Cassie strolled into the classroom and took her usual seat in the middle row. The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly above. After two days of emotional hell she just needed normalcy…routine. Anything that didn't make her question her sanity.
Students trickled into the classroom. Laughter and banter filling the air. She watched their faces, they looked so happy and carefree. Cassie couldn't help but feel jealous of them, since the only thing she felt was pressure.
Before she could spiral into her thoughts any more it felt as if a blanket had been tossed over the room, the chatter dimmed, and the laughter died.
A strange eerie quiet settled over the room. Then she heard something.
She tilted her head.
Tick-tick. Tick. Tick-tick. Tick.
It sounded like a watch but the rhythm was…off.
Each tick was a fraction too early, a breath out of sync with time itself. A sudden jolt of anxiety hit her and she felt the rhythm of her heartbeat change.
Almost…like that…of the…watch.
Her fingers froze around her notebook as the door creaked open.
Then, soundlessly…he entered.
A wave of icy air licked the back of her neck, prickling every hair on her body.
Her gaze locked onto him, and her breath caught in her throat.
He glided across the front of the class. His silver-grey hair hung in serpent-like strands over his shoulders. His black top hat sat slightly askew on his head, casting an unnatural shadow over a pale grey face that looked like something long dead.
He turned toward her in one sharp, mechanical motion, like a puppet yanked on strings. Her heart rate spiked matching the watch's ticking speed, which was still out of sync, like time itself was glitching.
His smile widened with a crack, revealing unnaturally long teeth. Cassie gasped as fear crawled through her.
Then he moved.
Each step toward her was slow, like a pendulum…almost…mesmerizing. From his gloved hand, a silver pocket watch swung back and forth. With each tick of the watch, the air grew colder. Mist curled from her nostrils with each breath.
Cassie tried to move, to scream, but her limbs were no longer hers. Her eyes darted frantically around the room.
Around her, the other students sat unnaturally still.
Then, as if on cue, they all turned.
Their heads twisted toward her in eerie synchronization. Their faces were drained of color, their eyes sparkled and smiles widened across their faces, stretching it too wide. Their teeth elongated, needle-like.
They said nothing. Did nothing.
Only he moved.
Now standing before her, his presence suffocating, the man leaned in. And Cassie wanted to gag. He smelled rotten. Like meat that had been left out a few days…and was forgotten.
"Your time is up, Cassie," he hissed, "We know who you are...what you are...and where you are."
He leaned closer, his breath cold against her skin.
"And we are coming for you."
In a swift motion, his hand raised, gloved fingers peeled back, revealing jagged claws that shimmered like obsidian under the now flickering lights.
Just as his claws slashed downward…
BEEEEP.
The blaring alarm snapped her back to reality. Cassie shot upright, heart slamming against her ribs, drenched in sweat. She was in her bedroom, the watch's echo still ticking faintly in her ears.
As Cassie tried to make sense of the nightmare still clinging to her, her phone buzzed on the nightstand. She reached for it and read the message. It was from the administration of the college:
Several students have come down with an unidentified infection. Campus facilities are closed for sanitation until further notice. Students experiencing grey skin patches are urged to seek medical attention immediately.
Just as she finished reading that message another message popped up. It was from Kai:
Hey, Cass. Can I come over?
Cassie switched off her phone. She was exhausted. She knew she should be concerned about the message from the school. That it was somehow linked to her nightmare. But, she just did…not…care.
She dragged herself into the bathroom and turned on the shower. The mirror fogged slightly as the shower ran, and when she wiped it clean, she half expected to see grey smudges on her skin. There were none.
A flicker of grey movement at the corner of the mirror caught her attention. She spun around, heart pounding. Nothing was there.
She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands and shook her head. A strange haze seemed to settle behind her eyes, as if the steam from the shower had seeped into her thoughts.
After staring blankly into the mirror for a few seconds, she forced herself through the motions: brushing her teeth, using the toilet, and stepping under the water.
When she was done, she crawled back beneath the covers.
And the faint ticking? It hadn't stopped.
Just as Cassie was about to drift off to sleep, Siren's voice broke through distorted, crackling with static instead of her usual seductive tone.
Cassie, are you just going to lie in bed all day?
Cassie blinked, surprised Siren was speaking to her at all, especially since she was still angry at her for silencing her. But Cassie didn't want to talk. She just didn't have the energy to.
"Yes," Cassie slurred.
Are you going to return home?
"No."
If you don't, everything is going to go downhill. People are going to die. The Seven Realms will be destroyed.
"People die every day. I don't care."
You don't?
"Why should I?" she snapped. "Nobody's ever cared about me. Why should I care about any of them?"
Kai and Jarek care about you. Don't they deserve a chance at life? At safety? At happiness?
"Kai and Jarek never cared," she whispered. "They lied. I was just a job."
Cassie. Siren crackled, her voice thinning beneath the static. If Kai had told you the truth, that he was a werewolf, you wouldn't have believed him. You would've run. You weren't ready.
Siren paused. When she spoke again her voice was quieter than before.
There's a difference between lying to protect someone…and lying to hurt and manipulate. Jarek gave himself to you for twenty-one years. Kai for three. That wasn't a job. That was devotion. They did nothing but love you. They could have treated you like everyone did at the orphanage, but they didn't.
Siren's voice hardened, cutting through the fuzz.
But if you want to wallow in self-pity, go right ahead. Just be prepared for what's coming. They'll experiment on you, dissect you. You're the only one of your kind. And this world? It's not as human as you think. The rogue werewolves in the warehouse were just the beginning.
Your enchantment is unraveling. Soon, you won't be able to leave this floor. Ever. You'll live out the rest of your days confined to this enchanted space.
Cassie said nothing. She just wanted Siren to shut up.
Fine, Siren said coldly. Then do nothing! You'll have to face the consequences.
Silence returned, and Cassie drifted back into a restless sleep, the ticking still echoing at the back of her mind.