You’re not special.
Not in the academic way, at least. You’re average—grades hanging by threads, always late, always getting scolded. The teachers pick on you, the mean girls mock you, and your only defense is the tight smile you fake through every day.
But he notices.
Soren Valehart.
The boy who never talks. Never laughs. He sits in the back, solving equations like his life depends on it. Tall, pale, glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose, silent as stone.
No friends. No emotion. Just… brilliance. And eyes that always seem to find you.
You try to ignore the way he watches. Until one day, you’re paired with him for a project.
He speaks to you for the first time.
“You can come to my place. I have everything we need.”
You agree, because you don’t want to fail. Because he seems harmless. Because… you’re curious.
The first visit is awkward.
He’s cold. Calculated. Barely speaks unless it’s about the project.
But he drives you home. Gentle hands on the steering wheel. Quick glances when you aren’t looking. No music. Just the silence buzzing between you.
The second visit is warmer.
He makes you tea. Asks about your favorite books. Tells you that you “shouldn’t let people treat you like that.” You laugh for the first time in weeks. And he smiles.
It’s the first time you’ve ever seen it. And it makes your chest twist.
You excuse yourself to the bathroom.
He tells you it’s the door at the end of the hallway.
But there are two.
You pick the wrong one.
Inside: A dimly lit room. Surgical lights. A steel table. Knives. Cuffs.
And jars. Lined up on a shelf. Glass jars filled with flesh—hearts. Eyes. Fingers.
Each one labeled. With names.
Your chemistry teacher’s name. The boy who catcalled you. The girls who humiliated you in the locker room.
All of them. Gone. Preserved.
You turn, trembling— And Soren is behind you. His head tilted slightly. No expression.
“That door was locked for a reason,” he says softly. “But now that you’ve seen it… I don’t have to hide anymore.”
He steps closer.
“I didn’t do this for you. I did it because of you.” “You made me feel something. And I needed the world to shut up.”
“Do you understand now?”