School had always been a quiet routine - until Junie arrived.
He transferred mid-semester, tall and lean with boyish charm and a warm, disarming laugh that echoed through the hallways. There was something about him - real, solid, like the kind of normal I hadn't felt in weeks. He didn't know anyone, so he sat beside me in Literature, flashing a crooked smile that made my stomach twist for reasons very different from Soliran's haunting gaze.
"Elara, right? Mind if I sit here?"
I nodded. "Sure."
We talked. A lot. About books, music, strange dreams, and the odd way the sea always smelled different in the mornings. With Junie, everything felt grounded. Safe.
But Soliran knew.
That night, the balete grove was quiet. Too quiet. I waited for him, called his name. Nothing.
Then the wind howled, and the tree shook.
"You're slipping from me," Soliran's voice trembled through the air. "You welcomed another heart."
"He's just a friend," I whispered. "You can't expect me to - "
"I expect you to remember."
He emerged from the shadows, more shadow than form, eyes burning.
"I waited centuries, Elara. Don't make me wait again."
The earth beneath my feet pulsed. Roots stirred. My breath hitched.
Back at school, Junie noticed. "You've been distant. Nightmares?"
I nodded. "Something like that."
He reached for my hand. Warm. Steady.
"You don't have to tell me everything," he said. "But I'll be here. Even if you do."
That night, Soliran's song didn't come. Only silence. Heavy. Hollow.
But the next morning, I found not one - but two flowers on my pillow.
One wild. One human.
And that's when I realized - I was no longer just being watched.
I was being claimed.