It all happened so fast. One moment, I was standing in the kitchen with Grandpa, the weight of the boy's warning still pressing down on me, and the next, we were packing in a rush, throwing clothes into duffel bags, grabbing whatever we could. Grandpa's movements were swift, deliberate, but his face was pale, his eyes haunted. He didn't say much, just kept repeating, "We need to move quickly."
I didn't ask why. There was no point. I already knew something terrible was coming, something bigger than I could understand, and Grandpa was trying to protect me, he always had. But the presence of the boy, Sky, as I later learned, was enough to make my skin crawl. He moved with us, silent and calm, like he belonged, but I couldn't shake the feeling that his eyes never left me.
He was always there, watching from the corner of my vision, his cold blue-silver eyes never quite meeting mine, but always aware of me. The silence between us was thick, like a wall I couldn't break through. He never spoke unless he was addressed directly, and even then, his voice was soft, controlled, like he was a warrior who had seen too much.
Grandpa drove as if we were being chased, his knuckles white on the steering wheel, his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror every few seconds. I sat in the back, my mind racing with questions, but I didn't dare ask. The answers seemed just out of reach, like they were too dangerous for me to know.
Sky sat next to me, his presence a constant weight. I could feel him watching me, even when I wasn't looking. I pretended to ignore it, but it was hard not to notice the way he carried himself, like he was always ready for something. His body tense, alert, as though his senses were always on edge. There was no warmth in his gaze, just coldness. But there was something else too, something… familiar.
"Are we safe?" I finally asked, my voice trembling, unable to keep the panic out of it.
Grandpa's eyes flicked to me in the rearview mirror, his face tight. "We're as safe as we can be for now. Just trust me, Jasmine. I'll keep you safe."
But I wasn't sure anymore. How could I? The world I knew was crumbling, and everything felt uncertain, terrifying. I glanced at Sky again, and this time, his eyes met mine. There was no emotion there, just a chilling calmness, like he had accepted the darkness that was about to descend.