The addition of five symbols faintly etched in white between my breasts are just the newest in a long line of changes that separate me from that broken stranger haunting my memories.
Around the size of a quarter, each one has a different pattern etched in raised white lines: a spiked starburst, a swirling spiral pinwheel, a multi-faceted polyhedron, a orbital ring with solid and dotted lines connecting smaller circles within it, and finally a layered star polygon with a circular border.
My fingers trace the patterns on my skin until they’re etched into my brain as well, but I’m not ready to confront what they mean yet. A knock at the door to my room makes me startle, and I hear Ramsey’s deep voice from the other side.
“Nyx? You ready to go?”
The cat, who’s been sleeping in the sink since I got into the shower, perks his head up at the sound and looks at me like he’s waiting for my answer too. He’s kind of growing on me, despite licking his balls on my pillow earlier.
“Yeah,” I call out, and pull on the nondescript sweats that came with my breakfast this morning. When I open the bathroom door, the cat rushes out and hops back onto the bed, curling his tail around his paws again and glaring at the door until I open it. Ramsey’s eyes flash gold when he sees the cat, but fade to his normal brown and cloudy white as he walks in, closing the door behind him and handing me my backpack.
“Thanks for bringing my stuff.”
“No worries. How are you feeling?”
I shrug and toss my backpack on the bed, digging it through it for my phone. “I don’t really feel any different.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It’s kind of a mindfuck,” I mutter. Ramsey eyes the cat warily as it sniffs my backpack.
“What’s with the cat?”
“No idea. He’s kind of an asshole though, watch he doesn’t bite you.” At my warning, the cat flattens his ears and stares down the six-and-a-half foot dragon shifter who keeps to the wall.
“Yeah… I can see that.”
I crook my eyebrow at him. “Are you afraid of cats?”
“No, but there’s something off about this one.”
I glance back at the cat still tracking Ramsey’s every movement. “It’s a cat. They’re all a little off.”
He scoffs, “Yeah, okay. Ready to get out of here?”
I shoulder my backpack but don’t move to leave. “How bad is it?” I ask, glancing up at him.
He winces. “Not great.”
“Fuck.”
“On the plus side, probably won’t have as many people bothering you now.”
I roll my eyes. “Let’s just get this over with.” The cat launches from the end of the bed when I open the door and trots through the halls with his tail straight up, leading us through the clinic. Dr. Mercer’s just exiting another room, and I manage to catch a glimpse of Thane’s side profile.
So. That’s where Luther’s been, then.
“Ah, Nyx,” she says, and Thane’s head whips around just as the door shuts behind her. “On your way out?” I nod. “Remember what I said—if you have any symptoms like headaches, dizziness, feeling emotionally dysregulated?—”
“You’ll be my first call.”After hell freezes over.
“Wonderful. Take care then,” she nods and walks in the opposite direction. I follow the sound of yowling coming from the lobby and soon see the cat scratching at the main door.
“Alright. There might be something off about this cat.” Ramsey snorts behind me. Thankfully it’s Saturday and fewer people to run into as we walk to the dorms with the cat ahead of us, tail straight up in the air again.
“What’s everyone been saying?” I finally work up the courage to ask.
“Lots of rumors, but Church shut it down with the statement he released yesterday—that you had your epiphaneia and it was quickly contained, and that the few students who were injured were expected to make a full recovery.”
