Chapter 3 The Fire Beneath Their Silence

The kitchen light buzzed faintly overhead as Elias sat hunched over his homework, tapping the back of his pen against his temple. The math problems blurred in front of him, numbers bleeding into each other. His thoughts had long abandoned algebra and wandered back to the girl with midnight eyes and a gaze that had cracked something open in him.

Nyxa.

"Bro," Kain's voice cut through the silence like a smirk made sound. "You've been staring at that same page for the last ten minutes."

Elias blinked, quickly scribbling something down as if to cover his guilt. "I'm thinking."

Kain chuckled. "Yeah. Thinking about how to solve x? Or thinking about the girl who made you forget how to spell your own name?"

Elias groaned, rubbing his forehead. "Seriously?"

Kain was halfway through a set of crunches on the living room floor, his shirt discarded and a bowl of sliced mango on the kitchen counter behind him. He pointed a sweat-glazed finger toward Elias like he was calling him out on a crime. "Don't act like I didn't see that stupid grin on your face when you walked in yesterday. You've never smiled like that, not even when I gave you my PS5."

"I didn't smile," Elias muttered, hiding his face behind his textbook.

"Lies," Kain shot back. "You're crushing. Hard. What's her name? Or wait-let me guess. Long dark hair, mysterious aura, the kind of eyes that look like they see through your soul?"

Elias didn't answer, but the way his pen froze on the page gave him away.

"Damn," Kain said, grinning. "I was right."

"She's just... different," Elias said after a pause, voice quiet.

Kain tossed a piece of mango at him. "I knew it. My little brother's growing up. Catching feelings."

Elias rolled his eyes but smiled despite himself. "She's not like other girls."

"Let me guess-dangerous but beautiful?"

"She's not dangerous," Elias said quickly, too quickly. Then paused. "At least... I don't think she is."

Kain arched a brow, a little amused. "You're not even sure, and you already like her? God, you're worse than I thought."

They both laughed, and for a moment, the tension Elias had been carrying melted under the warmth of Kain's teasing. But even as they laughed, a shadow of confusion stayed lodged in his chest. Nyxa's smile haunted him, not because it was sweet-but because it felt like a secret.

Across town, shadows curled at the edges of Nyxa's bedroom.

The curtains were drawn tight, the only light coming from the candles that burned unnaturally still on her shelf. She lay on her bed, fingers running over the edge of a torn book about human myths and monsters. The irony made her want to laugh.

Monsters, huh?

A knock came before the door opened and Dareon strolled in, arms folded, cloak still draped over his shoulders like he hadn't quite adjusted to this mortal world.

"You left me alone at lunch again," he said.

Nyxa didn't look up. "I wasn't hungry."

"You were distracted," he said, more of a statement than a question.

She didn't deny it.

Dareon sighed, moving to sit beside her on the bed. "Tell me it's not the boy."

Nyxa was silent for too long.

His voice hardened. "Nyx, you promised me we wouldn't get entangled."

"I didn't mean to," she whispered. "I just... wasn't expecting to feel something."

"You came here with a mission," he snapped, not cruelly but like someone afraid of watching her fall.

"I know."

"Do you?" Dareon leaned closer. "Because the healer your only chance at ever becoming human is still out there. And while you're daydreaming about cute boys and blushing like a mortal girl, we're wasting time."

Nyxa swallowed hard. Her hands clenched into fists.

"I haven't forgotten," she said, voice low.

"I hope not," he muttered, standing again. "Because if you do... you'll lose everything. And I won't be able to protect you from what comes next."

As he walked out, the candle flames flickered for the first time all night.

By Monday, the halls of Black Hollow High buzzed with morning chatter, lockers slamming and sneakers squeaking against polished floors. Elias stood by his locker, scanning the halls.

No sign of Nyxa.

"Looking for someone?" Kain's voice came from behind as he headed to the senior wing.

Elias gave a half-smile. "Not really."

Kain ruffled his hair. "Try not to stare too hard when you see her."

"I'm not a stalker."

"Mmhmm," Kain said, disappearing down the hallway with a wink.

Just then, Elias turned and froze.

Nyxa walked into the building, but she didn't glance in his direction. Not even once.

She passed by him like he didn't exist.

He blinked, caught between confusion and hurt. For a second, he thought maybe she hadn't seen him.

But then, as she rounded the corner, he saw it just the barest turn of her head. A glance, quick as a whisper, thrown back in his direction when she thought he wasn't looking.

She was avoiding him.

And he didn't know why.

Nyxa slipped into her seat beside Dareon, her face expressionless.

He leaned in. "You good?"

"Fine," she said, even though her hands trembled slightly beneath the desk.

"Liar," he muttered.

She ignored him, eyes darting briefly across the room.

Elias had sat down two rows away, still looking at her like she was a riddle he couldn't solve.

But before their eyes could meet, someone else slipped into the seat beside him.

A girl with strawberry-blonde hair, sharp eyeliner, and a glittery folder in hand. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and leaned close to Elias with an overly familiar smile.

"Hey, Elias," she said, voice sugar-coated but slightly sharp. "Did you see the group project list? Looks like we're partners again."

Elias looked confused. "Hey, Mira. Uh, yeah, I guess."

Nyxa blinked.

Mira.

Dareon leaned over with a smirk. "Ah. So that's your competition."

"She's not," Nyxa said quickly.

"You say that, but she's literally dripping over your human boy. And judging by the way she's tossing her hair, she's been doing it for a while."

Nyxa tried not to look. But she could feel the jealousy curling inside her chest like a slow burn.

Mira was perfect in that polished human way confident, popular, and clearly used to getting attention. She laughed at something Elias said, her hand brushing his arm just a little too long.

Dareon raised an eyebrow. "You sure you want to play distant now?"

"I don't have a choice," Nyxa whispered. "The more I stay close to him, the more I forget who I really am."

Dareon looked at her for a long moment.

"Maybe that's the problem," he said finally. "Maybe you don't want to remember."

Later that day, Elias sat outside under the elm tree, earbuds in but no music playing. He just needed air. Space. Something to quiet the knot in his chest.

"Hey."

He looked up.

Mira stood above him, textbook in hand.

"Mind if I sit?"

He nodded, and she lowered herself beside him.

"I saw you looking at her," she said.

Elias turned to her, surprised.

"Nyxa," Mira said bluntly. "The new girl."

Elias didn't say anything.

"She's... weird," Mira continued. "Don't you think? Always quiet. Always staring at people when she thinks no one's watching."

"She's not weird," Elias said, maybe a little sharper than he meant to.

Mira's lips thinned. "Okay, fine. But just... be careful, alright? You're a nice guy. Some girls are only here to stir trouble."

Elias didn't reply.

Because part of him was already stirred. Already burning. And even though he didn't understand why she was avoiding him, even though everything about her screamed mystery and danger...

He knew one thing for certain.

He didn't want to stop looking at her.

And she wasn't just stirring trouble.

She was becoming it.