Chapter 1: Thunder
"It happened again," Nessa said, her voice trembling.
Madeleine, her childhood best friend, set down her coffee with a sharp clack. She rolled her eyes and sighed, looking more bored than bothered as she went back to her drink. "What? The thunder-of-doom nightmare? Again?"
"There was something different about it this time, Maddy," Nessa insisted. She watched Madeleine scribble frantically, finishing up homework at lunch for fourth period that she'd forgotten to do the night before.
Madeleine let's out a sharp laugh without looking up. "Did the thunder throw pillows at you this time?"
"Maddy, I'm serious!" Nessa snapped. She looked toward the windows where the bright, golden morning light spilled across the cafeteria tables. To everyone else, it was just Tuesday in Oakhaven. To Nessa, the light felt thin-like a veil ready to tear.
"It was different," she insisted, lowering her voice. "It was like... it was speaking to me. Or at least trying to say something, but-"
Trringgg! The Lakewood High School bell cut her off. Madeleine jumped up with a huge, relieved smile, literally saved by the bell. She shoved her half-finished homework into her bag and grabbed her empty coffee cup.
"Saved!" Maddy chirped, already backing away. "Look, I've got chem, and Luke is walking me to class. We'll pick this up later, okay? Promise!"
"But Maddy-" Nessa started, reaching out, but her friend was already swept into the current of students filling the hallway. Maddy offered a quick, distracted wave before turning her back, her laughter blending into the chatter of a world she believed was entirely real.
Nessa stood alone at the table, the sunlight hitting her skin. It felt warm, but as she watched the dust motes dance in the air, she couldn't shake the feeling that the sun was just a spotlight and the walls were just a set.
Nessa made her way to her desk, still pondering the nightmare of the thunder growling. She had felt so frightened by the noise, yet so safe-as if it were trying to protect her.
"Get out your pencils," the voice of Nessa's English teacher, Mrs. Taylor quickly pulled Nessa out of her thoughts. "POP QUIZ!" Mrs. Taylor shouted with a big, sarcastic smile as the students sighed in unpreparedness.
Mrs. Taylor handed out the papers. "Lighten up," she said to the class. "You've got nothing to worry about if you actually did yesterday's reading."
Nessa filled in her name at the top of the page just as she heard a voice at the front of the room. "Sorry, Mrs. T."
"Late again," Mrs. Taylor interrupted him. "Sit down, Jax, and leave the excuses at the door."
Nessa watched Jax make his way to his desk. She tried to focus on the quiz, but her eyes kept drifting toward him. As the brother of Maddy's boyfriend, he was a friendly constant in her life-the one who always saved her a seat at weekend hangouts or hummed a tune when the room got too quiet. He was the guy always carrying a guitar case, the first to sign up for every open mic or school assembly, with an effortless, rhythmic energy that drew Nessa in.
As she watched him, he looked back and gave Nessa a quick wink. The teacher cleared her throat, the sound sharp against the silence. "Ten minutes, class."
Nessa looked back down at her blank page. The ticking clock wasn't just counting down the quiz; it was echoing the first time she heard the "Thunder" a year ago. It had started just like this: a rhythmic pulse, a sense of fading time, and then the world cracking open. Jax turned around then, flashing a quick, supportive grin and a thumbs-up. He didn't know she was drowning in a memory; he just thought she was stuck on question four.
The bell rang. Everyone stood up to hand in their papers, but Nessa stayed pinned to her seat, totally spaced out.
"Nessa... Nessa? Hello?"
She looked up, startled to find the room nearly empty. Jax was hovering over her desk. She looked straight into his brown eyes-a place she usually avoided for too long. She was afraid he'd see right through her, and her feelings would spill out like a jar of water knocked over on a table.
"Umhmmm, yeah. Just a sec," Nessa stammered.
"Okay," Jax said with a small chuckle. "Don't daydream too long," he added in a playful tone.
Nessa stood up and walked toward Mrs. Taylor's desk. She handed in her quiz-completely blank.
"Nessa-" Mrs. Taylor started.
"I know, Mrs. Taylor. I'll make it up, I promise," Nessa cut her off, rushing out of the classroom before another word could be said.
Nessa reached into her locker to grab her books for Psych 101.
"Hey, Nessa," a voice called out behind the locker door. It was Jax. "Just checking up on you. You seemed a bit out of it today in English. Are you feeling okay?"
Nessa's skin flushed warm, and her palms began to sweat. She gave a small, nervous chuckle. "Yeah, Jax, I'm good. Just spaced out, I guess."
She turned and started walking toward her psychology class, but Jax jogged to catch up. "Hey, what's up? You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah-"
Jax cut her off, his expression earnest. "Because you know you can always talk to me. Look at me as a brother... like we have that kind of close bond."
A brother? Nessa thought, the word stinging more than she expected. Did he really just say that?
Jax lowered his voice, leaning in. "Are you still having the nightmares?"
Nessa froze. The air left her lungs as she stared at him. "She told you..."
"No, no. Maddy didn't tell me anything," Jax said quickly. "I overheard you guys at lunch. You looked really worried."
"It's nothing, honestly," Nessa replied, brushing it off while her heart hammered against her ribs.
Jax looked concerned and placed a heavy, warm hand on her shoulder. The weight of it made her want to both melt and run away. "Look, Nessa, you don't have to tell me anything, but I'm here if you need someone to lean on. How about coffee?"
"I don't drink coffee!" Nessa blurted out in a panic.
Jax laughed gently, his eyes crinkling. "Okay, well, then a smoothie? Chill, Nessa. It's not a date-it's just two friends catching up."
