CHAPTER 9: When Glass Cracks
Scene 1- Lines Drawn in Silence
Location: South Courtyard, behind the library Time: The next day, early morning
It started with a glance. Then a nod. Then silence.
Valen leaned against the stone bench near the courtyard wall, chewing the edge of a toothpick like he was bored- but his eyes were sharply alert. Eshon stood beside him, tapping a pencil against a closed notebook.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4vrzbqapg
"She's... different," Eshon said at last. "Not in the way people pretend to be. It's like-like she doesn't care what Kaeli is."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2TAnm3S17X
Valen grunted. "Or she doesn't know what he is."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNHRaQ3DKE
"She sat with him," Eshon replied. "That's enough to make her a target. Or a threat."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKEL3zC1S6
The silence stretched.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIpJGEYioX
Finally, Valen stood up straight, pulling his hood over his short curls. "Kaeli didn't stop her. That means something."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaWq6TeNdtx
It seemed that no matter how much they talked about Elara, they couldn't get her out of their heads; she seemed like a mystery to them.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS2W7TAU2TL
Eshon glanced toward the main building. "We watch. We don't act. Yet."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7HHOhEbFf
Valen smirked. "Yeah. But if she stirs up ghosts... I'm not burying another."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsDO1NH6CZ0
They walked away, their shadows long under the morning sun- two soldiers in a silent war no one else could see
Scene 2 - A Game of Shadows16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtcdYuyHX5L
Location: Reverend Watt High - Assembly Hall turned Debate Arena16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywALJhgMtV
Time: Later that day, mid-afternoon16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4seHVGAxjC
The assembly hall had been rearranged-not for a speech, not for punishment, but for the weekly debate club showcase. Long tables lined with mismatched chairs stretched across the room. The soft hum of whispers and pages flipping filled the air like bees in a restless hive.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrfE5cX0NE
Elara had no intention of joining. She wasn't part of the club. She barely understood the structure. But as she walked past the open doors with her books clutched to her chest, something made her pause.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3UsM58wVv
Kaeli was inside.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQ2XFzzOtY
Not sitting with the main panel, no. He leaned against the far wall, near a forgotten exit door, arms folded, his expression unreadable. But his eyes were sharp-watching.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1dPr5Fq60
Elara felt the pull in her gut, that same unsettling gravity she'd felt the first time she sat beside him. The room seemed quieter where he stood, like even noise refused to breathe near him.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMevIXD3IkS
She moved to keep walking.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyr9HD9VCRQ
"Hey-new girl."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYV9EpuNxM
The voice came from inside. Female. Clipped. Icy.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9453rpJOz
Elara turned.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhW5WqGbZt3
A trio of girls-perfect uniforms, polished shoes, expressions carved from marble-were standing beside the moderator's table. The tallest, a girl with honey-blonde hair braided tight like a crown, had spoken. Her name, Elara, had been overheard in class, was Serina Wren.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPvGQdLBuNE
"I heard you think you can just-what-sit where you want?" Serina's tone was amusement iced in venom.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJLmLCaHKJ
Elara blinked. "I didn't know there was assigned seating."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFoTSgFus2
A small laughter rippled through the room, sharp and sweet and cruel.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadD4PRq3Bc
"She doesn't know," another girl said mockingly, brushing invisible dust from her pleated skirt.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZVY97ic6xT
Kaeli shifted slightly at the wall. One brow rose. Just a flicker. Just a twitch.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNgNbzI2ZH
"I don't care where I sit," Elara said, her voice even. "But I'm not going to ask permission to be where I belong."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8mnkTVbEOC
A hush fell. Not the dramatic kind. The kind that made silence louder.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsimmENaTEl
Valen, seated at a back table, let out a low whistle. Eshon, beside him, muttered, "She's poking snakes with her bare hands."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLjqBU6Kw09
The moderator-a thin, wiry senior boy with glasses too big for his nose-cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um, maybe let's... get started?"16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡydK3pZXuiU
Serina stared at Elara a beat longer, then offered a smile that could slice glass. "Of course. Everyone's welcome," she said, turning back to her seat. "Until they're not."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLIrkCy7d5o
Elara stepped away from the door.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9QfqfmcgqA
But before she could disappear down the corridor, Kaeli's voice slipped across the room, too soft for most to hear but loud enough for her.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgChK4PcT0f
"Bold," he said, not quite to her. Not quite away. "Let's see if she keeps that energy when the real games begin."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jZnRb0tOR
And he was gone before she could turn again-leaving behind nothing but that ghost of a smirk and a weight in the air like a storm waiting to breathe.
