Falter

The hum of the car engine is a dull backdrop to the world outside the window. I'm sitting in the back seat of Elena's car, with Bonnie up front. They're talking, their voices blending into a familiar background noise that I can't quite follow. My focus is somewhere else—somewhere outside.

The road stretches ahead of us, winding through Mystic Falls like a thread of gray, but all I can see are the crows. They dot the landscape—perched on fences, streetlights, and the occasional tree branch. Their dark eyes follow the car as we pass, their heads tilting slightly, almost in unison. The further we drive, the more there seem to be, gathering in silent clusters like ominous spectators.

I glance out the window, watching the dark shapes as they flit through the sky and land along the roadside. Why are there so many today?

I can hear Elena and Bonnie laughing at something, probably something light, something normal. But the crows keep pulling my attention away, their black feathers gleaming under the morning sun. I shift in my seat, my fingers drumming lightly on my leg as I try to make sense of it. 

There's always been crows around Mystic Falls, but not like this. Not this many. Not all at once. I catch a glimpse of one standing directly by the road, its beak opening slightly as if it's trying to speak, its dark eyes boring into mine as the car speeds past. For a second, I swear I hear a faint whisper on the wind.

It's just a bird. It's just a bird. But the thought doesn't settle. Not today.

"Blake?" Elena's voice breaks through the quiet, and I turn my head to look at her. Her eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror, concern flickering across her face. "You good?"

I force a smile. "Yeah, just... tired. Didn't sleep great."

Elena nods but keeps glancing at me, like she's not quite convinced. "I just wanted to mention... after what happened to Vicki at that party last week, you might want to be careful on your runs. Maybe stick to the main roads, okay?"

I hesitate, the memory of Vicki's attack flashing through my mind. No one really knows what happened to her that night, but the rumors haven't stopped. It's unsettling, especially in a town like Mystic Falls where everyone knows everything—or at least, they think they do.

"I'll be careful," I say, my voice quieter than I intend.

Elena looks back at me again, her brow furrowed. "I mean it, Blake. Promise me you'll stay safe. We still don't know what's going on."

"I promise," I say, though there's a knot in my stomach that tells me safety is something I can't control.

We drive on, and I try to focus on something—anything—else. But my eyes keep drifting back to the window. The crows are still there, watching, waiting. Their black wings flutter as they land on fences and signs, almost as if they're following us.

We turn a corner, and suddenly, there's a whole flock of them in the field next to the road, their wings fluttering in unison as they scatter into the sky. I feel a shiver run down my spine, cold and sharp. I close my eyes, trying to center myself, to push away the irrational thoughts.

But when I open them, one last crow lands directly on the street ahead of us, in the path of the car. It stands there, unmoving, staring straight at me through the windshield.

"Elena," I manage to say, my voice low and tight. "Do you see that?"

Elena frowns, glancing toward the road. "See what?"

But just as she looks, the crow is gone. The street is empty.

I sit back, my heart pounding in my chest. The others go back to their conversation, and I try to focus, to blend into the normalcy around me. But something isn't right.

The crows are following me.

I sink into the seat, my fingers clenched tightly in my lap as the car speeds down the road. The crows are gone, at least for now, but the unease they've left behind lingers like a shadow in my chest. I try to focus on the voices around me—Bonnie and Elena are still talking, probably laughing about something—but their words barely reach me. I'm too lost in thought, too focused on the memory of that last crow, the one that stared straight at me before disappearing.

We pull into the school parking lot, and I take a deep breath, trying to shake off the lingering unease. The usual noise of students heading into the building surrounds us, normal life pressing in from all sides. It should be comforting. The routine, the structure—it's what keeps me grounded.

But I can't forget about the crows. They're in the back of my mind, like a splinter I can't get rid of.

We park, and as we all pile out of the car, Bonnie steps up beside me. "You've been super quiet today, Blake. You sure everything's okay?"

