As class was ongoing, Claire's mind was already far away.
The lecturer's voice faded into the background, blending into a dull noise she could no longer process. Her eyes were open, but she wasn't really seeing anything.
Her thoughts were elsewhere.
Somewhere heavy.
Somewhere unsafe.
"Miss Claire," the lecturer called suddenly. "Answer the question."
A few heads turned immediately.
Claire didn't move.
No response.
"Miss Claire?" he repeated, a little louder this time.
A student beside her gently tapped her arm.
That finally pulled her back.
She blinked quickly, startled, sitting up straight as if she had been dragged out of deep water.
"Sorry sir—what did you say?"
The lecturer exhaled, already irritated.
"Answer the question on the board."
Claire turned toward the board.
Blank.
Her mind was blank too.
She hadn't heard anything. Not the explanation. Not the question. Nothing.
Panic started creeping in.
She swallowed.
"I… I don't know, sir."
A silence dropped over the class.
Then_
She felt it.
A shift.
Something wrong.
Her instincts tightened instantly.
And then she saw him.
Alexander.
He had turned slightly in his seat, his eyes meeting hers.
For a moment, everything else disappeared.
The classroom. The students. The lecturer.
Even the question.
Just him.
Then reality snapped back like a whip.
The lecturer's voice sharpened.
"You can't answer the question?"
Something about his tone… changed.
The air in the room felt heavier.
Claire's chest tightened.
Her heartbeat spiked.
And then—
She saw it.
Not him anymore.
Not the lecturer she knew.
Something else.
Something wearing him.
Her breath caught.
No… not again.
The figure stepped forward slightly, and the classroom felt like it tilted.
Claire's chair scraped back violently.
"No…" she whispered.
Then louder—
"Leave me alone!"
Her voice cracked through the room.
Heads turned, but the students didn't react normally.
They didn't react at all.
They just stared.
Empty.
Blank.
Like they were watching something only she could see.
The thing in front of her tilted its head.
Its mouth moved.
"Vrde me hwu."
The sound was wrong.
Not a language meant for human throat.
Claire froze.
Her hands started shaking.
What does that even mean…?
It took another step forward.
The desk between them didn't matter.
Distance didn't matter.
Nothing mattered.
It reached.
Claire snapped.
She screamed and stumbled backward, hitting a chair and falling hard to the floor.
Her hands went over her head instinctively.
Waiting.
Bracing.
For impact.
For claws.
For pain.
But—
Nothing came.
Silence.
Slowly, trembling, she lifted her head.
The classroom was normal.
The lecturer stood at the front, confused.
Worried.
The students were just watching her like she had suddenly become the problem.
Like nothing had happened.
Claire's breath hitched.
Her vision blurred.
"Miss Claire…" the lecturer said carefully.
"Are you okay?"
Her throat burned.
Tears welled instantly.
"No, sir," she whispered. Then, after a pause, "Can I… go to the bathroom?"
The lecturer hesitated only a moment.
"Yes. Go."
That was all it took.
Claire stood up too quickly and rushed out of the classroom.
Her vision blurred completely as tears finally fell.
She didn't care who saw.
She didn't care anymore.
Alex nearly stood up to follow her immediately.
Something in him snapped the moment she ran out.
But—
"Alex," Mariah called softly, too quickly. "The lecture is about to start."
He turned sharply.
His glare was cold enough to silence her.
Mariah smiled innocently, as if she hadn't done anything at all.
After a pause, the lecturer continued weakly.
"Let's… continue."
But Alex wasn't listening anymore.
Claire didn't return for the rest of the class.
She locked herself inside the bathroom stall, sitting on the closed toilet seat, knees pulled close to her chest.
Her breath was uneven.
Her hands still trembled slightly.
Outside, voices moved past the bathroom door—laughing, chatting, living normal lives.
Normal.
That word felt distant to her now.
She stayed there until the noise faded completely.
Until silence returned.
Only then did she step out.
The hallway was almost empty.
And there he was.
Alexander.
Waiting.
Like he had been there the whole time.
Claire stopped instantly.
Her chest tightened.
That feeling came back again—
That stupid, dangerous urge.
To run to him.
To collapse into him.
To tell him everything.
Everything she had been carrying alone.
But then—
Another thought cut through her.
Cleo.
Her expression changed immediately.
She forced her emotions down.
Buried them.
Locked them away.
No.
She couldn't.
Not now.
Not with him.
Not with anyone.
Alex stepped forward slightly.
"Are you okay?" he asked gently. "How are you feeling?"
Her throat tightened instantly.
That voice again.
That softness.
It made her almost break.
Almost.
But she stopped herself.
She had to.
Her fingers curled tightly at her sides.
"Why does it bother you?" she asked sharply.
Her voice was colder than she intended.
Frustration spilled out.
Confusion.
Fear.
Everything she had been holding in.
Alex blinked, taken aback.
Claire shook her head slightly, as if trying to clear her thoughts.
"I don't even know you that well," she added quietly, more to herself than to him.
But her voice trembled.
Because the truth was—
She didn't trust anyone anymore.
Not fully.
Not even herself.
Her thoughts scattered again.
The creatures.
The whispers.
That strange voice she sometimes heard when her mother was around.
The things that only she could see.
Am I losing it?
The thought hit harder than anything else.
Maybe it was hallucination.
Maybe stress.
Maybe her mind breaking apart piece by piece.
But then—
Why did it feel so real?
Why did no one ever see what she saw?
Why did everyone always tell her to "rest" or "calm down"?
Something was wrong.
She exhaled shakily.
"I need a doctor," she muttered under her breath.
Then she turned and walked away.
"Claire, wait!" Alex called after her. "What's going on? Did I do something wrong?"
His voice followed her down the hallway.
She paused for half a second.
Just one.
Her shoulders tightened.
Because if she stopped—
She might fall apart completely.
So she didn't.
"Stay away from me, Alex," she said quietly.
He froze.
Her words hit harder than expected.
Alex stood still, replaying everything in his mind.
Every moment.
Every reaction.
Every strange shift in her eyes.
Claire ran.
Tears blurred her vision again as she rushed out of the building.
The wind hit her face as she stepped outside, but it didn't help.
Nothing did.
Behind her, Alex started forward instinctively—
Then stopped.
Something in him hesitated.
And for the first time that day…
He let her go.