The Introvert

Lena's breath was shallow, her fingers curling into fists at her sides.

The stranger was too close now—close enough that she could see the way the light caught in his golden eyes, the slight smirk playing on his lips.

Something about him felt off. Not just in the way he moved, or how his presence seemed to bend the air around him, but in the way her body reacted to him.

A warning screamed at her to run.

But something deeper—darker—kept her rooted in place.

"What do you mean, you want me to join you?" Lena asked, her voice steady despite the storm inside her.

The boy chuckled. "Exactly what it sounds like."

Lena narrowed her eyes. "And why would I ever do that?"

His smirk deepened. "Because if you don't, you'll never survive what's coming."

Lena swallowed.

She wanted to believe this was a bluff—another mind game from The Vanished. But the weight of his words, the certainty in his voice, sent a chill through her.

"What's coming?" she asked, forcing herself to meet his gaze.

He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "War."

The word hung in the air between them, thick with meaning.

Lena stiffened. "A war between who?"

The boy's golden eyes gleamed. "Between those who want to control you…" he paused, tilting his head slightly, "and those who want to set you free."

Lena swallowed. "And The Vanished? Which side are they on?"

His smile was slow, lazy, but his eyes were sharp. "That depends on you."

Lena's stomach twisted.

She hated this—hated how easily he could turn her thoughts into a tangled mess of doubt.

She hated how calm he was, how certain he seemed that she would consider his offer.

But most of all—

She hated the part of her that actually wanted to know more.

"You're lying," she said, shaking her head. "The Vanished don't free people. They hunt them."

Something flickered across his expression, gone too fast for her to catch.

"And yet," he murmured, "here I am—offering you a choice."

Lena's heartbeat pounded in her ears.

She had spent her whole life being invisible. A shadow in the background. Someone who wasn't important enough to be noticed.

But now—they all wanted her.

The Watchers.

The Vanished.

Even Ethan, despite his usual arrogance, was desperate to keep her from them.

And that terrified her.

Because it meant she wasn't just some lost girl anymore.

She was something more.

Something dangerous.

Lena's fingers clenched.

"I don't trust you."

The boy let out a quiet laugh. "Good. You shouldn't."

Lena frowned.

He was toying with her.

Or maybe… he was warning her.

She exhaled sharply. "What's your name?"

For the first time, the boy hesitated.

Then, with an amused tilt of his head, he answered, "Kian."

The name settled in her mind like a whisper—dangerous, mysterious, unshakable.

Lena didn't move.

Didn't speak.

And Kian took that as an invitation to step closer, his voice dropping to a near whisper.

"You don't have to decide now," he murmured. "But when the time comes—when you're out of options—"

His golden eyes burned into hers.

"Remember that I gave you one."

Lena's breath caught.

And just like that—

He was gone.

No movement.

No footsteps.

Just—vanished.

Lena stood there for a long moment, her hands trembling.

She had questions.

Too many.

But the biggest one—the one that wouldn't stop echoing in her mind—was terrifyingly simple.

What happens when I run out of choices?

And deep down, she already knew the answer.

She wouldn't be running at all.

She would be falling.

---

Unraveling the Truth

Lena didn't tell Ethan about Kian.

She wasn't sure why.

Maybe because she knew what Ethan's reaction would be. Maybe because she didn't trust Ethan as much as she wanted to.

Or maybe…

Maybe because a part of her wanted to hear Kian out.

She shook the thought away.

She had more pressing problems.

Like the fact that she had disappeared mid-air last night.

Ethan had said she was evolving. That whatever was inside her—whatever made her different—was growing stronger.

She needed to understand why.

And there was only one way to do that.

That night, long after her parents had gone to sleep, Lena sat on her bedroom floor, staring at her hands.

Come on, she thought. Do it again.

She closed her eyes.

Focused.

Remembered the way it had felt—like the world itself had bent around her, like time had split open to pull her through.

She reached for that feeling.

And then—

She felt it.

A strange, weightless pull—like gravity had loosened its grip.

She opened her eyes—

And gasped.

Because she wasn't in her room anymore.

She was standing in the middle of the street.

Barefoot.

Alone.

With no memory of how she got there.

Panic shot through her.

No. No, this wasn't possible.

She spun, heart hammering, trying to process what had just happened—

Then—

A voice.

"You're getting better at that."

Lena froze.

She turned slowly—

And found Kian.