A Blessing or a Curse

Chapter Two: Whispers of Fear

Jack sat in the lavish common room of Silverstone Academy, the prestigious private school reserved for the elite. As one of the Blessed, he fit right in with the rest of the students here—each of them carefully selected for their talents, power, and connections. Jack's particular gift was pyrokinesis; he could summon fire at will, bend it to his command, and make it dance across his fingertips like a puppet. It made him popular, admired, even feared by some.

But today, as he listened to the whispers swirling through the room, a cold knot of unease settled in his stomach.

"Did you hear? There was a massacre at Crestwood High. Everyone's dead—students, teachers, all of them."

"What? Seriously?" another voice chimed in. "That's insane. Crestwood's just a normal school, right? What happened?"

"I don't know the details, but they're saying it was one of the kids there. Some quiet, weird kid named Eli or something."

Jack's ears perked up at the mention of Crestwood High. It was a small, local school, nothing like Silverstone. Most of the kids there were either Cursed or just ordinary, and they definitely didn't have the same kind of privileges as the students here. News of a massacre there felt surreal, like something out of a nightmare.

He leaned forward, straining to catch every word. He had been away from school the day before, visiting family, and now it seemed like he had missed something huge. The news had spread like wildfire, but no one seemed to have the full story. There were too many rumors, too many conflicting versions of what had happened.

One thing was clear, though: whoever this "Eli" was, he had killed Kyle and then gone on to slaughter most of the school. Jack felt a chill creep up his spine. Kyle had been one of the Blessed, too, and now he was gone—taken out by someone who, as far as Jack could tell, had no special powers at all. How was that even possible?

Jack glanced around the room, taking in the faces of the other students. The opulent decor of the academy—plush armchairs, mahogany tables, and glittering chandeliers—did little to ease the tension. Some of the Blessed were huddled in groups, speaking in hushed tones, their eyes darting nervously. If there was one thing Jack had learned over the years, it was that even the most powerful could be brought low by fear.

"Hey," he called out, his voice cutting through the chatter. "What's going on? Someone fill me in."

A few of the students turned to look at him, hesitant. Finally, a girl named Sophie, one of his classmates, spoke up. "It's bad, Jack. Then... there was an attack at Crestwood. A lot of people died. They're saying it was a kid, Eli, but... no one really knows for sure."

Jack frown"They're saying that wasn't even his real name," Sophie interrupted, her voice trembling. "They said it was a fake, but no one knows what his real one is. And he... he just snapped. He killed this dude named Kyle first, then came back and went after everyone else. The police caught him, but..."

"But what?" Jack pressed, his patience wearing thin. "What aren't you telling me?"

Sophie hesitated, glancing nervously at the others before continuing. "They say he's not done. When they arrested him, he said something... something like 'One down, more to go.' Like he's planning to kill more people."

Jack felt his stomach twist. "That's insane. He's locked up, right? There's no way he can hurt anyone else."

"That's what I thought, too," Sophie said, her voice barely a whisper. "But I overheard one of the cops talking earlier. They said he escaped."

Jack's blood ran cold. "What?"

"Last night. They were transporting him, and he managed to get away. They're looking for him, but they haven't found him yet."

Jack sat back, trying to process the information. This couldn't be happening. He was one of the most powerful Blessed at Silverstone, and yet even he felt a twinge of fear at the thought of this mysterious killer lurking somewhere out there, hunting down his victims one by one. Who was this Eli, really? How had he managed to kill so many people, and what did he mean by "more to go"?

The room was quiet now, the fear palpable. Jack could feel it pressing in from all sides, suffocating. He needed answers, and fast. He had always been someone who took action, who didn't sit around waiting for things to happen. If this Eli was really out there, planning to kill again, then Jack was going to find him—and stop him.

He stood up abruptly, his decision made. "I'm going to the police station," he said, addressing the room. "I need to find out what they know. If anyone hears anything else about this guy, let me know."

"Jack, wait," Sophie said, her eyes wide. "You can't just go after him. He's dangerous. If he really did all those things..."

"Then someone needs to stop him," Jack said, his voice hard. "And if no one else is going to do it, I will."

Without another word, he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, his mind racing. He wasn't just going to sit around and let some psycho pick them off one by one. He was Blessed, and that meant he had power—power that he was going to use to protect himself and everyone else at the academy.

As he left the building, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. He scanned the street, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Still, the sensation lingered, like a dark cloud hovering just out of sight.

In the distance, a shadow moved, slipping through the bustling streets unnoticed. The boy who had once been called Eli—now just a nameless, faceless threat—watched Jack walk away, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Well," he murmured to himself, his eyes glinting with a cold, dark amusement. "Looks like I've found my next target."