Ava's breath curled in the air as she and Liam moved swiftly through the frost-covered corridor, boots crunching softly against shards of ice and broken tiles. The distant echoes of Frostborns still reverberated somewhere deep within the school, but for now, the third floor was eerily silent.
Liam jogged slightly ahead, shoulders tense, eyes scanning each classroom they passed. Ava trailed close behind, her pulse still unsteady from their last encounter. The chill of the air bit through her jacket, but her thoughts felt strangely warm—lingering on the memory of Liam's shoulder brushing hers, the fleeting touch of his wrist against her fingers. She pushed the thoughts aside. Focus, she told herself.
They turned the corner, skidding slightly on the frost-covered tiles before stopping in front of Class 11-A.
"This is it," Liam murmured.
Ava stepped forward, heart hammering as she peered through the narrow glass window on the door. Her breath fogged the glass as she scanned the room. Desks lay overturned, chairs scattered across the floor. Faint smears of frost clung to the windows and walls, but there were no signs of blood. No bodies. No sign of Riley or the others.
Ava exhaled slowly, her shoulders sagging with relief—and then a flicker of movement caught her eye. She leaned in closer—
A shadow shifted behind a row of desks.
Ava's stomach clenched as her eyes adjusted to the dim light. Shapes emerged from the gloom—figures crouching low, their hollow eyes reflecting faint glimmers of icy blue.
Frostborns.
Her breath caught in her throat, and she started to turn back toward Liam, her lips parting to speak—
But before she could make a sound, Liam stepped close.
His hand pressed gently against her lips, fingertips warm against her chilled skin.
Ava's breath hitched. Her heart, already racing from adrenaline, seemed to stumble over itself. Liam was close—too close. She could feel the heat of him despite the cold air, see the faint mist of his breath as he exhaled softly beside her. Her pulse pounded in her ears as warmth bloomed beneath her skin, creeping from her cheeks to the tips of her ears. She swallowed hard, eyes darting up to meet his.
Liam's gaze wasn't on her, though. It was fixed past her shoulder, narrowed and focused on the classroom beyond the glass. He didn't say a word, just shook his head slightly—barely a movement—and lowered his hand from her lips.
Ava exhaled a shaky breath, heat still prickling at her skin as she forced herself to refocus. Frostborns. 'Focus on the damn Frostborns.'
She leaned back toward the window, this time seeing them clearly—four of them, hunched low as they prowled through the maze of overturned desks. Their skin, pale and frostbitten, glistened faintly beneath the dim light filtering through the cracked windows. One of them paused, lifting its head to sniff at the air, jagged frost spreading across its shoulders as it exhaled a breath of icy mist.
Ava's stomach twisted. Her mind raced with possibilities, all of them bad. Where are Riley and the others?
"…They're inside," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Yeah." Liam leaned closer to the glass, eyes scanning the room with quick, sharp movements. His breath fogged the window as he exhaled slowly. "…But there's no blood. No bodies."
Ava clung to that thought, though it didn't ease the tension winding through her chest. She whispered, "…Then where are they?"
Liam didn't answer. His brow furrowed as his gaze tracked the movements of the Frostborns. One of them prowled toward the back of the classroom, claws scraping faintly against the frozen floor. Another crouched beside an overturned desk, hollow eyes gleaming as it peered into the shadows beneath it.
Ava pressed her fingers lightly against the doorframe, leaning closer without realizing it. She didn't notice the subtle shift beneath her weight until—
Click.
Her eyes widened as the latch gave way. The door creaked open just enough for the icy air inside the classroom to brush against her cheek.
"Shit—"
Before she could react, the floor seemed to tilt beneath her as she stumbled backward—straight toward the open doorway. The faintest whisper of frost and breath echoed from within the room as the nearest Frostborn turned toward the sound.
Liam lunged forward, grabbing her wrist as she lost her balance. His grip was firm but not enough to stop her momentum.
Ava braced for impact—
—and then a hand shot out from the shadows behind them, gripping the back of her jacket and yanking her backward with a force that knocked the air from her lungs.
Liam was pulled with her, stumbling back as the door swung shut with a dull thud that echoed down the corridor.
The Frostborns inside the classroom froze. Hollow eyes flicked toward the glass, breath misting against the cold air. For a moment, they remained still—sniffing, listening.
Then, with slow, deliberate movements, they turned away and slunk back into the shadows of the classroom.
Silence settled over the corridor once more.
Ava's breath came in short, shallow gasps as she twisted toward whoever had pulled them back—
But before she could see their face, a rough whisper cut through the air:
"What the hell are you two doing?!"
