Aurora’s POV: 
There’s something about the air today. It’s too still, too expectant. Like the sky itself is waiting for something to go wrong.
After the announcement, the entire school practically combusts with excitement. There are whispers in every hallway, speculation about the itinerary, what cities we’ll visit, and who’s rooming with who. It’s all anyone can talk about.
I try to care. I try to smile, nod, laugh at Cali’s jokes, but something inside me is still trembling from the blackout. From the spike. From Arc.
Jon, however, is practically glowing.
   "You don’t understand," he says as we sit beneath a tree in the courtyard, late afternoon sun draping over us like a soft blanket. "I haven’t seen my mum in two months. Two bloody months."
    His accent thickens when he talks about home, and it makes something soft ache in my chest.
   "You’re really from there?" I ask, chewing on the straw of my smoothie. "Not just here to trick us all with your mysterious exchange student vibe?"
   He chuckles. "Born and raised in Queensland. Mum moved us around a lot when I was a kid, but yeah. It’s home."
   There’s a tenderness in his voice, one I haven’t heard before. The way he says "mum" makes it sound sacred. I don't think I've ever said that word before...
   "She’s gonna lose it when she sees you," I say gently.
    He leans back against the tree, arms folded behind his head, grinning up at the sky. "Yeah. I think she’ll be very happy."
    I study him for a moment. His lashes are long, casting delicate shadows on his cheeks. The wind teases a strand of his dark hair into his eyes. He looks peaceful. Human.
 But I know better now. I know there’s something else inside him. And he knows I know.
   "Jon?" I murmur. "Back in the gym… What did you see when I passed out?"
    He doesn’t look at me, but his jaw clenches. "You don’t want to talk about that."
"Yes, I do."
"It’s not time yet."
I sit up straighter. "What does that even mean?" They keep hiding stuff from me and expect me to still understand. Starting to piss me the fuck off honestly.
Before he can answer, the courtyard doors slam open. My stomach tightens instantly.
    Arc strides out, his eyes scanning the students like a wolf sizing up sheep. He's in his uniform still, but the way he wears it makes it look expensive, custom-made. His gaze flicks over the crowd, until it lands on me.
There’s a beat. A sharp pull in the air between us. My breath catches. Then, as if the moment never happened, he turns away and heads toward the old science wing.
  I feel a pang in my heart at how dismissed I felt.
   "I’ll kill him one day," Jon mutters beside me.
Us both, Jon, us both.
"That’s dramatic."
    "No," he says, eyes locked on Arc’s back. "You don’t know what he’s capable of."
"Then tell me."
"I can’t." He stands suddenly, pacing. "Aurora, you don’t get it. The moment we tell you everything; about us, about you, you’re dragged into a war you didn’t even know existed." The concern and worry on his face is very prominent.
 I stare up at him, heart hammering.
"Then why do I feel like I’m already in it?"
He freezes.
     A shadow falls over the tree, darker than the fading sunlight. I follow it and find Arc standing at the edge of the courtyard, arms crossed, a scowl carved into his perfect face.
   "You shouldn’t talk so loudly in public, mutt," he says smoothly.
Jon turns, fists clenched. "Back off, leech."
  "Very funny coming from you considering you are around her 24/7."
Arc’s smile is thin and venomous. "You really think taking her to your pathetic little outback will protect her?"
"She’s not yours to threaten."
So I should be threatened by someone else? What is this??
   "No," Arc agrees, stepping closer. "But she’s not yours either."
And then he looks at me. Really looks.
    "I felt it," he says. "Back in the gym. Something woke up inside you."
   My spine stiffens. "You don’t know anything about me."
"I know enough. More than he does."
"Leave her alone," Jon growls, stepping between us.
It really feels like only Arc is ever ready to tell me the truth. Jon just keeps hiding stuff. 
    Arc’s eyes gleam with something primal. "You can’t keep her safe, Jon. Not from what’s coming."
   With that, he turns on his heel and vanishes into the building like smoke.
I realize I’m shaking.
    Jon turns back to me, his expression stormy. "Are you okay?"
"No," I whisper. "I’m not."
*****
That night, I can’t sleep.
I lie in bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying Arc’s words over and over again. Something woke up inside you.
What did he feel?
What did I release?
And why does it feel like Australia isn’t just a school trip… but a turning point I can’t come back from?
*****
Two Days Later - Packing Day
The school halls are buzzing again with paperwork being signed, passports checked, teachers panicking about liability forms.
    I’m in the common room with Cali and two other girls, folding clothes and triple-checking the list Ms. Langford gave us.
    "Do you think we’ll see kangaroos?" Cali says, stuffing her seventh pair of shorts into her suitcase.
   "If I survive the flight, sure," I mumble.
"Someone’s grumpy."
"I just… don’t like flying."
That’s a lie. What I don’t like is the way my skin keeps prickling like something's watching me. Even inside my own house. Even when I'm alone.
     Jon texts me photos of his backyard in Australia. Bright sun. Trees with twisted trunks. A massive golden retriever with his tongue hanging out and dirt all over his fur. "Rex misses me," he writes.
I almost aww at the sight of the dog. I smile. But it doesn’t reach my heart.
   A knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts. When I open it, no one’s there.
Except…
An envelope on the floor.
No name. No handwriting.
I open it.
There’s a single piece of black paper inside.
    Scrawled across it in deep red ink: "Not everyone who boards that plane will come back."
*****
Later That Night
I find Jon pacing outside the dorms. His face is tight, pale. I hand him the note.
He reads it silently, jaw ticking.
"We need to tell someone," I whisper.
    He shakes his head. "No. Whoever sent this… they’re not trying to scare the teachers. I'll show my mum when we get there.They’re just trying to scare you."
"I’m already scared."
"I’ll be with you," he says, stepping closer. "The entire trip. I’m not letting anything touch you. And even as much as I hate Arc, I know he will not allow anything happen to you either. So you don't need to worry about anything."
I want to believe him. But Arc’s words come back to me.
You can’t keep her safe, Jon.
I stare at the note again, my fingers trembling.
Something’s coming.
And I don’t think it’s waiting for us to land.