The day began like any other—books tucked into her arm, earbuds in, the soft hum of music filling her world. Aria walked the familiar path between the bookstore and home, a shortcut lined with rustling trees and fading lamplight. She liked the quiet, though lately… the quiet seemed heavier, as if something lurked inside it.
Halfway down the path, a voice broke through.
"Aria?"
She froze, one foot hovering mid-step. Slowly, she turned.
A boy stood there, leaning casually against the railing, the glow of the streetlight falling across his face. He smiled like they were old friends meeting again after years apart. His dark hair fell just slightly into his eyes, and there was an ease about him that felt deliberate.
"You probably don't remember me," he said, stepping closer. "Kael."
Aria blinked. The name stirred nothing, though the familiarity in his tone made her hesitate. "Do we… know each other?"
He chuckled, almost softly offended. "Not really. But I've seen you around. You like sitting by the café window, always with the same drink—vanilla latte, no sugar."
Her chest tightened. That was true. Too true.
"That's… oddly specific," she murmured.
His smile widened, warm but just slightly too knowing. "I just notice things. Like how you always carry a notebook but rarely write in it. Or how you walk faster after sundown."
Aria's breath caught. Her grip on her bag tightened.
He noticed that too. "Don't worry," Kael said smoothly, as though to soothe her. "I'm not a stranger, really. Just someone looking out for you."
The words might have been comforting, if not for the way his eyes lingered—not sharp, not cruel, but hungry.
"See you around, Aria."
And just like that, he turned, disappearing into the night as if he had melted into it.
Aria stood frozen on the path, heart thudding, unsure if she had just met a friend… or something much, much worse.