SERAPHINA’S POV
I only found out about the video Selene posted when my phone began vibrating nonstop as I climbed the stairs back to my room, damp hair clinging to my neck, skin still warm from the sun.
Notifications piled up, a relentless, stuttering cascade that crowded my screen.
It lit up again and again in my palm until I couldn’t tell where one notification ended and the next began. Mentions. Tags. Messages from people I didn’t know. Emojis. Questions. Speculation disguised as compliments.
There was a strange dissonance in seeing myself reflected through so many unfamiliar lenses—paused mid-motion, laughing, caught in a moment I hadn’t curated or armored.
A version of me that felt honest, now dissected and interpreted.
I closed the door and let my back rest against the cool wood, drawing in a slow, steadying breath.
Part of me felt startlingly exposed, as if a window I’d forgotten existed had been thrown wide open.
