Chapter 23: The Shadows in the Woods

The evening sun dipped lower in the sky, casting long, darkening shadows over the university grounds. Julie stood outside her dormitory, nervously adjusting the strap of her small backpack. She had packed it earlier, carefully folding a few clothes and toiletries, but the knot in her stomach hadn't loosened. The weekend stay at Misha's house felt like an unfamiliar territory, one she wasn't sure she was ready to explore.

She'd never been to a home like Misha's before. Growing up in an orphanage had made her used to a certain kind of life—quiet, structured, and devoid of family warmth. Sure, she had friends now, people who cared for her, but they came from completely different worlds. They had families with wealth and power, connections she couldn't even begin to understand. Julie wasn't sure where she fit in this new life, or if she even belonged.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she fished it out to see a message from Misha: *I'm on my way. Should be there in 10 minutes!*

Julie stared at the message for a moment before sighing. It had already been a while, though, and Misha's "10 minutes" had stretched into what felt like forever. Doubts continued to swirl in her mind. *What if Misha's parents didn't like her?* The thought gnawed at her as she glanced at the clock on her phone. The sun was nearly gone now, leaving only a soft twilight glow.

With a final glance at her dormitory, she began to walk towards the university gates. The main road was just a short path through the woods, a route she had walked a few times, but tonight, the shadows seemed deeper, the trees standing like silent sentinels, their branches swaying in the cool evening breeze.

She tried to push the thoughts away—her friends were good people, weren't they? Of course they would never turn on her. But the more she thought about it, the more her heart ached with uncertainty. This was all so new to her.

As Julie walked along the path, her footfalls crunching softly on the fallen leaves, a sudden rustle from the underbrush made her freeze. Her breath caught as she scanned the darkening forest. *Had someone followed her?*

There, through the trees, a shadow moved. It was hard to make out anything clearly in the twilight, but she could just about see the form of a person, draped in a long, ragged cloak, their head hidden beneath the folds of the fabric. They were walking deeper into the woods, oblivious to her presence—or maybe not.

Julie took a few hesitant steps toward the forest, curiosity and caution fighting in her chest. She wanted to call out, to warn the stranger that it wasn't safe to walk in the woods at this hour, but something held her back. Before she could make up her mind, she felt a hand rest gently on her shoulder, causing her to freeze, heart pounding in her chest.

A cold chill ran down her spine as she whipped around, expecting to find someone behind her—but there was nothing. No one. Her breath quickened as she turned back to the woods. The cloaked figure had vanished, as if swallowed by the darkening trees.

Her heart raced in her chest. *This isn't right.* Something was off, something she couldn't place.

Suddenly, she felt the air shift, coldness creeping up her spine. Before she could react, the cloaked figure appeared again—this time, standing directly in front of her, only a few feet away. The shadows seemed to deepen around it, and Julie's pulse quickened as she stood frozen in place.

*Who was this? What did they want?* Her mind screamed for her to run, but her body wouldn't obey. She couldn't tear her gaze away from the figure, feeling an ominous pull, like something out of a nightmare.

Then, before she could even gasp, a figure came running from behind her, and a sharp voice called out. "Stay back!"

Julie barely had time to process what was happening before she saw a man, dressed in dark clothing, sprinting toward her. In his hand was a gun, and Julie's eyes widened in horror as he raised it, pointing directly at the cloaked figure.

The man shouted something, but it was too late. In the blink of an eye, the cloaked figure disappeared, dissolving into thin air as if it had never been there.

Julie stumbled back, breathless, as the man slowed and approached her. His face was stern, but his eyes softened when he noticed her shock.

"Hey, I didn't mean to scare you," he said, lowering the gun and tucking it into his jacket. He raised his hands in a peaceful gesture. "I'm sorry. I was just doing my job."

"Your job?" Julie echoed, her voice shaky as she took a step back. "Who are you?"

The man paused before answering, his expression unreadable. "I work for the Ravenscroft family."

Julie blinked, her mind trying to process the information. *Ravenscroft family?* She had heard of them—powerful, influential, always in the background. But she had no idea why someone from that family would be out in the woods, especially at this hour.

She opened her mouth to ask more questions—about the cloaked person, about what was going on—but before she could, her phone rang, cutting through the tension. It was Misha.

Julie quickly answered the call, still looking at the man with a mix of confusion and wariness. "Misha, I'm in the woods. I'll meet you at the road that connects to the main road," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

The man watched her for a moment, then nodded slightly as if understanding. "I'll follow you," he said quietly, his gaze never leaving her.

Julie hesitated but didn't have the energy to argue. She turned to head back toward the road, her footsteps quickening as she wanted nothing more than to leave the strange encounter behind.

As she emerged from the tree line, she saw Misha standing on the edge of the clearing, waving at her with a wide grin. Julie exhaled a shaky breath, her heart still pounding from the unsettling experience in the woods.

She glanced behind her to see if the man was still following, but he had disappeared, leaving no trace that he had ever been there.

"Julie, hurry up!" Misha called, noticing the tension in her friend's face. "We're already so late!"

Julie gave one last apprehensive glance over her shoulder, but there was no sign of the man. She shook her head, brushing off the lingering unease, and forced a smile as she waved back at Misha.

"Coming," she called, her voice betraying none of the turmoil swirling inside her.

With one final glance back at the dark woods, Julie made her way toward Misha, hoping that whatever had just happened was behind her.