*Lunaria Academy | Day After the Curse | Main Campus Hall**
At first, it was subtle.
People avoiding eye contact. Study partners forgetting to include her. Teachers suddenly skipping over her name on project lists.
By noon?
It was impossible to ignore.
Meher dropped her books — and not a single person stopped to help.
Even Vihaan barely looked up.
“You okay?” he asked… but his voice had changed. Like he was doubting himself for even asking.
“Yeah,” she lied.
She wasn’t.
Inside, something was turning cold. Heavy. Distant.
Like she was **slipping out of place** in her own life.
---
**Elsewhere | Aayan’s POV | Common Room**
He watched her from across the courtyard window.
Eyes tired. Shoulders curled. Movements quieter.
Not Meher.
Not the firecracker girl who once stormed into his room to fight over a jacket and left him blushing like a fool.
This Meher?
Looked like she was **fading**.
Something inside Aayan twisted — hard.
He stood abruptly.
Zoya looked up from across the table.
“Where are you going?”
“To ask her something,” he said, already walking away.
She frowned. “You’ve already asked enough.”
He didn’t respond.
---
**Rooftop Terrace | Sunset**
He found her where she always went when everything felt too loud — the old rooftop by the clock tower.
She didn’t flinch when he sat beside her.
Didn’t even look at him.
“I think something’s wrong with me,” she whispered. “People keep… backing away.”
He looked at her closely.
“I don’t think it’s you,” he said.
She turned slowly.
Her eyes — tired, glassy. Beautiful.
“Then why do I feel like I’m turning into someone I don’t even recognize?”
He reached for her hand.
She didn’t pull back.
“You’re not,” he said. “But someone’s making you feel like that.”
Silence.
Wind blew across the rooftop, lifting a strand of her hair. His fingers brushed it back — slow, gentle.
She looked at him.
“You said you’d catch me.”
“I did.”
“What if I’m falling right now and I can’t feel it?”
His gaze dropped to her lips, then back up to her eyes.
“Then let me remind you how it feels to be *held.*”
And this time — she kissed him.
It wasn’t wild.
It wasn’t rushed.
It was slow. Lingering. A silent plea.
He pulled her closer, arms around her waist, lips warm and soft against hers. She melted into him — breath hitching as he kissed down her jaw, hands steadying her like she was the only truth he knew.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered against her skin. “Even if the whole damn world forgets who you are — *I won’t.*”
And for a moment, the curse couldn’t touch her.
Because Aayan's arms felt stronger than any spell.
---
**Meanwhile | Zoya’s Room | Mirror Cracking**
Zoya stared at her enchanted mirror.
Something was wrong.
The cracks on the surface had begun to spread **too far** — warping.
She touched the glass and it burned her skin.
The curse was **feeding off Meher’s energy** faster than expected.
If Meher broke too soon, the spell would backlash.
And Zoya?
Wouldn’t survive it.
She slammed the book shut, panic rising in her chest.
“Damn it. Not yet.”
---
YOU ARE READING
spell and spark,✨//
Mystery / Thriller## ✨ **TONE:** * **Fun, flirty dialogue** * **Magical mischief + steamy moments (18+)** * **Heart-tugging friendship-to-love slow burn** * **Secrets, power games, and an ancient prophecy twist** ..