I look at her, meeting her eyes for a moment. There's genuine concern there, and I feel a twinge of guilt for brushing everyone off. But how can I explain what I've been seeing? They'd just think it's the same old story—Blake's gone crazy.

"I'm fine," I say, my voice quieter than I intend. "Just a weird morning."

Bonnie raises an eyebrow, but she doesn't push. "Alright. But if you need to talk about... anything, you know you can tell me, right?"

I nod, grateful for her understanding, but the truth is, I don't know how to talk about this. I don't even know what it is I'm feeling. Something is wrong, but I can't put it into words. Not yet.

I glance over my shoulder one more time, scanning the parking lot, the trees, the sky. No crows. Just normal, everyday life. But the knot in my stomach tells me this is far from over.

As we head toward the school entrance, I can feel the tension slowly easing, but that sense of unease still lingers at the edges of my mind. The noise of students gathering outside the building grows louder, the normal morning routine in full swing. It's grounding in a way, but not enough to chase away the thoughts gnawing at the back of my mind.

I glance around, scanning the crowd, and then I spot her—Teagan—sitting in her usual spot on the bench near the entrance. Her dark hair is falling loosely over her shoulders, and she's got that casual, relaxed look about her, like she's waiting for the world to catch up. She sees me almost immediately and waves, that easy smile spreading across her lips.

For a moment, the world feels a little lighter.

I walk over, the noise of the crowd fading into the background as I approach. Teagan scoots over, making space for me on the bench, and I drop down next to her. The crows, the whispers, the strange feelings from this morning—they don't seem as heavy here, with her.

"Hey," she says, nudging me gently. "You look like you've had a morning."

I huff out a small laugh, shaking my head. "Yeah, you could say that."

She raises an eyebrow, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. "Same old Mystic Falls weirdness, or is this something new?"

I shrug, trying to play it off. "A little bit of both, I guess."

Teagan tilts her head, her brown eyes watching me carefully, but she doesn't press. That's one of the things I love about her—she knows when to ask questions and when to let things breathe. It's easy with her, no pressure, just... normal.

"You ready for the comet party tonight?" she asks, her tone lightening as she leans back on the bench. "Apparently, it's going to be a big deal. The whole town is freaking out about it. My dad and his buddies have been tracking this thing for months. Apparently it only passes once every hundred years."

I nod, grateful for the change in subject. "Yeah, I heard about it. Everyone's been talking about it."

"Are you actually going, though?" she asks, her smile turning teasing. "Or are you planning to pull one of your classic 'I'll show up and disappear halfway through' moves?"

I smirk, leaning back beside her. "I guess you'll have to wait and see."

Teagan laughs, the sound easy and familiar. "Well, I'm dragging you there if I have to. It's not every day we get to see a comet."

I shake my head, the tension from earlier fading even more. Teagan's presence is grounding, her laid-back energy calming the buzzing thoughts in my head. It's moments like these that make everything else seem manageable—like I can just be here, with her, and forget about the rest.

"Alright, alright," I say, giving in. "I'll be there. No disappearing."

"Good," she replies with a grin, resting her hand on mine. "It'll be fun. Plus, you know... I'll be there. That automatically makes it better."

I chuckle, squeezing her hand gently. "You've got a point."

We sit there for a few more moments, watching the students pass by, our fingers loosely intertwined. For the first time today, I feel a little more like myself. The weight of the morning is still there, lingering in the background, but here, with Teagan, it doesn't feel so overwhelming.

I glance at her, grateful for the simplicity of this moment, and for the way she always seems to know how to pull me back when I need it most. She catches my eye and smiles, and for a second, everything feels right.

"Alright," she says, standing up and stretching. "We should probably head inside before we're late. Can't have them marking us absent before the comet party, right?"

I nod, standing up beside her, but as we head toward the entrance, that familiar sense of unease starts creeping back in. I glance over my shoulder one more time, scanning the parking lot.

No crows.

But I can't shake the anxious feeling that something is still watching.