Rhian felt a tightness in his chest as he walked out of the arena. He was done with it, the hate, the looks, the constant whispers that always followed him.
It never really bothered him before. He had learned to keep his head down, to let it wash over him like it was nothing. But today, it felt different.
Today, it felt like something had shifted. The hate wasn't hidden anymore. It was there in the open, on every face he saw.
They didn't even try to hide it, because they thought they didn't have to. They thought they couldn't be touched. That the cursed, no, the evolved, were helpless.
He walked through the hallways of the academy, the quietness around him feeling heavier than usual.
There were only two of them left in this year, him and Iris, and it was like the walls themselves were pressing in, reminding him of just how alone they really were.
