chapter eight

Aurora's POV

As I entered the school gates, Ciara was the first to spot me. She leaned against her locker with Hayden and Alex, her usual smugness replaced by something more guarded. Her sharp eyes tracked me like a hawk's, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"Aurora," she said when I passed her. Her voice carried a strange tone—something between curiosity and suspicion.

I ignored her and kept walking, my mind too tangled to deal with her games.

When I reached the classroom, I took my seat, pulling out my notebook and flipping to our project notes. My hand froze mid-motion when I noticed something tucked inside—a folded piece of paper with the same neat, slanted handwriting from before.

Not everyone is who they seem to be. Stay alert.

I crumpled the note in my fist, my frustration boiling over. Who was leaving these cryptic messages? And why couldn't they just tell me what they meant?

"Something wrong?" Hayden's voice drawled from behind me.

I whipped around to see him sliding into his seat, his usual smirk firmly in place. "Mind your business," I snapped.

His smirk widened. "Touchy this morning, aren't we?"

"Maybe she's just nervous," Ciara chimed in, sliding into her seat beside him. Her tone was mocking, but her eyes… they were studying me, like she was trying to figure something out.

I shook my head and turned back to my notebook, determined to ignore them. But as the day dragged on, their presence became impossible to ignore. Every time I tried to work on the project, Hayden and Alex would interrupt with snide comments or pointless distractions.

"Do we really have to do this?" Alex groaned at one point, leaning back in his chair. "I mean, it's not like the grade matters."

"It matters to me," I snapped, my patience wearing thin.

"Of course it does," Hayden said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Gotta keep that perfect little GPA intact, right?"

"You wouldn't understand," I shot back, glaring at him. "Some of us actually care about our future."

His smirk faltered for a fraction of a second, replaced by something darker. But before he could respond, Ciara leaned forward, her voice cutting through the tension.

"You think you're better than us, don't you?" she said, her eyes narrowing. "Just because you're smart?"

"I think I'm different," I said firmly. "And maybe that scares you."

For a moment, the table went silent. Then Hayden chuckled, low and humorless. "You've got guts, I'll give you that."

Before I could respond, the bell rang, signaling the end of the period. I grabbed my things and left without a word, my heart pounding.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, but the feeling of being watched never left me.

I've grown used to the silence that fills the house whenever my parents are gone. They both work late—too late, sometimes—and I'm left with the echoes of their absence, wandering around the house like a ghost. At first, I thought I liked it. The solitude gave me a sense of freedom, a chance to focus on myself. But recently, the silence has been suffocating, like it's pressing in on me, trapping me with my thoughts.

Tonight was no different. The house was quiet except for the hum of the refrigerator and the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. My parents were working again, and I was alone in the kitchen, staring at the counter. I don't know what I was looking for. Maybe something to distract me from the unease that had settled in my chest ever since I saw that creature in the woods.

I had almost convinced myself that it was just my imagination running wild. But when my eyes landed on the letter sitting on the counter, I felt a jolt of recognition deep in my gut.

The letter was plain—just an envelope with no name or return address. But something about it felt off. The claw marks on the front were unmistakable. I had seen them before, etched into the front door, still fresh in my mind from the night I had encountered that thing. That… creature. I didn't know what to call it. It looked like a wolf, but there was something wrong about it. It was too big, its eyes too intelligent, too piercing.

My heart pounded as I reached out and picked up the letter. I flipped it over in my hands, but it didn't seem to hold any answers. The marks—those claw marks—still shimmered faintly under the light, as if they were waiting for me to make sense of them. I wanted to throw it away, forget that I had ever seen it, but something inside me refused to let it go.

I barely had time to think when the front door creaked open. My parents were home earlier than usual. I hadn't expected them back for another hour or so, but the timing felt almost… too perfect.

I hurriedly tucked the letter back on the counter, trying to act natural as I walked toward the door. My mother stepped inside first, followed by my father, both of them looking tired but relieved to be home.

"Everything okay?" my dad asked, glancing at me with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

I nodded, but there was a tension in the air, a heaviness that I couldn't shake. I hesitated before saying anything, not sure how to bring up what had been haunting me. But I needed to talk to someone. It had been eating at me for days, and I couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Mom, Dad, I—I saw something," I started, my voice trembling despite myself. "A wolf. But it wasn't like any wolf I've ever seen. It was huge, and its eyes… they were different. I don't know how to explain it. It just felt wrong."

