The pendant's glow fades, but the heat it left behind still throbs beneath my skin—-like it knows I'm not done yet. I haven't moved from the window. Not since the figure disappeared.
My breath still fogs the glass.
I back away slowly, one hand still clutched around the pendant. Its warmth has dimmed to a gentle thrum, but something about it feels different now—like it's waiting for me to ask the right question. Like it's listening.
Whatever that figure was—-whatever he was—he didn't feel like the others. Not the cold dread of the Court, not the soft manipulation of Lilly. His presence hadn't filled me with fear.
It had pulled something out of me. Recognition. Or maybe...a memory.
But I can't go down that road now. Not yet.
I sink onto the edge of my bed, mind racing. The thread I found—-the one about the Court of the Lightborn—it wasn't just some old myth. That pendant was described perfectly. Which means my connection to the Court isn't just symbolic. I'm a piece of something much bigger than I ever wanted to be.
The weight of that truth pressed on my chest, sharp and suffocating.
I need to talk to someone. But not my mom—she's already on edge. And definitely not Justin. Not until I know for sure I can trust him.
Which leaves….no one.
I rub my temples, the static of too many thoughts clouding my focus.
The laptop sits open beside me, now working as if nothing happened. No glitch. No crash. No record of the page I was reading.
They erased it.
Whoever they are.
A buzzing from my phone breaks the silence.
A test from Natalia.
You and I need to talk. Tomorrow. Alone.
No emojis. No sarcasm. No smug little smirk in her tone.
Just a direct message that lands like a dare.
I stare at it, debating. But some part of me—maybe the reckless part, or maybe the one that's been starved for answers—types back:
Fine. Where?
The reply comes almost instantly.
By the track. First period. Don't bring him.
I don't need to ask who she means.
********
The next morning comes fast, heavy with fog. My legs feel like lead as I make my way through the back entrance of the school. Students stream in around me, their voice distant, the world dull like it's been put underwater.
Natalia waits by the edge of the track, hood up, arms folded like she's been here for hours. She doesn't wave. Doesn't even blink.
"You came," she says.
"You told me not to bring Justin," I say. "You didn't say why."
"I don't need to," she replies, her voice low. "You already know why."
I say nothing. She studies me for a moment, then lifts her chin toward the trees just past the edge of the track.
"Let's walk," she says, glancing over her shoulder like she's expecting someone to follow. We move along the edge of the track, past the tree line where the noise from the school fades behind us.
"This isn't easy for me," she mutters. "But I'm not going to just stand by while they use you."
I blink. "Use me?"
Her gaze sharpens. "You're getting in too deep, Sarah. With Justin, with my family…..with everything."
A thousand things flash through my mind—the pendant, the figure by the woods, the way her parents looked at me like they were deciding whether to swallow me whole. But I keep my mouth shut.
I just wait.
Natalia's jaw tightens. She pushes off the tree and takes a step closer. "You think this is just some coincidence—-your dreams, your pendant, whatever Justin has told you. But it's not. Your being pulled into something, and once you're in, there's no getting out."
The hairs on the back of my neck rise.
"What do you know?" I ask quietly, the words slipping out before I can catch them.
"Enough to know that whatever you think you're feeling for Justin, it's not strong enough to save you from what's coming."
I open my mouth to respond, but a sound cuts through the woods—a shift of leaves, too deliberate to be the wind.
Natalia's eyes flick toward it. She takes a quick step back, her shoulders tensing.
"We shouldn't be out here."
"What was that?" I whisper.
A rustle. A whisper. My name.
I freeze.
Natalia grips my wrist tight. "Don't follow anything that sounds like it knows your name."
A shiver rolls down my spine. I don't know if it's the wind or a memory trying to claw its way free. But the voice…..it didn't sound angry. It sounded like it knew me.
We hurry back toward the school without another word.
But the whisper follows us anyway.
Sarah.
As we make it back to school Natalia turns and looks at me. Her voice drops. "Just be careful, Sarah. Not everyone who smiles at you wants to help you. And some people…." Her expression twists, something bitter flickers across her face. "Some people are better at hiding what they really are."
And then, without another word, she turns and walks away.
I don't follow.
I don't ask questions.
Because if I do, I'm not sure I want to hear the answers.
I don't go to class.
Not right away.
Instead, I duck into the library and find the furthest table from the entrance—tucked between shelves that haven't been touched in years. The dust on the spines, the quiet hum of fluorescent lights above me, the hush of pages turning—it should calm me. But it doesn't.
Natalia's words play over and over in my head.
"Some people are better at hiding what they really are."
I reach into my pocket and wrap my hand around the pendant, its cool surface pressing against my palm like a secret. I want to believe Justin is different. That whatever connection I feel with him isn't some trap. But every time I get close to him, something else rises—-something I don't recognize.