Scene 3 - Fractures Beneath Still Water16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5Z21EksAI
Location: Rooftop of the East Wing, Reverend Watt High16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRRfuhe1jK
Time: Early Evening, after clubs and final classes.
The rooftop was technically off-limits, with cracked concrete, rusted rails, and faded safety warnings posted in three languages. But everyone knew the lock on the door had never really worked, and for the right kind of student, it was a sanctuary.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rKX6SnJIJ
Valen was already up there when Elara arrived.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDvo1aU98i
He sat cross-legged on a slab of fallen piping, sketchbook balanced on one knee, a pencil looping through the pages with a grace that didn't quite match the silent storm in his eyes. His white shirt sleeves were rolled, revealing a tattoo inked in swirling, unfamiliar script just above his wrist-visible only when the light caught it just right.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPWRtwT4foq
Elara paused at the door. "Didn't know this was yours."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGoaj4ca010
Valen looked up. "It's not." He gave a faint shrug. "But I come here when I want the sky to feel closer."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgGj2N7nu9
She stepped forward. "You draw?"16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrEI6QTZKh
"Only when the voices in my head need somewhere else to live."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3WUXKhU5k7
He gestured to the edge beside him, and Elara sat, curling her legs under her.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6lKv1Mpg2
Silence hovered. Not awkward. Not warm either. Something brittle and waiting to break.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIzrBfPUgt
"I heard about the showdown with Serina," Valen said, not looking at her. "She's got a mouth dipped in acid."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzg7ArxpmLD
Elara snorted. "She thinks she owns the place."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1I1GA7PrL
"She thinks Kaeli lets her."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8uWal2r0WH
That caught her off guard. "What does that mean?"16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpOPFPBw8D
Valen stopped sketching. His gaze met hers, dark and sharp like ink spilled in water.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq57n9e22zF
"It means power here isn't earned. It's given. And Kaeli... he gives power to the ones he knows he can control."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5VMnTalKTO
"And what makes you so sure she's controlled?"16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWdnHMOH9TO
Valen tilted his head. "Because he hasn't crushed her."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0OUbdsNv6
The wind stirred Elara's hair, brushing it into her face. She tucked it behind her ear slowly, processing.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBXaQdQJrZ
"You've known him long?" she asked, curious.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97o8g4n8p3
"Too long." A pause. "Not long enough."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlS0wxg6Lwt
"You don't like him."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHNsUjt6GXy
Valen smiled, but it wasn't humor. It was a memory. "It's not about liking or disliking. Kaeli's the kind of person who turns silence into strategy. Who says nothing but hears everything. He's watching you."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4Q3yhGwLK
Elara looked down at her hands. "I know."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkixpCoFL3
Valen raised a brow. "And you're not scared?"16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwcSWkKnGMh
"I'm not sure yet," she answered truthfully.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbLwRiuHDIW
Below them, students trickled from classrooms-dots of uniforms and backpacks moving like ants through the courtyard. The sky was burning gold at the edges, clouds bleeding pink. A windmill in the far-off hills turned slowly, catching the sun like glass teeth.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoZtyl0YtDe
Footsteps echoed on the rooftop stairs.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEQi9xupBC
Eshon appeared in the doorway, unbothered by the tension hanging in the air. He had earbuds slung around his neck, a half-eaten energy bar in one hand, and that constant amused look on his face, like the world was an inside joke only he got.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVuLt8VlM5t
"Well, well," he said. "Didn't realize the rooftop had turned into a confessional."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YaX5CkRJw
Valen groaned. "Eshon, go away."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMkKRLeVSG
Eshon flopped beside them anyway. "Nah. Too quiet in the dorms. And besides, I like being where the main characters hang out."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniS2dD6oPv
Elara raised a brow. "Main characters?"16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Q2ZqdN4lF
"Come on," he said, gesturing broadly. "The rebel new girl. The dark-brooding sketch artist with mysterious trauma. And me- the lovable, comedic relief who probably dies in Season 3."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARPeAwXXWl
They all chuckled. Even Valen. Just a little.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdNHezKJl8
Then Eshon's face turned slightly serious. "Jokes aside... Elara, you've stirred something. This place... It's like a snow globe. Pretty. Controlled. Until someone shakes it."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVaVBZPcwQO
"I didn't mean to shake anything," she said softly.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx86H6cUQcv
"That's the thing," Eshon replied. "You didn't have to. You just walked in."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIgBFoEINQO
Valen looked out at the fading sky, his voice low. "Just... be careful. This school doesn't break rules. It breaks people."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjEjSwT4yp
And though no one said it aloud, all three of them felt it-that something was shifting. Beneath the surface. Beneath the smiles. Beneath the floors of Reverend Watt High.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb35Zf4GdNR
Something was coming.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDSo6CHEZl
And Elara had just pulled the first thread.
