Élise locked her apartment door behind her and leaned against it, her breath shallow. Adrien's warning still rang in her ears, clinging to her thoughts like a curse she couldn't shake.
Don't walk alone after midnight.
She checked her phone again. 12:13 a.m.
Too late.
Trying to calm herself, she walked to the kitchen and poured a glass of water. Her hands were trembling. She laughed softly, forcing herself to breathe.
"You're letting him get into your head," she whispered.
That was when she noticed it.
A faint dark stain on her wrist.
Élise frowned and brought her arm closer to the light. It wasn't dirt. It wasn't ink. It looked like a thin crescent-shaped mark, barely visible, as if it were beneath her skin.
Her heart skipped. She rubbed it hard.
The mark didn't fade.
Suddenly, the lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then her phone buzzed on the counter.
A message.
Unknown Number:
You crossed the line tonight.
Her stomach dropped. She typed quickly.
Élise:
Who is this?
The typing bubble appeared almost instantly.
Unknown Number:
Someone who sees the mark.
Her eyes snapped back to her wrist. The crescent had darkened, pulsing faintly, as if responding to the message.
"Stop," she whispered, backing away.
Another message came through.
Unknown Number:
Adrien should have warned you sooner.
Her breath caught.
How do they know Adrien?
Before she could reply, a final message appeared.
Unknown Number:
At midnight, the city chooses. And tonight… it noticed you.
The phone screen went black.
The lights went out completely, plunging the apartment into darkness.
Élise felt a sudden presence behind her—cold, silent, watching.
She spun around.
Nothing.
But in the black reflection of the window, she saw it.
A shadow that wasn't hers.
And on its wrist… the same crescent mark.