Chapter 19

AILI’S POV

My dad picked the worst times to drop bombs on me.

I came downstairs for breakfast, hair still damp from my shower, and found him zipping up his suitcase in the middle of the kitchen.

“You’re leaving?” My voice cracked sharper than I meant it to.

He didn’t look guilty. Just tired. “Work trip. Chicago. They need me at the plant. Shouldn’t be more than a week.”

A week. With everything going on. My stomach twisted. “Dad, seriously? You’re just going to leave me here when—” I stopped, biting my tongue before the word monsters slipped out.

“When what?” he asked, straightening his tie.

“When everything feels… weird.” I tried to sound normal, but he gave me that look. The one that said he thought I was being dramatic.

“Aili,” he said, softening his voice, “you’re strong. And you’ve got friends now. I’ll check in every night. Okay?”

I wanted to scream. Instead I just muttered, “Whatever,” and stormed upstairs.

By the time I got to school, my mood hadn’t improved. Sam met me at the lockers, her hair pulled back and eyes sharp.

“You look like you murdered someone in your dreams,” she said.

“Not dreams. Reality,” I muttered.

Nick leaned against the locker next to mine, watching me carefully. “You okay?”

“No. My dad’s leaving. Out of town. For a week.”

Sam whistled. “That’s convenient.”

“For who?” I snapped.

“For whatever creepy thing keeps following you,” she said, not even flinching.

Nick gave her a look. “Not helping.” Then he turned back to me, his voice lower, steadier. “Hey. We’ll figure this out. You’re not alone.”

Something in his tone made my chest tighten. For a second I forgot how angry I was.

But then the hallway lights flickered. Just once, like a shiver running through the building.

Students muttered, glancing up, but nobody panicked.

Only me. Because I knew it wasn’t just a glitch.

At lunch, we claimed our usual corner table. Brandon slid into the seat across from me, expression unreadable as always. Lisa had her notebook open, scribbling symbols she swore kept nightmares away.

I told them everything — about the dream, the whisper, the toy top in the alley, my dad leaving.

“So, this ‘debt owed,’” Sam said, stabbing her fork into her fries. “It has to mean something. Like… a curse.”

Lisa nodded. “Debt usually means payment. What if something was promised to the shadows? A life. A soul. Maybe it wasn’t paid.”

“Maybe it’s about me,” I blurted before I could stop myself.

They all looked at me.

Nick shook his head. “No. Don’t do that to yourself.”

Brandon tilted his head. “Maybe she’s right.”

“Excuse me?” Nick’s jaw tightened.

Brandon leaned forward, eyes on me. “Banshees aren’t random, Aili. They’re tied to fate. Death. If you’re hearing about a debt, maybe your family owes something. Maybe that’s why the whispers won’t leave you alone.”

“That’s insane,” Nick said.

“Is it?” Brandon shot back. “Or are you just afraid it’s true?”

The tension between them made my stomach churn. Nick’s protectiveness felt safe, grounding. Brandon’s words… dangerous, but electric, like he was daring me to find the truth.

I pushed my tray away. “Stop. Both of you. I don’t care who’s right. I just want answers.”

That night, the whispers came back but I tried to ignore them. Some would think having powers is cool but it really wasn't

I was sitting at my vanity, brushing out my damp hair, trying not to think about banshees or debt-owing nightmares. My dad’s suitcase was still in the hallway—he’d left earlier for his “work trip,”

A light tap on the window startled me. I froze, my brush halfway through a knot.

“Relax, it’s just me.”

I turned to see 'Nick' leaning against the window frame like he’d climbed up the porch railing. His grin was the kind that said I know I shouldn’t be here, but here I am anyway.

“Nick? What—why—are you climbing into my room?!” I hissed, rushing over.

He shrugged. “I was… uh… in the neighborhood.”

“In the neighborhood? At eleven-thirty at night?”

