Chapter 4 : New Scent, New Problems

You know how sometimes you think you're handling things really well?

Yeah, I thought so too.

Spoiler alert: I wasn't.

After that cursed text ("Don’t forget the rain" — seriously, what kind of horror movie nonsense is that?), I decided to act normal.

Just... be casual. Be chill. Totally fine. Normal Tuesday morning, right?

I stumbled into the kitchen like a half-drowned raccoon, hair a mess, hoodie clinging to me like it had abandonment issues.

Mom was already there, humming at the stove like the angel she is, flipping pancakes. Dad was at the table reading the news on his tablet, looking like he hadn’t slept since the dinosaurs roamed the earth.

My brother, Damien, the golden child swimming champ, was shoveling cereal into his mouth like it was an Olympic event.

Everything seemed normal.

Until Mom turned around.

She squinted at me, tilted her head slightly—the way moms do when they just know you're up to some weird shit—and said in her soft, sing-song voice:

> "Sweetheart, are you wearing a new cologne?"

Cue my soul leaving my body.

> "You smell... different. Warmer. Stronger. Like..."

She wrinkled her nose cutely. "Like... Sunshine and something spicy?" i mean The dusky and Woody smell...

I COULD HAVE DIED ON THE SPOT.

"Uh—hahaha—nope?" I coughed, practically slamming myself into a chair. "Same old me! Ocean breeze™. Limited edition," I joked, trying to sound cool while my insides were performing synchronized swimming.

Damien, being the demon sibling he is, wagged his eyebrows at me.

> "Maybe Theo finally got a girlfriend," he said, mouth full of cereal.

I almost choked on my own tongue.

Mom just smiled sweetly and ruffled my hair as if I was six years old again.

But inside?

I WAS LOSING IT.

Because here’s the thing—I haven't changed anything. No new cologne. No laundry detergent swap. Nothing.

And yet...

I could smell it too.

That weird, thicker version of my usual scent.

Still an ocean breeze, but now there was this deeper note.

Something magnetic.

Something... pulling.

And my body felt off.

Warm. Tingly.

Like something was simmering under my skin and I couldn’t put it into words.

Was it because of him?

That mystery man?

His stupidly sharp jawline? His stupidly intense stare??

I started spiraling.

What if this wasn’t normal?

What if I caught some weird sickness?

What if I was actually cursed???

After shoving a pancake into my mouth and pretending to be normal, I sprinted upstairs and slammed the door.

Pulled out my phone.

Started furiously Googling like a man possessed:

“Is it normal for a beta to randomly smell different??”

“Can rainstorms trigger delusions??”

“HELP I think I caught feelings after 30 minutes???”

No answers. Just more panic.

And as I stared at the screen, heart racing, one thought wormed its way into my brain:

> "What if… I’m not actually a beta?"

And that?

Yeah, that broke me a little...

> Before I could overthink myself in a coma,

A message blinked on my screen.

“The rain brought you to me.”

And I think… I didn’t want to run away.

To be continued....

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