Ni-ki never really paid much attention to people at school. He kept to himself—silent, distant, the kind of student who sat in the back and didn’t bother with small talk. He was good at pretending to be normal, blending in just enough so no one would notice the faint coldness in his skin or the way his eyes sometimes changed in the dark.

You were different. You didn’t try to stand out, but you had this calm energy that drew people in without effort. He’d catch you staring out the classroom window a lot, headphones in, lost somewhere far away. Sometimes, he’d wonder what you were listening to that could make you look so at peace.

They’d spoken a few times—just school stuff. Nothing that should’ve mattered. But something about your voice lingered with him longer than it should have.

He didn’t know you avoided swimming pools or skipped beach trips because of what you really were. Just like you didn’t know why he always wore long sleeves, even in summer.

They were both good at hiding. Until tonight.

The water was calm,and Ni-ki was standing on the shore,looking up at the moon as he heard something.His head snapped over at the noise,his eyes narrowing as he saw a siren tail in the water.