THIRTEEN: INTO THE WOODS

I woke up from bed with a slight headache, still recovering from Saturday's drama. If I had known all that would happen, I would have stayed at home.

On Monday, the school was quiet.

Saturday's events had left a mess behind, emotional, physical, and otherwise.

Pink filled me in on everything that went down that night. It was awful.

Clary didn't show up to school. I guess she's still reeling from Resa's death and Annie's sudden disappearance. The incident at the clinic had shaken the whole town so much that her parents had organized a search party for their missing daughters.

Rejoice was still recovering from the brutal fight with Regina. Apparently, vampire regeneration isn't as fast as the movies make it seem. She was transferred to Caveroop City Hospital, while the school clinic was shut down after Raymond got suspended. People think he had something to do with Charles's death since his body was found right outside the clinic.

As for the basketball games, they were canceled indefinitely. I don't think the team is taking it well. Especially Jesse. That scholarship meant everything to him.

Despite all of this, the school refused to take a break.

Classes continued like nothing had happened. Since the staff room was under repair, teachers were scattered around the classrooms like substitute extras in a weird movie.

Meanwhile, across town, at the old garage, Nemus met with Regina, who had told him all that happened that night on the phone, and he seemed pretty pissed.

"I can't believe you fought Joy," he said coldly.

"She was tough," Regina replied with a smirk. "But I managed."

Nemus clenched his fist, jaw tightening. "You could've ended her."

Regina rolled her eyes. She tucked a strand of her dyed black hair behind her ear. "I was losing moonlight."

Just then, Jennie stormed in, Sofie trailing behind her. Jennie slammed her fist against the wall, eyes burning.

"Nemus!"

He let out a long, weary sigh and turned slowly. He reached up and adjusted the black tie around his neck tightening it with deliberate slowness "What now?"

"We had a deal!" she snapped. "And you double-crossed me!"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"Why the hell did you send her to do my job?" she growled, jabbing a finger toward Regina. "We had an agreement. Don't you trust me?"

"No one does, Jennie," He said flatly, snapping open his lighter with a flick. The flame danced briefly before he brought it to the tip of his cigarette, inhaling slowly as the ember caught. Smoke curled from his lips in lazy spirals, his expression unreadable.

"Fuck you," she spat. "Deal's off. Have fun taking the wand yourself."

She turned sharply to leave, but Nemus's smirk followed her.

"Good luck finding the Alpha."

Jennie glanced back, eyes glinting. "I think I'll do just fine on my own."

And with that, she and Sofie disappeared into the shadows.

...

At school, during recess, Pink and I went to the basketball court to pick up a few things we'd left behind during the blackout.

When we got there, Jesse was already sitting on the bench; he looked moody.

"Hey, Jesse," Pink called as we walked over.

He didn't respond. Didn't even glance our way. Just let out a slow, tired sigh.

Pink sat down beside him and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "How are you?"

"I'll be fine," he muttered, eyes still fixed on the ground.

The silence that followed was heavy. Pink was doing her best to comfort him, and I... I don't know what came over me, I said the worst thing I could've said.

"Hey, buddy… it's just a game. It'll happen again. No need to be all moody about it."

They both stared at me.

Jesse's jaw tightened. Pink shot me a look that could freeze fire.

"Terra…" she whispered, like she was trying to warn me but it was too late.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Yeah, well, you should be." Jesse stood up, his voice rising. "It may look like just a game to you, but to me? It's everything. It's my life!"

For the first time, I felt the full weight of his anger. And it was directed at me.

Caught off guard, I hesitated. I wasn't sure whether to apologize again or just walk away.

"I'll excuse myself," I mumbled, turning and leaving them on the bench.

Behind me, I heard Pink trying to ease the tension. "Hey, I'm sure she didn't mean that."

After a long pause, Jesse asked quietly, "How's Clary?"

"She's... hanging in there," Pink sighed. "It's not going to be easy for her, but I think she'll come around." Then she perked up a little. "By the way, Zack's organizing a search party for Annie. We're heading into the woods after recess. You wanna come?"

"Yeah," Jesse said, his voice softer now. "I need to clear my head."

...

After recess, everyone gathered outside, ready to begin the search. Students carried flashlights, walkie-talkies, and neon vests, safety tools we never thought we'd actually need.

Mrs. Adams stood in front of the crowd and cleared her throat.

"Students of Caveroop High," she began, her voice somber but strong, "we are here today to show the Brodway and Michael family that we care. That we're sorry for their loss, and as friends, as a community, we offer a helping hand. Be careful out there. If you find anything, report it. Do not go off on your own."