I watched their expressions shift from casual interest to something more serious. My dad's eyes narrowed slightly, and my mom's lips pressed into a thin line. They didn't dismiss me outright, which was a relief. But there was a hesitation in their eyes, like they were trying to decide how much to tell me.

"You've been seeing this wolf for a while?" my father asked carefully.

I nodded. "I saw it once. In the woods, near the edge of the property. It looked at me, like it was watching me. And the message… I keep getting these strange messages. The one I found today… it was on the kitchen counter. I don't know where it came from, but the claw marks…"

I trailed off, feeling a lump form in my throat. My parents were silent, exchanging a glance that I didn't quite understand. My mother spoke up softly.

"Sweetheart, wolves are just animals. They live in the wild. But you should be careful. There are… stories, legends, about creatures like the one you've seen. But we aren't connected to any of that."

I shook my head, trying to make sense of everything. "But… wolves are just animals, right? I mean, the stories, the myths… They're just stories, aren't they? I thought they were just… well, things people made up. But this, this doesn't feel like a normal wolf."

My mother gave me a steady look, her expression unreadable. "There are myths, yes. Stories passed down through generations. Some say they're true, others say they're just folklore. But wolves—these creatures—are a part of the natural world. You don't need to be afraid, but you do need to be cautious."

I wasn't sure what to believe. I wanted to tell them that the creature I saw wasn't like anything I'd read about in books. But something stopped me. Maybe it was the way they looked at me, or maybe it was just the uncertainty that gnawed at me.

"I don't know," I muttered. "It felt too real. And I can't shake the feeling that something's coming. That it's not just going to disappear."

My father gave me a reassuring smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "You're fine, Aurora. Just… stay cautious. And if you see anything strange again, come talk to us. We'll figure it out."

That night, we had dinner together, and for the first time in weeks, it felt normal. The three of us sat around the table, eating and talking. There was something comforting in the routine, even though I knew it couldn't last. The fear gnawed at me in the back of my mind, but for a few hours, I allowed myself to enjoy the peace.

Later, I went to bed, but sleep didn't come easily. I tossed and turned, my mind racing with thoughts of wolves, creatures, and the strange message I had found. But despite the fear that clung to me like a second skin, there was a sense of calm. My parents had listened to me. They hadn't dismissed me, and for that, I was grateful.

I eventually drifted off, my thoughts muddled, but for the first time in a while, I slept peacefully. I still didn't understand what was happening, but I felt a little less alone with my fears.

The next morning, I woke up early, determined to shake off the anxiety that had crept in the night before. It was a Saturday, so I had the day off from school. I decided to go for my part-time job, as I often did when I had free time. It wasn't much, but the distraction it offered kept my mind occupied.

When I walked into the small cafe, the familiar clatter of dishes and the comforting smell of brewed coffee filled the air. I immediately got to work, greeting the customers and helping out behind the counter. But as I moved around, my eyes landed on Hayden.

He was sitting at a table near the window, talking to a girl I didn't recognize. She was pretty, with bright blonde hair and a bright smile, and they seemed to be having a casual conversation. But despite her presence, Hayden caught my eye. There was something different about him today. He looked… good. I mean, he always looked good—handsome, tall, with sharp features and that confident, almost arrogant air about him. But today, something about him seemed softer. He wasn't wearing that cold, distant expression he often had. Instead, he seemed more relaxed.

I couldn't help but notice his smile, the way his eyes lit up when he spoke. For a moment, I forgot about everything else—the creature, the strange messages, the myths—everything faded into the background as I focused on him. I quickly turned away, embarrassed by the thought that I was actually staring at him.

As I walked by their table, Hayden's gaze flicked toward me, and I couldn't help but feel a flutter in my chest. I had no idea why. Maybe it was the way he looked at me, or maybe it was just the way he carried himself. Despite his arrogance, he was undeniably handsome.

I kept my distance, focusing on the work at hand. But I couldn't shake the feeling that I was starting to see him in a new light.

The rest of the day went by quickly, and by the time my shift ended, I was mentally exhausted. But there was something different about the day. Even though the fear still lingered, the conversation with my parents had helped. It hadn't solved everything, but it made me feel a little less alone. And that, for now, was enough.