Scene 4: Beneath the Chimes16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs9j1ELfkh3
The sky above Ravensworth pulsed with brooding clouds, a reflection of everything that remained unsaid between its students. Within the ancient stone walls of the school, time ticked forward with unnerving quiet, the chimes echoing like whispered warnings.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIt61jXPdhW
Valen sat on the edge of the courtyard's weathered stone fountain, books untouched beside him. His eyes tracked a bird pecking breadcrumbs on the cobblestone-free, unbound, ignorant of the heavy decisions pressing on his shoulders. The debate results were pinned outside the hall; he had topped them again, naturally. But the letter in his pocket felt heavier than any accolade-an offer from Aethon Academy, overseas. A full scholarship.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbBUC0pi2T0
He hadn't told anyone. Not even Kaeli, not Eshon, not even his parents-not that they cared.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pE28CGFSq
"You're going to say no again, aren't you?"16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyJ6uIdYXle
The voice made him flinch slightly. It was Eshon. Casually dressed in the school's rolled-up uniform and untucked shirt, but eyes sharp, observant.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMTbkEE8T4
"Because of Kaeli?" Eshon continued, lowering himself beside Valen. "Or because of the oath we made?"16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIuyUvQc8Nr
Valen didn't answer immediately. He looked down at his hands, long fingers locked together, almost trembling. "I don't know anymore."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq8nSzI7GAR
Eshon sighed, leaning back, head tilted to the sky. "I love that boy, but sometimes I wonder if we're all just ghosts tied to his chain."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLRcEboiUy
Before Valen could respond, a sudden commotion drew their attention-16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfpsI1oQ55f
The Belles were making their entrance. Moira led, as always. Draped in shades of sapphire, lips glossed like knives, she walked with the grace of someone who knew silence was her strongest weapon. Behind her, Lianne whispered into Aria's ear, laughter trailing behind them like perfume.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDtoJQhlyuH
"Ah," Eshon said dryly, "the monarchs have arrived."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6IDQY9OMz
"Do you ever wonder who they are when no one's watching?" Valen asked.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN87mxGCWrV
Eshon smiled wryly. "I do. But I'm afraid if I ever found out, I'd lose all respect."
Scene 5: The Threads We Pull16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRpYkrpFFQ5
Meanwhile, across the East Hall, Elara sat in the library alcove, barely aware of the book she was pretending to read. The conversation she overheard earlier echoed louder than any printed word.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSThQgJ3trl
"Kaeli's different around you," Aria had said, moments before being hushed by Moira.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEbo92BWO2
Different. The word clung like dew.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOojclqyDn9
Jay's words last night still hung in her mind, too. "Some things don't need answers, Elara. They just need silence."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlhYXy0vW1l
But silence was not her nature.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrkkcjd3kE
"Planning to start a revolution from the fiction aisle?"16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMim5m3Fwb3
Kaeli's voice.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmGNOf8Vtb
She turned slowly. He leaned on the edge of the wooden bookshelf, arms crossed, a soft tension around his jaw. His presence seemed to mute everything else.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRV4PhI12T
"I was actually deciding whether monsters in stories make more sense than monsters in real life," Elara replied calmly.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnQaLSXcR8
Kaeli blinked once, then gave the faintest nod. "In stories, they lose."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡietGxh7lFw
"Do they?" she asked.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHE8PdV3iay
He didn't answer. Instead, he reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a folded page, and placed it on the table in front of her.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1YcPfqAwB
"What's this?" she asked.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfs7QZQoSFV
"Something you shouldn't read. But will."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGKRZtJauZ
He turned and walked away before she could open it.
Scene 6: At the Edge of Ash16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkQOR46XiO
Night fell like ink over the Veil household. Jay stood in the study, staring at an old blueprint of the city-marked with faded lines and codes only he understood. Elara's presence was an earthquake he hadn't prepared for. She saw too much. Dug too deep.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCa5dhRufae
His phone buzzed.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbadHVztUOy
A message from Seraphine: "The Council's watching. You're behind schedule."16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dHfA4YYze
He ran a hand through his hair. The past was a wound that refused to close, and every attempt to stitch it reopened something else. He glanced at the family photo tucked behind a bookcase. Their parents, smiling like the world hadn't shattered.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMlrTXVdsL
"From guilt to grace," he muttered, the words a bitter prophecy.16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdAq6NTzwt
But even prophecy could be rewritten. And Jay was done being haunted.
16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHgkH7USOC
