I didn't know where I was going—I just needed to get away. My chest ached, my mind was numb, and I felt like I was drowning in silence. My feet carried me past the glowing blue orb and up the staircase without thought. Step after step, I climbed until I reached the top.
It was an open space with a barricade at the edge. I walked up to it and looked down—nothing but cold, hard floor. Then beams of light streamed through the building's skylights, piercing the shadows. I stepped back and leaned against the wall, sinking slowly to the ground as memories began to flood in.
The orphanage.
Miss Cathy's warm embrace when I cried myself to sleep. Ramley, Ronnie, and Kaitlyn—how we'd play silly games, laugh until our stomachs hurt. Jessy, with her annoyed huffs, always pretending to be grumpy, but secretly enjoying our chaos. For once in my life, I had felt like I belonged. I felt loved.
And what did I do?
I abandoned it all.
I left them. I ran. I caused Ronnie's death. Because of me, the orphanage was shut down. Because of me…
"Hey... Mia... stop all this."
I jolted upright, my eyes darting. "Who's there?" I whispered.
Silence.
Then again, "Come on, Mia… you should recognize my voice by now."
My blood ran cold.
"Josephine… is that—"
"Oh quit it," the voice snapped, sharp and laced with power.
It wasn't Josephine.
It was the voice. The same one that haunted my dreams.
I stood, trembling. "What do you want from me now? Haven't you done enough? You've ruined me… there's nothing left to break. Just leave me alone," I cried, collapsing back to the ground, tears trailing down my face.
"Alone? You want peace?" it laughed—loud, cruel. "If peace was what you truly wanted, you'd have found it long ago. But you? You destroy everything. You were made for chaos. You are the storm, Mia… you don't find peace. You erase it."
"Stop it!" I screamed, covering my ears.
"Shall I remind you how you murdered your own father?"
"Stop!" I cried louder, nails digging into my scalp.
"How you ran from the only place that loved you. From the people who would've died for you. And maybe they did. Miss Cathy… who knows if she's even still alive?"
"I said stop!"
"How you shattered Amilia's home. How you let Grant die. All of it, Mia. You think you're innocent?"
"You made me do it!" I shouted, desperate. "It was you!"
There was silence.
Then came the final whisper—low, calm, and terrifying.
"No, Mia… it was always you."
"Are you alright?" a different voice asked, gentle and grounding.
I turned slowly—and it was him. The guy who had helped me earlier when I fell in the classroom. His presence was quiet, calm… almost too calm for the storm I felt within. The voice in my head had vanished the moment he spoke, like it never existed.
I quickly wiped my tears and stood up, trying to regain some strength. "I'm fine," I muttered, forcing the words past my throat.
I tried to move past him, not wanting to fall apart in front of anyone else. But then… he reached for my hand.
And the moment his fingers wrapped around mine—I froze.
A sudden warmth surged through my body. Not just physical warmth… but something deeper, quieter. Like he was grounding me to reality, pulling me out of the darkness I'd almost drowned in. The noise in my head silenced completely. My breathing steadied. My heart, still bruised, slowed from a frantic thud to a steady rhythm.
It scared me.
That someone could make me feel this calm.
I gently pulled my hand away, avoiding his gaze. I didn't want to feel that. I didn't want to trust it.
Without a word, I walked past him and down the stairs.
As I descended, I saw Cecilia rushing toward me, worry etched all over her face. "Hey, Mia! I've been looking everywhere for you," she said, grabbing my arm. "Come on, let's get you changed."
She didn't wait for my reply—just pulled me toward the quarters.
And I followed, still feeling the ghost of his touch lingering in my palm like a promise I wasn't ready to believe in.
" Who is he ? " I whispered.