9. A Mysterious Sign
Breakfast chaos finally calmed, the syrup was more or less wiped off the beasts, and Mia was now sitting in Marcelline's lap, happily chewing the corner of a pancake like a tiny squirrel.
But even with the laughter still echoing in the room, something inside Marcelline felt… wrong.
A faint shiver crawled up her spine.
Not fear.
Not cold.
Something calling her.
Something she felt at dawn…
Something she tried to run away from.
Amara, who knew Marcelline better than anyone, noticed instantly.
She leaned close, lowering her voice.
"Elli. You're doing that thing again."
Marcelline blinked.
"What thing?"
"The thing where your eyes look calm but your soul is screaming."
Marcelline sighed softly, fingers brushing Mia's hair.
"…I've been feeling it since last night. Some kind of pull. Like… something is coming closer."
Amara studied her carefully.
"Danger?"
"I don't know." Marcelline's brows knit. "But it's familiar. And ancient. Like a whisper I should recognize but can't."
Amara's joking expression softened.
"You should've told me sooner."
"I didn't want to worry everyone." Marcelline tried to smile. "And Mia was excited for pancakes."
Mia looked up at them with a syrup-covered mouth.
"I'm pancake warrior!"
Both women melted a little.
But beneath their smiles, the heaviness remained—quiet and unsettling.
Leo suddenly raised his head, ears perked.
Alpha growled low.
Paradius's tail flicked sharply, eyes narrowing toward the distant window.
All three beasts felt it too.
Sister Florence glanced at them worriedly.
"Is something wrong…?"
Marcelline shook her head quickly.
"No, Ma. Please don't worry. It's probably nothing."
But Amara's eyes said otherwise.
She mouthed quietly to Marcelline:
"We talk later."
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Preparing for College ----
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After breakfast, they all began getting ready for the day.
Marcelline carried Mia, who clung to her neck, still half-sticky and half-sleepy.
"You're coming with me next time," Mia mumbled.
"To pancake war."
Marcelline kissed her chubby cheek.
"Deal."
Amara walked beside her with a dramatic sigh.
"I swear, I never planned to go back to college at age thirty-two."
Marcelline smirked.
"You're coming for fun."
"I'm coming because you can't survive without me," Amara corrected.
"And also because college kids need to see what real beauty looks like."
She flipped her hair with queenly confidence.
Marcelline laughed.
"You're the Queen of all Beast Clans. Shouldn't you be ruling something today?"
"Exactly," Amara said proudly.
"I'm ruling my best friend's social life."
Marcelline rolled her eyes.
"You are impossible."
"Thank you," Amara replied immediately, bowing.
She looked back toward the dining room where Alpha, Leo, and Paradius were still licking syrup off each other in miserable silence.
"And I can't leave Mia with the three syrup monsters," Amara added.
"They've suffered enough."
Mia waved sleepily from Marcelline's arms.
"Bye big kitty… bye lion fluffy… bye doggo…"
All three beasts made some version of an offended expression.
Marcelline set Mia in Amara's room so she could nap under soft blankets.
Once Mia was settled, Amara clapped her hands together.
"Alright! Let's get ready. Outfit check first!"
"You sound more excited than me," Marcelline said, amused.
"Because I am."
Amara grinned.
"It's not every day a 32-year-old queen gets to infiltrate a college campus."
Marcelline slipped into her dark, elegant college uniform, tying her hair loosely.
Amara wore a stylish, modern outfit that somehow still screamed royalty—even in jeans.
But as Marcelline fixed her collar in the mirror, her reflection flickered for a moment—
like a shadow passed behind her.
She froze.
Amara noticed.
"…Elli?"
Marcelline took a slow breath.
"That sign… that feeling… it's getting stronger."
Amara placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.
"Whatever's coming, we'll face it together."
The uneasiness in Marcelline's chest tightened.
But with her best friend beside her…
For the moment, she felt strong enough to breathe again.
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