"Some truths don't set you free—they break you open, so you can finally breathe."
The late monsoon sky painted the city in hues of twilight grey as Lena walked out of the art room, her fingers still stained with cobalt blue. The corridors were quiet now, mostly empty, echoing only with faint voices from distant classrooms and the occasional slam of a locker. She clutched her sketchbook close, a whisper of comfort in an increasingly chaotic world.
Her secret had grown heavier with each passing day—the power to disappear was no longer something she could just ignore. It was becoming a part of her, creeping into her thoughts, manifesting not only during fear but also in moments of intense emotion. And lately, she was feeling everything too much.
Outside, the rain began in hesitant drops. Lena pulled her hoodie over her head, stepping past the school gate when a voice called out to her.
"Lena! Wait!"
She turned, and there he was—Aryan. Soaked from the rain, his white shirt plastered to his chest, his eyes fierce beneath storm-drenched lashes. There was something unhinged about the way he looked at her, something possessive that sent both a thrill and a chill down her spine.
"You weren't answering my texts," he said, stepping closer. "Or my calls. I've been worried sick. What's going on with you?"
Lena looked down. "I just... needed space."
"You keep disappearing—literally, Lena. Do you think I haven't noticed? That day in the auditorium, you vanished. I saw it. Don't lie."
Her breath caught. Aryan knew.
He stepped even closer, ignoring the rain. "I don't care what you are. You're mine. You hear me? I'm not afraid of your powers, Lena. I'm afraid of losing you."
The storm above cracked with thunder.
Lena's heart twisted painfully. Aryan's words were everything she'd never thought she'd hear—desperate, raw, terrifying. Sweet. And tragic. Because she was starting to feel it too. That pull.
But she wasn't his.
She wasn't even herself.
"Aryan... there are things you don't understand. Things about me. About the people watching us. Following me. I'm not safe. And neither are you."
Aryan's hand cupped her cheek. "Then tell me. Let me in. You're not alone."
She wanted to. God, she wanted to. But then her phone buzzed.
A new message. From a number with no name.
The Watchers are closing in. Run.
Her blood turned to ice.
"Lena?" Aryan asked.
She shoved her phone into her bag, stepped back. "I have to go. Now."
"Lena—"
But she was already moving, slipping away into the rain, her body flickering into nothing.
Aryan stood there, alone, soaked and staring into the storm.
---
Back in her room, Lena collapsed onto the bed, trembling. The message was a warning. The Watchers were real. And they were near.
As her hands trembled, her thoughts drifted to Jay. The mysterious new student who had been showing up in the strangest places. Who knew too much. Who had once told her, without fear or hesitation, "You don't vanish. You become who you really are."
She hadn't seen Jay since the incident at the old library. And yet... a part of her missed him. The way he made her question herself. The way his gaze seemed to cut through every mask she wore.
Her heart pulled in two directions. Aryan, the one who loved her before he understood her. Jay, the one who might understand her before even knowing her name.
And in between? Herself. A girl disappearing more and more each day.
---
The next morning, Lena found a note in her locker. Handwritten. No name.
Meet me on the rooftop. After school. No powers. Just truth.
Her fingers tightened around the paper. Was it Aryan? Jay? Or someone else entirely?
As the bell rang and the day began, Lena knew one thing—whatever was waiting on that rooftop, it would change everything.
And she was finally ready to face it.
Even if it shattered her.
---