his dorm.

And that's when he saw them.

Skye.

She was heading toward The Haven.

And she wasn't alone.

Seth was walking beside her.

Orion slowed his steps.

His mind replayed last night's events—the bar, the texts, the voice.

Seth had been there.

And now, Skye was too?

Hmmm....Now that ought to be interesting.