"It felt like the world didn't exist," Sophie added.
But Stella sat up suddenly, her eyes fixed on something.
"Did you see that?"
They all looked.
Across the pool, at the edge of the waterfall, something shifted. A shape. A flicker. Not loud. Not threatening. Just… there.
It was gone in a second.
Jude stood.
Emma looked confused. "Was that, ?"
"I don't know," Jude muttered.
But he felt the cold settle into his bones again. That presence. Always watching. Always near. Even in their joy. Even in their most intimate moments.
"I think we should head back soon," Stella said, her voice a little too steady.
They dressed in silence, no longer laughing. The walk home was slower, the air heavier.
That night, Jude sat with Sophie on the roof of their treehouse. Stars blazed above them. She leaned her head against his shoulder.
"It's following us," she whispered.
He nodded.