Chapter 1
Innocence Before Chaos
The rooftop of Mel Hotel buzzed with life. Strings of yellow fairy lights danced in the breeze, and upbeat music pulsed from hidden speakers which threatened to burst. Mel turned eighteen today. He stood tall, his curls bouncing as he laughed with his two closest friends — Jarvis and Tim.
Jarvis lingered near the edge, holding a plastic cup of soda. His eyes drifted across the rooftop to Rose, a quiet girl from their literature class. She stood alone, arms folded, the hem of her navy dress flickering in the wind. Jarvis had liked her for months but never found the courage to speak more than a stuttered “hi.”
Tim slapped his shoulder, dragging him back to the group. “Don’t go brooding on Mel’s big night,” he joked.
“Just breathing,” Jarvis mumbled, though his eyes flicked once more toward Rose.
As the party grew louder, Jarvis stepped away. Down the metal stairs, past the emergency exit, he found a quieter place overlooking the valley. That’s when he felt it — a breeze, sharp and cold, unlike the summer wind above. But wasn’t it odd enough that Jarvis felt like the breeze had life, I mean, the breeze breathed. He heard a whisper.
He turned sharply. A figure stood near the railing. Cloaked, tall, skin like tarnished bronze. Its eyes shimmered gold.
“Who—”
The figure vanished.
When Jarvis ran back upstairs, the world was still dancing. But something inside him had shifted
