I woke screaming.
The sound ripped through the quiet like something breaking. For a second, I didn't even know where I was the ceiling above me blurred, the walls strange and unfamiliar. My heart beating so fast ,too fast . I could still feel her panic. The woman. The smoke. The shadows pressing in.
It wasn't my fear. It was hers.but I felt it, I felt everything in my dreams..
My hands shook uncontrollably. I could almost smell the burning air, hear the low growl of the Fiths closing in. Their eyes dark and hollow still flashed behind my eyelids when I blinked.
The door burst open.
"Gwen!"
Lilly's voice. She ran to me, her hair tangled from sleep, her face pale in the morning light. "Hey, hey, breathe. You're okay," she whispered, pulling me into a quick hug.
But I wasn't okay. I could barely speak. "I .. I had a dream it wasn't… it wasn't just a dream. I felt her she was running, she was scared and then the fire…" My voice cracked.
Lilly brushed a hand over my hair. "You've been through a lot. Sometimes this place does that it makes dreams feel real. Try to rest, okay?"
I nodded, even though I didn't believe her.
When she left, I sat staring out the window. Dawn had just begun to spill across the sky, soft and pink, brushing over the trees. It should've been peaceful, but the silence felt heavy. Like the world was holding its breath.
Downstairs, breakfast was waiting. The scent of bread and butter filled the air. Everyone was there Heath, Leo, Felix, and Lilly. They talked quietly, like they'd been up for hours already.
"Morning," Lilly greeted. "Sit, eat."
"morning" Leo said
I took a seat, though my stomach twisted. No one really looked at me except Felix. His gaze was sharp, almost studying. When our eyes met, he looked away instantly, pretending to focus on his plate.
The silence stretched too long. So I said it. "I had a dream," I murmured. "About a woman. The Fiths were after her."
Heath's hand froze midair. Leo's expression dimmed. Lilly's smile faltered.
"Dreams," Heath said finally, "can mean many things here.really"
"Or nothing," Felix muttered under his breath.
His tone stung more than I expected. "It didn't feel like nothing."
He looked up then, eyes flashing. "Everything feels real to you, doesn't it? Maybe that's the problem."
"Felix," Lilly said softly.
But he pushed his chair back and stood, his expression unreadable. "Forget it."
He left, the door creaking shut behind him.
The silence that followed was thick.
That was when I noticed the portrait on the wall two faces smiling, caught in old colors. A man and a woman. The resemblance was clear the same eyes, the same smile as the Ferns.
"They're your parents?" I asked.
Heath nodded slowly. "Yeah."
"They died long ago ,they were… taken by the Fiths," Lilly added, her voice breaking. "We were younger then. Felix was the only one who saw it happen he gets traumatized,
My chest tightened. "I'm sorry," I whispered.
Lilly tried to smile but failed. "He doesn't talk about it. Not anymore."
Later, I found Felix alone in the practice room. The air shimmered faintly around him. Fire danced between his fingers alive, angry, desperate. It painted his face in flickering orange light, the shadows sharp against his jaw.
For a long moment, I just watched. There was pain in the way he moved, every motion tight and precise, like he was trying to control something that refused to be tamed.
"Felix?" I said softly.
He didn't look up. "You shouldn't be here."
"I wanted to say I'm sorry," I began. "For asking about your parents."
The flames flickered. His shoulders stiffened. "You don't have to be sorry. You didn't know."
"I didn't," I admitted. "But I do now. And I wish I hadn't brought it up like that."
He finally turned to me. His eyes glowed faintly in the firelight. "You think words can fix things?" he said quietly. "That 'sorry' makes it better?"
"No," I said. "But pretending doesn't, either."
Something passed between us then raw, sharp silence.
He stepped closer, and for the first time, I saw the hurt in his eyes behind the anger. "You have no idea what this place does to people. To families. You're lucky you still have your fear it means you haven't lost everything yet."
I swallowed hard. "You think I'm lucky?"
He laughed, bitter and soft. "You still scream when you dream. I don't anymore. That's the difference."
The words hit deep.
"I know pain," I whispered. "Not like yours, maybe. But I know what it's like to be scared and not even understand why."
The fire around his hands dimmed. For a second, his voice dropped lower, almost a whisper. "You don't belong here, Gwen. This world it doesn't forgive mistakes."
"Then why am I here?" I asked.
He looked at me, truly looked, and for the first time there wasn't anger just something uncertain. "I wish I knew," he said. "Because ever since you showed up… everything's been different."
Before I could answer, the air shifted. The ground trembled faintly, a vibration that seemed to hum under my skin. My heartbeat quickened.
"Felix…"
He turned just as a golden light flared from my palm.
I gasped. It burned, but not like fire this was alive, pulsing with something deeper. My whole body trembled as it spread, glowing veins of light wrapping around my wrists.
"Gwen stop," Felix said, stepping forward, his voice sharp with alarm.
"I …I can't!"
The power surged, wild and bright, filling the room with warmth and thunder. His fire flickered and died, swallowed by the golden blaze. Papers scattered. The air cracked like lightning.
Felix reached for me, his eyes wide. "Listen to me! Breathe look at me, Gwen!"
"I can't control it!"
Then the light exploded.
The room vanished in a storm of gold.
The last thing I heard was Felix shouting my name loud, desperate before everything went silent.
And then, nothing.