Harriet Gozon: Legion Academy

"They're coming," Kyle whispered again, his voice trembling like it carried the weight of the world.

Harriet's teeth sank into her bottom lip, her hands curling into tight fists. What if these things ripped her apart limb by limb? The image flashed through her mind, grotesque and vivid. Or worse... what if they started with her toes? The thought sent a cold wave through her stomach, twisting it into knots. This is it. She was done for.

"That's not going to happen," Kyle said suddenly, his voice cutting through the suffocating silence. It wasn't loud or commanding, but there was a steadiness to it, like he wasn't just telling her—he was telling the universe itself. "Not on my watch."

Harriet froze. Her heart stuttered, and for a brief second, she felt... steady. But then her brain caught up, and the overthinking kicked in. Wait a minute. How does he know what I'm thinking?

Her eyes shot to Kyle's back as he kept moving ahead. Was Kyle some kind of... psychic? No, that was ridiculous. Totally absurd. But the thought planted itself firmly in her mind, stubborn as a weed. Or was it really that absurd?

A chill zipped up her spine, making her shoulders stiffen. Her gut told her something was off... scratch that, everything was off. 

The air around them felt heavy, buzzing faintly, like the world was holding its breath. Somewhere in the distance, there was a faint scrape, and her brain immediately supplied the worst possibilities. Claws? Teeth? Something worse? Her steps faltered for half a second.

Before she could blurt out the million questions bouncing in her head, Kyle let out a sigh. Not the I'm mad kind of sigh, this one was worse. It was the "you're exhausting" kind. Harriet clenched her jaw.

"It's your face," Kyle said, not even bothering to look back at her. "You're like an open book."

Her face? Her face? Harriet blinked, fighting the urge to slap her hands over her cheeks like she'd been caught spilling all her secrets. Did she really wear her thoughts so plainly? She didn't like the idea of that. Especially not when Kyle was looking at her like she was some puzzle he'd already solved, no big deal.

Something in her stomach twisted, but she shoved the feeling away. "Okay," she said, crossing her arms, even though her voice wobbled just a little. "But how do you know? How can you be so sure they're, you know..." She gestured vaguely into the dark. "Not normal?"

Kyle slowed down just a bit, enough for her to see the way his jaw tightened. Was that hesitation? Guilt? It flickered across his face and disappeared before she could pin it down.

"They were flying."

Flying. Harriet froze mid-step. That word... it just hung in the air like it should mean something. But all it did was mess with her brain. Flying. Birds fly. Planes fly. But people? Her fingers twitched, curling into fists at her sides as if holding onto something tangible might stop her thoughts from spiraling.

She blinked a couple times, expecting Kyle to burst out laughing, to say "Gotcha!" and move on. But nope. He didn't.

"Flying?" she echoed, her voice catching. "As in... actually hovering above the ground?"

Kyle's jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing. "Yes. I wouldn't tell you this if it wasn't real, Harriet."

The words hit her like a slap in the face. A cold shiver snaked down her spine, coiling in the pit of her stomach. Her breath felt heavy in her chest, like her body knew something her brain didn't want to accept.

Flying.

The word buzzed in her head again, but this time, it tugged at something deeper, an echo of a memory she couldn't quite grab. A flash of shapes moving through a crimson haze blinked through her mind like a glitchy video, leaving her heart racing. She shook her head, like that would somehow help clear it. Nope. Still there.

"This is insane," she muttered, mostly to herself. Her gut twisted, like it was trying to tell her something her brain couldn't wrap around yet. Kyle wasn't lying. She didn't want to believe him but who would? 

Then her thoughts flipped straight to Missle. If this whole flying-people thing was legit, Missle could be in danger.

Harriet's stomach churned. She couldn't just stand here.

Harriet pulled back, ready to yank her hand from Kyle's grip and bolt back to the dorm. Missle could be in danger, and the thought made her heart race. She took a step—

Smack.

She bumped straight into Kyle's back, stopping so abruptly that her forehead throbbed. She winced, her hand flying up to rub at the sore spot. "Ow..." she muttered, trying to focus through the sudden sting.

Before she could ask why Kyle had stopped, a voice spoke.

"Well, well, looks like you've been busy," someone said, smooth and casual, but the tone sent a chill crawling down her spine.

Harriet froze, her head snapping up. That voice wasn't Kyle's. And it definitely wasn't hers.

Ahead of them stood five figures. The four of them looked... wrong. Like their faces had been wiped clean by some kind of moving fog. No eyes, no mouths... just a thick, unnatural haze blurring their features. 

The fifth figure stood in sharp contrast. His face was painfully clear. Sharp cheekbones, eyes that seemed to see right through her, and a smile that wasn't friendly, not even a little.

His gaze locked onto hers, and for a second, everything else seemed to fade. The air felt heavier. A chill crept up her spine as those eyes held her, unblinking, like they were seeing through her. Who was he?

Harriet glanced at Kyle, but his face remained unreadable, the kind of expression that told her nothing. It only made her feel more exposed.

Swallowing hard, she managed to push the words out, though her voice came out weaker than she'd hoped. "Who are you?" It sounded braver in her head, but out loud? It was shaky like she wasn't sure she even wanted to hear the answer.

Kyle's voice sliced through the silence, colder than she expected. "It's them."

Them? Harriet's mind scrambled to catch up. She blinked, glancing between Kyle and the strangers, still struggling to make sense of it all. "They're the ones you meant?"

Her eyes shot back to the group, and her stomach flipped. The fog surrounding the others only made everything feel even stranger. Why were they blurry, and why was this one guy, the one staring at her like he knew something, so clear? He stood out, like one of those people who'd get noticed in a crowd. Handsome, even. But there was something in his gaze that made her feel exposed, like he was reading her thoughts, maybe even seeing something she wasn't supposed to let anyone see.

She swallowed hard, trying to ignore the cold feeling creeping up her spine.

The man smirked. It wasn't friendly. It was like he knew something, something she didn't. Something she wasn't supposed to know. "Thanks," he said, his voice smooth, as if everything unfolding right now was perfectly normal for him.

Harriet's stomach turned. Thanks? For what? What the hell was going on?

Harriet frowned, her brain short-circuiting. Was Kyle about to hand her over to these people? Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was trying to escape her chest. She should move. Run. Scream. Do something. But her feet stayed glued to the ground, and all she could do was stare at Kyle's back, waiting for him to explain the unexplainable.

And then he spoke, his voice cold and sharp. "I won't give you to those evil creatures, Harriet."

Her stomach dropped. Evil creatures? What the hell was he even talking about? Her head felt like it was spinning in circles, trying to make sense of his words.

But then... how did he know? Her mouth had been zipped shut this whole time. She hadn't said a single word, hadn't even made a sound. So how—

Her chest tightened as a horrifying thought crept in. Was that why he stopped me earlier? Was Kyle actually protecting her? Or was this all some kind of game?

Her breath hitched as panic clawed its way up her throat. She swallowed it down, forcing herself to speak. "Kyle..." she whispered, her voice so shaky it didn't even sound like hers. "Are you one of those... evil creatures?"