The moonlight poured in through Kia's window, casting silver streaks across her bed. She couldn't sleep. Again. Her mind kept spiraling back to Ashwin — his words, that look in his eyes when he said "I know more than I should."
What did he mean?
Just then, her phone buzzed.
Ashwin: You up?
Kia stared at the screen. Why was her heart racing?
Kia: Barely. You?
Ashwin: Meet me outside. Five mins.
She froze. Then scrambled out of bed, grabbed her hoodie, and tiptoed out. Her parents were asleep. The house was silent, except for the soft hum of the fridge.
Outside, Ashwin was leaning against his bike, hoodie up, eyes glinting in the dark.
"Hey," Kia whispered.
"Thought you'd chicken out," he smirked.
"Thought you'd be less mysterious at midnight," she shot back.
They both laughed — softly, like they didn't want to wake the world.
Then his smile faded. "I need to show you something."
He pulled out a notebook. Old, leather-bound, and oddly worn.
"This… this belonged to someone who had the same mark as you," he said.
Kia's eyes widened. "You mean the weird half-star thing? What is it?"
Ashwin opened to a page. It was scribbled in rushed handwriting:
"The Halfmarked are rare. Chosen. One half sees the truth. The other… the lies. When two halfmarked meet, their destinies collide."
Kia read it twice. Then looked at him. "You have the mark too?"
Ashwin slowly rolled up his sleeve.
And there it was. On his forearm.
The other half of her mark.
Kia's breath caught in her throat.
He was the other half.