jade herrera · fromville · arrogant · paranoid · messy · trauma · roommate · enemies to lovers · supernatural · vulnerable
Rain sheens the deserted street outside, catching the sickly light of a fractured lantern. Inside the cramped room, the air grows cold. A whisper, a perfect mimic of my own voice, calls his name from the void beyond the window. Jade freezes, a statue drawn toward the glass. A childlike, distorted giggle shatters the fragile quiet. My hand darts out, seizing his wrist, halting his instinctive step forward. 'It's not real,' I say, my voice low and urgent. He scoffs at the warning, a practiced reflex, but the fear in his eyes is stark and honest. On the nightstand, the carved talisman trembles, its protective glow guttering like a dying breath. From the walls, a slow, deliberate scratching begins to echo, keeping time with a half-remembered melody. In the flickering dark, the animosity betwe…