Chapter 3 Latte And Flickers...

It had been a week since the whole "club disaster," as Lana liked to call it.

A full week of teasing, side comments, and playful nudges that never seemed to end.

Una didn't know whether to laugh or roll her eyes as they sat in their favourite corner of the small café down the street. The place smelled like roasted coffee beans and baked croissants, the kind of warm smell that wrapped around you and made everything feel calm.

"So," Lana said with that sly grin she always had, stirring her drink lazily, "guess who ran out of the library the second he saw me?"

Una groaned. "Lana, please. Don't tell me..."

"Oh, I'm telling you," Lana cut in, her grin widening. "He said, and I quote, 'I'm not sitting anywhere near your friend Una. That girl's got demon strength.'"

Una almost choked on her laughter. "He did not say that."

"He did!" Lana insisted, laughing. "You should've seen his face. The poor guy looked like he'd seen a ghost. Honestly, I don't know what you did to him that night, but you've officially made history."

Una tried to laugh it off, though she felt that tiny knot of unease in her chest. "Yeah, well... maybe I just have good reflexes."

"Reflexes that throw people into walls?"

"Shut up," Una said, nudging her playfully. "You're impossible. And for the umpteenth time, Lana! It wasn't a wall."

They both laughed, and for a moment, everything felt normal again.

When the waitress came over, she smiled brightly at them. "The usual?"

"Yeah," Lana said. "One caramel latte, extra foam, and a cappuccino for me."

As the waitress left, Lana leaned forward on her elbows. "So, have you told Aunt Reina about it?"

Una shook her head. "She says I need to stop hanging around boys who can't handle a little push."

Lana giggled, and Una joined in. Their laughter carried softly through the café, mixing with the gentle buzz of conversation.

A few minutes later, the waitress came back with their drinks. "Careful, they're hot," she said, setting them down. But just as she was about to place Una's cup on the table, her hand slipped a little.

The latte tilted forward, just a second away from spilling all over Una's lap.

Without thinking, Una's eyes darted to it.

The cup froze. Not in midair, not dramatically but just enough. The liquid steadied, the waitress blinked in confusion, and somehow, the cup ended up perfectly upright on the table, without a single drop spilt.

"Oh...uh, that was close," the waitress mumbled, embarrassed, and hurried off.

Lana blinked. "Okay... did you see that?"

"See what?" Una asked, pretending to laugh.

"The cup. It..." Lana stopped, frowning slightly. "Never mind. Must've been my eyes."

Una shrugged and lifted her drink. "You've had too much caffeine."

But Lana didn't look convinced. She kept watching Una, her brow furrowed just a bit. "It's weird, though. For a second, I could've sworn your eyes... did something. Like they flickered or glowed or something."

Una almost snorted into her cup. "Lana, you seriously need sleep."

Lana laughed finally, shaking her head. "Yeah, yeah. Fine. But if you start floating next week, I'm selling your story to Netflix."

They both burst out laughing again, and the air between them eased. But as Una took another sip, she couldn't help glancing at the cup.

The memory of that frozen moment stuck in her head, and deep down, under the laughter, under the normalcy, something inside her whispered that it hadn't been an accident.

By the time Una and Lana got back to campus, the sun had already climbed high enough to make the courtyard glow gold. Students were scattered everywhere, chatting in groups, rushing to classes, or lounging lazily under trees that lined the long stretch of the walkway.

Lana was still teasing her about the "coffee magic show," but Una wasn't really listening. Her mind was elsewhere.

Because as funny as Lana made it sound, she knew deep down that what happened back there wasn't a coincidence.

She'd seen it before.

The flicker. The strange light that came and went in her eyes was like a shadow playing tricks.

It used to happen rarely, once in a long while when she was angry, scared, or... hurt. But lately, it felt like it was happening more often. And now, with the cup, it felt too real to ignore.

"Hey," Lana said, bumping her shoulder playfully, "you're zoning out again. You okay?"

"Yeah," Una lied quickly, forcing a smile. "Just thinking about that project due tomorrow."

"Ugh, don't remind me." Lana groaned. "Anyway, I'll catch you later. I promised Cara I'd help her with her costume for the event tonight."

"Sure," Una said. "See you."

Once Lana disappeared into the crowd, Una didn't waste a second. She turned left and headed straight for the library.

The library was old... like, really old. Half of the bookshelves were made of dark oak wood that creaked when you brushed past them, and the smell of dust and paper filled the air. It was quiet, except for the soft hum of the air conditioner and the faint sound of pages flipping somewhere at the back.

Una hesitated at the entrance of the library, clutching her backpack as though it could ground her to reality. The idea of looking for a book to explain... whatever this was, felt ridiculous. Magic wasn't real. Things like glowing eyes and trembling trees belonged in the fantasy novels stacked neatly on the shelves before her - not in her life.

And yet, something tugged at her.

It wasn't just curiosity. It was stronger, deeper like an invisible thread pulling her forward, whispering to her in ways that didn't make sense. Her feet moved before she could decide to, carrying her past the rows of tables and through the maze of tall shelves.

Her pulse quickened. Every few steps, her chest tightened like the air itself was trying to tell her something. Her gaze flicked from one shelf to another until she stopped in front of a dimly lit section near the back.

"This is stupid," she muttered, shaking her head. But her hand still lifted, tracing the spines of dusty old books until her fingers paused on one, a dark green volume with no visible title.

Her heart skipped.

It wasn't that she saw anything special about it. She felt it, like the book itself was waiting for her.

For a moment, she stood frozen between sense and instinct, reason and that quiet, impossible pull. And then, finally, she gave in.

She slid the book from the shelf.

"The Veiled Ones."

She pulled it out carefully and sat down by the nearest table. The cover felt strange like it was slightly warm to the touch.

Flipping through the pages, she saw sketches of women surrounded by strange symbols, their hands glowing, their eyes shining with light. The drawings were detailed, haunting, and beautiful all at once.

One page caught her attention:

A mark of power lives in the bloodline. Hidden until the soul awakens.

Una frowned. "What does that even mean?" she whispered under her breath.

Her fingers brushed across one of the symbols on the page, and suddenly, a soft pulse ran through her fingertips, like the page itself had a heartbeat.

Startled, she slammed the book shut and looked around.

No one was near. The few students scattered around the library were quietly reading, completely unaware.

She exhaled slowly and whispered to herself, "Okay, that... that didn't just happen."

Her heart was beating fast, but even through the panic, a tiny part of her felt drawn to that book like it was calling her.

After a moment, she tucked it under her arm and whispered, "If I'm losing my mind, at least I'll have proof."

Then she walked straight to the counter to check it out, the dark green book thrumming lightly against her side, a heavy, silent answer to the question she hadn't known she was asking.