The fire at the warehouse made the news. Reporters called it a gang war, cops blamed it on drugs, and nobody mentioned the bodies webbed to the ceiling. Zara watched the broadcast from her bedroom window, her hood pulled low.
Every word felt like a lie. She had saved people, but the man's voice still clung to her: You are the experiment.
At school the next morning, the whispers started. Students replayed shaky phone footage of her fight in the locker room, voices buzzing like flies.
"Did you see that video? She moved like—"
"No way that's real. Some edit."
"Look at her eyes, though. Creepy as hell."
Zara kept her head down, but Tammy wasn't letting it slide. She cornered Zara at her locker, eyes wide and fearful.
"You're hiding something," Tammy said. "I'm your best friend. Why won't you tell me?"
Zara's jaw clenched. "Because it'll get you killed."
"That's not fair!" Tammy's voice cracked. "You promised me you wouldn't go near that lab. Now you're coming to school bruised and—God, Zara, everyone's noticing. You can't keep this up."
Zara slammed her locker shut. "Then stop asking."
Tammy flinched, but her expression hardened. "Fine. If you won't tell me… I'll find out myself."
That night, Tammy sat alone in her bedroom, phone screen glowing. She scrolled through the footage again, pausing on Zara's blurred form teleporting across the gym. Her stomach twisted with dread. She couldn't keep this secret anymore.
A message thread was already open on her screen, waiting. The contact was anonymous, but the last message promised money. If you see anything strange, send proof. We'll handle the rest.
Tammy hesitated, tears brimming. Then she hit send.
Meanwhile, Zara prowled the rooftops, her silk shimmering in the moonlight. The hunger clawed at her chest, but something worse gnawed deeper—the feeling of being watched.
Every shadow seemed to hold eyes. Every sound echoed too sharp.
Her phone buzzed. An unknown number.
WE HAVE YOUR FRIEND.
Zara's veins glowed hot, panic surging through her body. She gripped the phone so hard the screen cracked.
"Tammy…"
Below her, the city lights flickered like a trap waiting to close.