Nod + Crimson Grace

Chapter 1 - The Mark

Seraphina woke with blood on her wrist.

For several seconds, she didn't move.

She stared at the ceiling, listening to the rain tapping against her bedroom window.

Something felt wrong.

Not the ordinary kind of wrong.

Not the kind that came from a nightmare or a bad dream.

This was deeper.

Like something inside her had shifted while she slept.

She slowly lifted her left hand.

There was a crimson mark on her wrist.

She froze.

It hadn't been there yesterday.

Seraphina sat upright.

The mark was small at first glance, no larger than a coin, but its shape made her stomach tighten.

A thin crimson circle surrounded a simple cross.

She touched it.

Pain shot through her arm.

She pulled her hand back.

"What the hell?"

Her heartbeat quickened.

She looked around the room.

Nothing had changed.

Her desk was still covered with books.

Her curtains were still half-open.

The old photograph of her mother still sat beside her bed.

Everything was exactly where she had left it.

Everything except her.

Seraphina looked back at the mark.

It seemed darker now.

Almost alive.

She grabbed her phone and turned on the flashlight.

The light fell across her wrist.

The mark didn't disappear.

If anything, it became clearer.

She traced the edge of the crimson circle with one trembling finger.

A strange warmth spread beneath her skin.

Then—

A whisper.

Seraphina stopped breathing.

She looked toward the bedroom door.

"Mom?"

Silence.

She waited.

Nothing.

Her mother had been gone for years.

She knew that.

But for one impossible second, she could have sworn she'd heard her voice.

Seraphina swallowed.

"Get a grip."

She climbed out of bed and walked to the mirror.

Her reflection looked pale.

Too pale.

She pulled her hair away from her face.

Her eyes were tired, but otherwise she looked normal.