11 His suspicion

Chapter 11

3rd pov

Amelia sat alone in the dimly lit library, her fingers tracing invisible patterns on the wooden table. The weight of silence pressed down on her, but she welcomed it. The chaos she had unleashed was just beginning to bloom, and she needed to watch it unfold.

The first bully had run. Left everything behind and disappeared overnight. No goodbyes, no explanations—just gone. The news spread like wildfire, sending uneasy ripples through the students. It was the first crack in their perfect little world, the first sign that things were changing.

Whispers filled the hallways.

"Did she really leave?"

"I heard she just… broke."

"She kept saying someone was watching her."

"Maybe she saw something she wasn't supposed to."

The ones who had tormented Amelia, who had laughed at her pain, now walked with cautious steps. They looked over their shoulders, huddled closer together, as if proximity would keep them safe from an invisible force.

Amelia watched them from the shadows, her expression unreadable. She felt no guilt. No regret. Only a cold satisfaction that settled deep in her bones. Fear was a powerful thing. It didn't need violence. It didn't need blood. It only needed a whisper, a seed planted in a fragile mind, left to grow until it consumed everything.

The school administration had taken notice.

Teachers exchanged worried glances in the staff room. The principal had made an announcement that morning, reminding students to report any suspicious behavior. But what could they do? They had ignored Amelia's suffering for years. Now, they were powerless to stop what was coming.

And then, there was him.

Nathan Carter.

He had never been cruel to her. He had never called her names, never pushed her down the stairs, never stolen her books and torn them apart. But he had never helped either. He had watched, from the sidelines, from a distance, with something unreadable in his dark eyes.

Now, those eyes were focused on her.

Amelia felt it before she saw it. The way he lingered near her locker, the way his gaze followed her in the cafeteria, the way he seemed to be waiting for something.

She didn't understand why.

She was still the quiet girl. The one who kept her head down, who spoke only when necessary. But something was different. She was no longer the prey, no longer the girl who flinched when someone walked too close.

Nathan noticed.

"Hey." His voice was soft, uncertain.

Amelia turned, meeting his gaze.

His expression shifted—just for a second. A flicker of something. Curiosity? Concern?

"You okay?"

A simple question. One no one had ever asked her before.

Amelia tilted her head slightly, considering him. She could lie. She could tell him she was fine, that nothing was wrong. But something in his eyes made her pause.

She didn't answer. Instead, she walked past him, her shoulder brushing against his.

Nathan watched her go, his hands tightening into fists.

Something had changed. He could feel it.

Amelia was no longer invisible.

And he wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

The air was different around Amelia now. It was as if she carried an invisible force that made the world shift around her. She could feel it—power surging in her veins, humming beneath her skin like a caged storm ready to break free. The moment she had awakened, she knew she was no longer the weak, pitiful girl they had once tormented.

The system had spoken to her in that cold, robotic voice, guiding her, teaching her.

[New Abilities Unlocked]

She had tested them, pushing her body beyond its limits, and what she found left her breathless. She could move faster than she ever thought possible, her feet barely touching the ground before she was already several feet away. Her senses had sharpened—she could hear whispered conversations through walls, smell emotions in the air, sense the tiniest shifts in people's movements. The world was no longer the same. She was no longer the same.

But with power came caution.

[Power must be controlled. The hunt must be strategic.]

She understood the warning. If she was reckless, she could be exposed. If she let her emotions control her, she could lose everything before she even got the chance to make them suffer. But how could she stop? How could she hold back when the very people who destroyed her still walked around, laughing, living their lives as if nothing had happened?

No. She would not stop. She would make them pay.

---

Whispers spread through the school like wildfire. The disappearance of Amelia's first target had left a hole in their tight-knit circle. They noticed the absence, the way the girl's seat remained empty, how no one had heard from her since that night.

Some called it coincidence. Others felt something deeper, something they couldn't quite place. But the bullies—the ones who had tormented Amelia for years—refused to believe it was anything more than bad luck.

"She probably just ran away because she couldn't handle school," one of them scoffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

But there was one who knew better.

Lena—the girl who had watched Amelia change with her own eyes—had seen something terrifying in her gaze that night. She had tried to tell them, tried to warn them.

"You don't understand," Lena whispered urgently. "She's not the same anymore."

The others laughed. "Please. Amelia? That weakling? She's nothing. She could never do anything to us."

Lena's stomach twisted in knots. She wanted to scream at them, to shake them, to make them see. But they wouldn't listen. And deep inside, she knew it was already too late.

---

Amelia sat at her usual spot in the cafeteria, her fingers tracing the rim of her water bottle. She listened.

"…she's not the same anymore."

A slow, cold smile touched her lips. Lena had seen it. She had felt it. The fear had already begun to seep into her mind, poisoning her thoughts, making her question everything she knew. Good.

But the others? They were still blind. Still foolish.

Her fingers tightened around the bottle, and it cracked under the pressure.

Patience. The hunt must be strategic.

She took a slow breath, calming the raging storm within her. They would learn. Soon, they would understand.

---

That afternoon, Amelia tested her new strength once more. She ran through the empty field behind the school, her feet moving so fast that she felt as though she was gliding across the earth. Wind rushed past her, her heart pounding with exhilaration.

Then she stopped, listening.

The sound of footsteps approaching. Soft, hesitant.

She turned her head slightly, catching the scent before she saw her.

Emma. One of them.

The girl stood at the edge of the field, her arms crossed, pretending to be unaffected. "You've been acting weird lately," she said, her voice laced with mockery. "It's cute that you're trying to act tough, Amelia. But let's not forget who you really are."

Amelia said nothing. She simply tilted her head, letting the silence stretch between them.

Emma shifted uncomfortably. "What? Nothing to say?"

Still, Amelia did not respond. She only stared.

Emma's heartbeat picked up. The scent of nervousness clung to her like cheap perfume.

"Whatever," Emma scoffed, turning away. "Stay in your little fantasy world, freak."

Amelia watched her walk away, her fingers curling into fists.

It was beginning.

The second prey had been marked.

And this time, Amelia would not be so merciful.