Before he could answer, I heard a voice downstairs.I looked at Nick and sighed as i ran downstairs, he followed right behind me.

“Hey, Aili, you home?”

I opened the front door.Standing there, looking just as guilty as Nick, was Brandon.

My jaw dropped. “Are you guys—are you seriously both here?!”

Brandon shoved his hands in his hoodie pocket. “Yeah. Uh. I was just… in the neighborhood.”

Nick arched an eyebrow at him. “Really? My neighborhood?”

Brandon shot him a glare. “What, are you the mayor now?”

I blinked at them. “Is there some secret ‘let’s stalk Aili at night’ club I don’t know about?”

Nick smirked. “Nope. Just coincidence. Totally normal coincidence.”

“Totally,” Brandon muttered, obviously not convinced himself.

I couldn’t help it—I laughed. “You guys are so weird. But since you’re both here, you might as well explain why.”

Nick finally admitted, “Fine. I thought I saw someone hanging around your backyard earlier, figured I’d check it out. Didn’t want to freak you out unless it was something.”

Brandon added, “And I… heard something. Like, a noise in the alley. I came to make sure you were okay. Guess we both had the same idea.”

I crossed my arms. “So basically, you were both spying on my house like wannabe superheroes.”

“Pretty much,” Nick said, unashamed.

Brandon grinned. “Hey, at least we care.”

Before I could tease them more, a sudden thump echoed from below the floorboards—low, heavy, almost like something fell over in the basement.

All three of us went still.

“Please tell me that was the water heater,” I whispered.

Nick shook his head. “Sounded heavier.”

Brandon’s jaw tightened. “Let’s check it out.”

“Right now? At midnight?” I asked.

“You’d rather wait till whatever it is crawls up here?” Brandon shot back.

“Fair point,” I muttered. I grabbed the flashlight from my desk drawer and we tiptoed down the hallway together, like three characters in a bad horror movie.

The basement door creaked when Nick pushed it open. A cold draft rushed up to meet us, smelling faintly of damp earth.

We descended the narrow wooden stairs. Each step groaned under our weight.

“Great,” I whispered. “Basements are my favorite. Did I mention that? Love them. Especially at midnight.”

Nick chuckled softly. “At least you’ve got us.”

“Yeah, that’s so comforting,” I deadpanned.

When we reached the bottom, I swept the flashlight beam across the room. The concrete floor was wet in spots from an old leak. Boxes lined the walls, casting long, crooked shadows.

Nothing moved.

Brandon knelt near an old storage trunk. “Looks fine so far—”

A low wailing sound drifted from the far corner of the basement, thin and mournful, almost like wind howling through a crack. But it wasn’t the wind—I felt it vibrate in my bones, the same way I’d felt it in my dreams.

I staggered back, the flashlight beam shaking. “Did you—did you hear that?”

Nick stepped protectively closer. “Yeah. I heard it.”

Brandon rose slowly, eyes scanning the darkness. “It’s coming from over there.”

We edged toward the corner, each step slower than the last. The wailing rose again—higher, sharper—then cut off suddenly, leaving only silence and the sound of our own breathing.

I lowered the flashlight toward the floor and froze. The concrete wasn’t empty anymore.

A thin black crack snaked across it, splitting wider as if something beneath the ground was pressing up. From that crack seeped a faint, silvery mist.

The air turned icy.

“Okay,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “That’s… new.”

Nick grabbed my wrist gently. “Back upstairs. Now.”

Before we could move, the mist curled upward, forming the outline of something vaguely human—tall, shifting, faceless.

The thing let out another wail, louder than before, rattling the lightbulb above us.

The flashlight flickered.

Brandon cursed under his breath. “We have to go. Now!”

We bolted up the stairs, slamming the door behind us as the echo of the wail chased us into the hallway.

My heart pounded against my ribs. “What the hell was that?!”

Nick’s jaw was clenched tight. “I don’t know… but I think your house just said hi.”