AISLYN

The ground trembles beneath my palms, or maybe it’s just me. The new heartbeat inside my chest kicks harder, impatient, like a creature pacing behind a locked door.

I clutch my arms, trying to steady my breath, but the air feels different, thicker… alive. Every inhale tastes like smoke, earth, and something painfully familiar, something that feels like it belongs to me.

Or is it me.

“I can’t…” My voice cracks. “I can’t control it.”

“You’re not meant to control ...