Afterlight

As a new student, Theo Harper hadn't expected much from St. Kentigern - just a party, a few awkward introductions, and maybe a new friend.

But the night ended with lights flickering like heartbeat pulses, shadows moving when no one was there, and a silence so strange it made the air hum. Cal Rivers grinned beside him, golden-haired and effortlessly magnetic, oblivious to the tremors of energy curling through the room, energy that made Theo's heartbeat faster, and not just from fear.

By morning, the town was different. Adults were gone. Phones crackled with static. And Theo realized the world he knew was gone too. Alone with a group of teens he barely trusted, he felt power stir beneath his skin, a pulse that could be thrilling... or deadly.

Every glance, every whispered secret, every choice could tip the fragile balance between friendship, desire, and survival. And as the strange energy of the town pulses stronger, Theo begins to wonder: how far will he go - and who can he truly trust - before the world slips further from his grasp?