The crowd applauded politely.

Zack stepped forward next. "Alright, good luck out there. Let's hope we at least find a clue, anything to help bring Annie home."

We broke off into groups. I was with Jesse, Summer, and Eska.

"Man, these woods are creepy," I said, trying not to fall too far behind them.

"You might wanna stay close," Summer called over her shoulder, flashlight swinging in her hand.

She and Eska were chatting and giggling about something. I trailed behind with Jesse, who hadn't said a single word since we left school grounds.

I wanted to fix things, even if I didn't know how.

"So… Jesse," I started awkwardly. "What are you going to do now that the games are canceled?"

No response. He kept walking, eyes forward, hands in his jacket pockets.

I sighed. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean it."

"Okay," he said, monotone.

I stared at him. "Okay, so… what now?"

"You tell me."

Ugh. Why was it so hard to talk to him?

I tried again. "I was just curious what you're planning to do now that..."

He smirked, cutting me off. "Me too."

That was it. I stopped in my tracks.

"Why are you like this?" I snapped. "Why is it so impossible to talk to you?"

He turned slowly, his face unreadable.

"Why do you hate me? What did I ever do to you? I've tried, I've tried to be civil. To be friends even. But it's like you're hellbent on pushing me away."

He looked at me for a moment, then said flatly, "Then maybe it's time you stopped trying."

And just like that, he walked off, disappearing into the woods.

Deep inside the woods, everything fell eerily silent.

Not the kind of peaceful silence that comes with nature, but the suffocating kind. The rustling of leaves, the chirping of birds, even the distant voices of the other search teams… all vanished. Like the forest had suddenly decided to hold its breath.

We had been searching for nearly an hour, and still nothing. No footprints, no torn fabric, no signs of Annie. Just trees and the occasional rustle of branches.

Fatigue was starting to creep in. My legs were heavy, and my mind kept drifting. But I didn't want to give up. Not yet.

Then I heard it, laughters.

Faint. Soft. A girl's laugh. Almost melodic. It came from behind me.

I turned sharply, eyes scanning the path we'd just walked but there was no one.

But when I turned forward again, my stomach dropped.

They were gone.

Jesse, Summer, Eska, completely gone.

The trail ahead was empty. No figures, no voices, just the towering trees and thickening mist curling around their roots.

No, no, no... this can't be happening.

My breath quickened. I spun around, trying to spot movement, anything, but the woods had swallowed them whole.

I didn't want to panic, but my body betrayed me. My heart started to pound. My hands trembled slightly as I clutched the edge of my jacket tighter.

I forced myself to keep walking. Just keep moving, I told myself. Maybe they were just a few steps ahead.

But then, i heard footsteps, behind me. It was quick, measured and crunching softly over dry leaves.

I froze mid-step, my ears straining but the footsteps stopped.

I waited, holding my breath but still nothing.

Relief began to settle in until I heard a loud crack. A twig snapping sharply in the underbrush behind me. I looked down. I hadn't stepped on anything. That's when my blood ran cold, who did?

I turned around slowly.

Lying on the ground was a broken twig but no one was near it. The air felt colder now.

"Summer?" I called out, voice shaking. "Eska? Jesse?"

But there was still Silence.

"Hello?" I tried again, louder this time, panic rising in my throat. "This isn't funny!"

I turned back and nearly screamed my gut out. There was a woman standing directly in front of me.

I hadn't heard her approach. Hadn't felt the ground move beneath her. She was just there, as if the woods had conjured her out of thin air.

She was tall and graceful, her skin a smooth, warm brown that contrasted hauntingly with her pale, glowing face. Her dark, waist-length hair flowed like ink over her shoulders, and she wore an ancient black robe that shimmered slightly under the faint sunlight that trickled through the trees. Symbols, unfamiliar writing seemed to pulse faintly along the hem of her garment, as if the fabric itself were alive.

But it was her eyes that held me still.

It was golden, Luminous. Almost inhuman. They glowed with quiet power, she didn't move, didn't speak.

She just stared at me.

"Wh-who are you?" I managed, voice barely above a whisper.

She smiled.

Not wide. Not wicked. But… somehow pleased.

Her expression was strange, like she recognized me somehow. Like I was a piece in a puzzle she'd been waiting to find.

Then, just as I took a cautious step backward, her body began to blur at the edges.

First her feet, then her arms, then her face, fading like mist under sunlight. I blinked, and she was vanishing, dissolving into the air as if she had never been there to begin with.

In seconds, she was gone.