Ava's breath hitched as she twisted toward the voice. Riley stood there, eyes sharp with worry, her hand still gripping Ava's jacket. The tension in her shoulders eased slightly as she looked them over, her breath misting faintly in the icy air.
"Seriously—you guys trying to get yourselves killed?" she whispered, glancing back toward the door.
Liam exhaled hard, running a hand through his hair. "We were looking for you. Saw the Frostborns inside, figured you guys must've moved."
"Well, yeah, we're not that stupid." Riley gestured for them to follow. "Come on. The others are in 11-E. Hurry."
They moved quickly and quietly, sticking close to the corridor walls. The air felt heavier now—thicker, colder—as distant echoes of Frostborn movements reverberated through the school. The floor creaked faintly beneath their steps, each sound making Ava's pulse spike.
When they reached 11-E, Riley opened the door just wide enough for them to slip inside before shutting it behind them with a soft click. The room smelled faintly of dust and old paper, desks pushed against the walls to make space. Some students sat on the floor, huddled together beneath jackets and blankets, while others leaned against the walls, eyes hollow with exhaustion.
"Help me with this." Riley gestured to the nearest desk. Liam helped her push it against the door. A few other students moved quickly, stacking chairs and desks to barricade the entrance. The faint scrape of metal against tile echoed in the dim room before silence settled over them again.
Ava exhaled slowly, pulse finally beginning to slow—until she caught the look Mia was giving her.
It was subtle. Just a slight narrowing of the eyes, a shift of her weight as she stood. Her gaze flicked toward Liam, then back to Ava. Before Ava could process it, Mia moved past her with a brush of her shoulder—just enough pressure to make Ava step back—and reached for Liam's arm.
"Are you okay?" Her voice was soft but edged with something Ava couldn't quite place.
Liam blinked, glancing at her. "Yeah. I'm fine."
Mia's fingers lingered for half a second longer before she pulled back, her gaze flicking briefly toward Ava as if to gauge her reaction. Ava pressed her lips together, unsure why her chest felt a little tighter than before.
"Hey." Riley's voice drew her back. She stood beside Ava now, hands stuffed into her jacket pockets. Her shoulders slumped slightly, eyes flicking toward the floor as if she were debating whether to speak. "…Thanks. For earlier, I mean. I know I've been slowing everyone down."
"You're not slowing anyone down." Ava's voice was soft but firm. "And you're not a burden. You're—" Her throat tightened unexpectedly, but she pushed through it. "You're the only one I can really… depend on right now. So stop thinking like that, okay?"
Riley's smile was small, a little strained but genuine. "…Okay."
The room fell into a quiet hum of movement as the group settled in for the night. Liam and Ava passed around the last of the snacks from their supply bag—packets of crackers, granola bars, and a few bottles of water. The air smelled faintly of dust and stale air, but the warmth of food seemed to settle everyone's nerves a little.
When Ava handed a granola bar to Mia, their eyes met. This time, Mia's gaze was steady—cooler than before, her expression unreadable. She took the granola bar with a small nod, but the silence between them lingered longer than it should have.
As the night stretched on, the room grew quieter. The hum of whispered conversations faded until only the faint breaths of sleeping students filled the air. But outside—just beyond the walls—the world wasn't silent.
Every so often, a distant screech would echo through the corridors. Low growls vibrated through the air like distant thunder. Somewhere in the depths of the school, the unmistakable sound of claws scraped against tile. Each time the noises came, the students would stiffen, eyes flicking toward the door as if expecting it to burst open. But it never did.
Eventually, exhaustion won out. One by one, they drifted off.
Ava lay on her side near the back of the room, jacket pulled tightly around her shoulders, but sleep wouldn't come. Her thoughts swirled too fast, memories overlapping until her chest ached from the weight of them. The sound of the Frostborns, the icy breath against her skin, the way Liam had looked at her when he placed his hand over her lips…
Her pulse quickened again at the memory, heat crawling beneath her skin despite the cold air. She squeezed her eyes shut.' Stop.'
'Don't start thinking like that. Don't be stupid.'
Her fingers curled into the fabric of her jacket. The last time she'd let herself get close to Liam, it hadn't ended well. Sixth grade had taught her that lesson—one she didn't need to learn twice.
He was different now. She was different now. And getting close again would only hurt.
'Don't get attached', she told herself again, the words echoing in her chest even as her pulse stubbornly refused to slow. 'Don't get attached or it'll be the same.'
Somewhere outside, a distant screech echoed again, faint but sharp enough to send a chill down her spine. She pulled her top tighter and forced her eyes shut. Sleep, eventually, found her.