When the bell rang Kade and Mira stepped into the main hallway.
Students flooded out of classrooms, voices filled the air, shoes scratching against the floor. Someone bumped into Kade's shoulder and shouted an apology without slowing down. Everything looked normal. Too Normal and it was disturbing
Kade kept walking.
He became aware of his heartbeat again. It wasn't racing, it was just steady like it was echoing inside his chest. Each step felt unreal and somehow deliberate at the same time, as if his body knew where to go before his mind could catch up.
Mira looked at him. "You okay?"
He nodded once.
They split at the staircase. She headed toward the upper part of the building.He followed the signs for his first class, History of Modern Societies. The room was already half full when he arrived.
He took a seat near the window.
Part of the chair was made of metal. He adjusted himself, then froze.
The metal felt warm.
Not sun-warmed. Warm like it has just been used
Kade pulled his hand slowly and wiped it against his jeans.
A boy beside him leaned over. "First day here?"
Kade nodded.
"Yeah, this place is weird like for real." the boy continued. "They said the West Wing—"
The teacher cleared her throat sharply.
"Take your seats."
The boy leaned back, as the conversation was cut short.
Kade stared at the board as the lecture started. Words filled the board, Dates, Names, Causes and effects. He copied them into his notebook without even reading them.
Halfway through the class, a weird smell hit him.
Not smoke.
Something sharper.
Like metal.
He adjusted n his seat and looked around. No one else reacted. The teacher kept talking. They kept scribbling on their paper
The smell grew stronger.
Kade's face looked disturbed
He pressed his fingers into his palm until it hurt to check if he was still a awake, The scent faded slightly but didn't disappear.
When the bell rang, he stood up too fast. The chair scraped loudly against the ground, drawing a few looks.
He didn't care.
The hallway felt tighter than before. The noise came from all sides of the wall. Voices joined together, turning into a low but powerful hum.
"Kade."
He stopped walking.
The voice didn't come from behind him. Or ahead. It sounded like it came from inside his head, it was spoken just loud enough to be heard.
He gnashed his teeth and kept moving.
"Kade."
This time, someone brushed past him. He snapped his head to the side, heart jumping.
His next class was located at the opposite side of campus. By the time he reached the building, sweat was dripping from his back despite the cool air.
He took a seat in the back row and leaned forward, his elbows touching his knees, breathing slow.
The smell returned.
Stronger now.
His vision blurred at the edges his line of sight wasn't wide anymore just in a straight line. The lights above him seemed too bright and Too close.
"Kade."
He stood up.
The chair toppled behind him with a loud crash. Everyone turned.
"I—" He stopped himself. Swallowed a little. "uhm I need air."
The teacher frowned but let him go.
Kade stepped into the hallway and pressed his back against the wall.
His hands shaking
He raised them to eye level.
For a second, just a second,his nails looked longer.
Not claws.
Just long
He folded his fingers into fists. The shape returned to normal.
Footsteps approached.
Mira appeared at the end of the hallway, breath slightly uneven, eyes locked on him.
"You left class," she said.
"So did you."
She didn't argue. She stopped in front of him and said with a low tune. "What's happening?"
He shook his head. "I don't know. It feels like..."
He stopped.
"Like something's stretching," he finished.
Mira glanced around, then grabbed his sleeve. "Come on."
They didn't head toward the dorms. She led him past the library, through a side door, and into a narrow courtyard most students ignored. Poison ivy stretched up the walls. The air smelled like damp stone.
She let go of his sleeve.
"Breathe," she said. "Slowly."
He did.
The smell faded.
The pressure eased.
But it didn't disappear.
Mira watched him carefully. "Did this usually happen before the fire?"
He shook his head. "Not like this."
She nodded, as if that gave her assurance of something.
A low sound was heard through the courtyard.
Not loud.
Not close.
Kade's eyes opened letting light pass through it.
Mira heard it too. Her shoulders tensed.
They both looked toward the ivy-covered wall.
The sound came again.
Scratching
Slow.
Mira stepped closer to Kade without thinking.
The sound stopped.
They waited.
Nothing else followed.
Mira exhaled. "It's reacting to you."
Kade swallowed. "Or I'm reacting to it."
She didn't correct him.
The bell rang again, distant.
"We can't keep pretending this isn't happening," she said. "Whatever this is, it's starting."
Kade nodded.
His hands had stopped shaking. His senses felt sharper. Too sharp. He could hear voices from the hallway beyond the courtyard. Footsteps. Laughter. A door closing two floors up.
"I don't feel sick," he said. "I feel… awake."
Mira met his eyes. "That's what scares me."
They stood there until the bell stopped.
When they finally walked back toward the building, Kade felt it again that quiet presence under his skin.
Not whispering.
Waiting.
And for the first time, he wasn't sure whether he wanted it gone.