Page 56 of Wraith

I took a slow sip from my beer, the cold bite of it grounding me. The burn slid down my throat, settling heavy in mystomach. This was what I needed. Something simple. Something that didn’t come with baggage, with questions, with ghosts that lingered in the back of my mind when I let my guard down.

“So, Thorne,” Mark—at least I thought his name was Mark—grinned at me from across the coffee table, swirling the amber liquid in his cup like he was some kind of philosopher about to make a grand point. “Are you gonna sit there brooding all night or actually join the conversation?”

I smirked, shaking my head. “You’ve got it covered.”

He snorted. “I think you’re just scared you can’t top my story.”

A few of the others laughed. The conversation shifted, stories of dumb pranks, drunken mishaps, professors who had it out for students. Easy. Light. The kind of thing that didn’t require anything more than surface-level engagement, which was exactly what I wanted.

I let the warmth settle in, the kind that came from being surrounded by people who expected nothing from me. Being part of something again.

I had left it all behind. I told myself that over and over.

The whispers in the dark. The paranoia creeping up my spine. The nightmares that I refused to acknowledge, even when they jolted me awake, leaving me breathless, drenched in sweat, convinced for a split second that I wasn’t alone.

But none of that mattered here.

I barely even thought about Aeron anymore. Or Kael. Or?—

No. Not going there.

I had moved on.

I had even blocked Aeron after his manic episode last night.

I exhaled slowly, sinking deeper into the couch, letting the noise and warmth wrap around me. It was nice, the illusion of moving forward. The choice to let go.

Because that’s what it was, right?

A choice.

I chose to be here. I chose to forget. I chose to push forward, even when the past tried to claw its way back into my mind, whispering that I wasn’t as free as I wanted to believe.

“So, what’s the deal with you and that girl from chem?” someone asked, nudging my arm. “She was totally into you last week.”

I shrugged, smirking as I took another sip of my drink. “Haven’t decided yet.”

More laughter, more teasing. Easy. Normal. The kind of conversation that didn’t mean anything, that wouldn’t keep me up at night, replaying every word, every moment, wondering what I should’ve done differently.

I stretched my legs out, feeling the slight buzz from the alcohol start to settle into my limbs, making everything feel lighter. Someone threw a balled-up napkin at me, smirking. “Man, you’re really trying to play it cool, huh?”

I rolled my eyes, grabbing another beer from the case on the floor. “Something like that.”

The room shifted around me, the noise rising and falling in waves. More people drifted in, the party growing louder, but I barely noticed. I was here, I was fine, and that was enough.

At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.

The sound of a girl laughing from across the room made my chest tighten for a brief moment. Not her. Just someone else. Someone alive. I swallowed the feeling down with another sip of beer, forcing myself to focus on the present.

The conversation turned to weekend plans. Someone mentioned a camping trip, a drive out to the cliffs to drink under the stars. I nodded along, pretending like I was considering it, but I knew I wouldn’t go. Too much silence. Too much space for my mind to wander.

“I’ll think about it,” I lied, flashing an easy grin.

I had gotten good at lying.

I checked my phone, not really expecting anything.

No messages.

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