Echoes in the Calm

The cafeteria buzzed with its usual noise—until Raiven stood up.

Across the room, Senya's voice rang out, clear and calculated."Some of us actually earned our place here. Unlike those who were just… handed a legacy."

It wasn't subtle. It wasn't meant to be.

Raiven didn't flinch. He looked her dead in the eye and said, loud enough for everyone to hear:

"Oh shut up. What can you do except talk?"

The room fell into stunned silence.

Senya's expression didn't shift—at least not right away. But behind her eyes, something changed.Cold. Sharp.

She smiled. The kind of smile that promised payback.

Raiven turned his back on her and walked away.

Saturday morning. Quiet—too quiet.

Raiven needed air.

He didn't text anyone, but somehow, Sera found him anyway.

"You always ghost people like this?" she asked, hopping onto the low wall beside him near the abandoned train station.

"How'd you even find me?"

Sera grinned. "Let's just say... I have a sense for lost things."

"That's creepy."

"That's accurate."

They laughed, and for a while, the tension faded.

"You're not normal," Raiven said.

"Neither are you. That's why we click."

"You're weird."

"You're worse."

Laughter again—genuine, easy.

As they strolled between rusted platforms and broken rails, Raiven felt something shift between them—comfort. Understanding.

"You really pissed Senya off, you know," Sera said, skipping a stone down the track.

Raiven snorted. "She deserved it."

"You did kind of roast her in front of half the school."

"And?"

Sera smirked. "Wair Cats don't forget. Their pride's sharp enough to bleed."

Raiven raised an eyebrow. "So she's planning something?"

Sera shrugged. "Let's just say... don't go wandering too far alone."

As they left the station, Raiven froze in his tracks.

Across the street stood a lone figure—Senya. She wasn't hiding.

She wanted to be seen.

Their eyes met. Cold. Unblinking.

Then, slowly, she turned and vanished around the corner.

Raiven's fists clenched.

"Let her try."