Part 1

Lina first noticed the pale patch on her arm during a school morning when the sunlight hit her skin in a way that made it impossible to ignore. At first, she thought it was dirt or a temporary mark, but it remained unchanged no matter how much she washed it. Over the following days, more faint spots appeared, small and quiet but steadily growing across her hands and neck. She tried to hide them under sleeves and avoided looking too closely in mirrors, hoping they would disappear on their own. But one afternoon at school, something happened that made her stop breathing for a moment.

A classmate pointed at her wrist during group work, whispering something that made others turn their heads. Lina pulled her sleeve down quickly, her heart racing as the teacher approached to ask what was wrong. The room fell silent, and that was when she noticed something unusual happening right under the fluorescent light something she had never seen before in her skin.