I pull out my laptop, fingers trembling as I type the same search from last night:
"The Court of the Lightborn."
Nothing.
Every result is gone. Replaced with folklore articles and fantasy blogs. The thread—the one that described the pendant exactly—-is missing. Not just buried. Erased.
I try searching different phrases.
"Beacon fae bloodline."
"Fae guardian pendants."
"Sarah Lightborn?"
My screen flashes white.
A warning.
Then—static.
The computer whines, its fan suddenly screaming like it's overheating. I reach to shut it—-
BAM.
The fire alarm blares overhead.
I jump back, heat racing, the shrill scream of the bell stabbing through the silence. Students shout in confusion outside the library. My screen glitches again—flickering between black and white—-and then powers off completely.
I slam it shut, shove it into my bag, and stumble into the hallway as students pour out of classrooms. No one's running. No fire. Just…..confusion.
Just another disruption.
Or maybe another warning.
*******
Twenty minutes later, the alarm's been ruled a "malfunction," and we're herded back to class.
I wander the hallway, unsure where I'm even supposed to be. That's when I hear his voice.
"Sarah."
I freeze.
Justin stands just around the corner, leaning against a row of lockers. His eyes find mine instantly, like he knew I was coming.
"Where've you been?" he asks, his tone casual—-but I hear the edge under it. Not anger. Just…..concern. Or maybe suspicion.
I shrug, my hand tightening around the strap of my bag. "Needed air."
He studies me like he's trying to see through me. "You're different today."
"So I've been told."
He tilts his head slightly, a slow smirk tugging at his lips. "You're mad at me?"
I meet his eyes. "Should I be?"
That catches him off guard. He straightens, crossing his arms. "Did something happen?"
"I had a conversation." I pause, letting the weight of that settle. "A real one."
Justin shifts his weight. "With who?"
I don't answer.
His eyes narrow just slightly—-just enough for me to catch it. "Sarah…..whatever they told you—-"
"You mean Natalia?" I say, too quickly.
His jaw tenses.
And there it is.
That flicker.
That moment of calculation he can't quite hide. Not fast enough.
"I don't need protecting," I say quietly. "Especially not from the truth."
"I'm not hiding anything from you." But his voice is tight. Off. Measured.
I nod slowly, my expression unreadable. "Okay."
But inside, I'm screaming.
*******
Later that day, I skip sixth period. My head is pounding, and the whisper from this morning still echoes under my skin.
I slip into the back stairwell near the art wing. It's quiet here. The windows are clouded, the paint chipped, and everything smells faintly of dust and wet concrete. I lean against the wall, pulling out my notebook and tracking the shape of the pendant over and over again in the margins.
The moment my pen touches the paper—-I'm gone.
********
I'm standing in a cleaning, the trees towering high above me like cathedral walls. Their leaves are deep gold, glowing from within. The air pulses with power, like a storm caught in the roots of the forest.
The pendant hums against my chest.
A voice—-low, gentle—-speaks in a language I don't know but understand anyway.
"Child of light, child of loss. The blood remembers."
I turn, but the forest shifts with me—--like the trees move when I'm not looking. And then I see it. The box from my dreams, resting on a moss-covered stone.
I step toward it.
But before I can reach it, someone grabs my wrist.
Not violent. Firmly.
A tall figure cloaked in shadow stands behind me, eyes like molten gold burning beneath the hood.
"Not yet," he says.
And the dream shatters.
*********
I jolt awake, gasping, sprawled out on the cold stairwell floor.
The pendant burns hot against my chest.
There's a whisper at my ear—--not imagined. Real.
"Soon."
I scrambled to my feet, heart pounding, the glow from the pendant dimming again. But the hum—-it stays. A low thrum that tells me something is coming.
And this time, I won't be able to run from it.
I round the corner of the hall, still half in the woods. Justin is there——waiting. His back to the lockers, arms folded, but his eyes find me the second I step into view.
"Where were you?" Justin asks.
"Nowhere." I brush past him, not slowing my pace.
Justin falls into step beside me. "You're a bad liar."
"Then stop asking me questions you don't want the answers to." I snap.
Justin halts, hand reaching out, catching my elbow—-gently. But enough to make me stop.
"I do want answers, Sarah." His voice quiet. Measured. "But you aren't the only one keep secrets."
My pulse skips.
I try to pull my arm free, but I don't walk away. He's closer now. Close enough that I can smell the rain still clinging to his clothes.
"You think I'm dangerous?" Justin asks softly.
I look up at him. My heart pounding. "Tell me a secret then," I say, voice low. "Just one."
He holds my gaze for a long second.
Then he smiles—-soft and unreadable, nods once. Slowly.
"Not here."