Élise didn't remember falling asleep.
She only remembered the shadow.
When she woke up, pale morning light filtered through the curtains. Her apartment was quiet, painfully normal, as if the night before had been nothing more than a nightmare.
But the mark was still there.
The crescent on her wrist was darker now, clearly visible against her skin.
Her phone buzzed.
This time, it wasn't an unknown number.
Adrien.
Are you okay?
Her heart slammed against her chest. She stared at the screen for a long moment before replying.
Élise:
You need to tell me the truth.
Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
Adrien:
Meet me. Same place. Noon.
---
The café was quiet when Élise arrived. Sunlight streamed through the windows, but it did nothing to ease the tension coiling inside her.
Adrien was already there.
He looked exhausted. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and the calm confidence he usually wore was gone.
"You shouldn't have gone home alone last night," he said softly.
Élise sat across from him and slammed her wrist onto the table.
"Then explain this."
Adrien froze.
All the color drained from his face.
"Élise…" His voice dropped to a whisper. "They marked you."
"So it's real," she said bitterly. "The city. The disappearances. The shadows."
He closed his eyes, as if bracing himself.
"I didn't want you involved," he said. "I tried to keep you away from it."
"From what?" she demanded. "From what are you hiding?"
Adrien opened his eyes and finally met her gaze.
"Three years ago," he began, "the girl who disappeared from your building… she didn't vanish."
Élise's breath caught.
"She was chosen," he continued. "Just like you."
Her hands went cold. "Chosen for what?"
"To become part of the city," Adrien said. "To belong to it. To protect it."
"That's insane."
"I know," he replied quietly. "Because I survived it."
Élise stared at him. "What?"
Adrien rolled up his sleeve.
On his wrist was the same crescent mark.
Older. Faded. Scarred.
"I was marked once," he said. "I made a deal at midnight. I stayed. Others didn't."
Her voice trembled. "So what are you now?"
He hesitated.
"Not entirely human," he admitted. "And not entirely theirs."
Silence stretched between them.
"You lied to me," Élise whispered.
"Yes," he said. "Because if they know I care about you, they'll use it."
Tears burned her eyes. "Then why stay near me at all?"
Adrien reached across the table, stopping just short of touching her hand.
"Because if the city chose you," he said softly, "then you're already in danger."
He leaned closer, his voice barely audible.
"And I might be the only one who knows how to stop what happens next."
Outside, the café clock chimed.
11:59 a.m.
Adrien's gaze sharpened.
"Élise," he said urgently, "when the clock strikes twelve tonight—whatever you do—do not answer if the city calls your name."