Chapter Two- Enemies lurking in the dark.
2200 Words
Brenda had always had terrible dreams, but recently they had grown darker and sharper, like claws digging into her sleep. She talked to her parents, but they waved it off as nothing more than nightmares. She pretends to get over it, but the shadows still cling to her.
At school the next day, I forced myself to act normal, like I hadn't seen what I saw yesterday. I avoided Lynn and his brother like the plague. Brenda and I were in the cafeteria, planning to visit Emma at the hospital when Pete approached our table.
“How's she doing?” Brenda asked.
“She's fine,” Pete replied, settling in with his tray. The nurse says they're keeping a close eye on her. She's been… hallucinating.”
“Hallucinating?” Brenda asked. “About what?” She pressed.
Pete smirked. “You know Emma, crazy stuff. She even said it was a wolf that attacked her in the woods.”
I froze. My face betrayed surprise before I immediately covered it. “What? A werewolf? That's insane. "The nurse's right… she's hallucinating.” I forced a laugh, though inside, my stomach dropped. Catching Lynn’s eye from across our table, I excused myself, signaling him to follow.
“She knows it was a werewolf that attacked her,” I whispered, once we were alone.
“I know, I heard,” he said, his voice low and caring.
“How? "You were across the table,” I said, stunned.
His lips curled faintly. “It’s part of our abilities as werewolves, everything is heightened. Magnified sight, hearing, strength and speed,” he said.
The words left me too stunned to speak.
“And I'll explain everything better. "Just don't ignore me, Aria,” he murmured.
“I’m not.” I avoided his gaze, though my pulse betrayed me.
“Then look me in the eyes and say it.” He leaned closer, his presence overwhelming. My breath caught, tingles erupted throughout my body.
I opened my mouth, but the words tangled.
“It's not…”
“What's going on here?” Pete's voice cut through.
I pulled back. “Nothing.” We left for the hospital.
On our way, Brenda talked about her nightmares, her voice hesitant, looking for reassurance. We dismissed them as the incident triggering it. She became silent, deciding she would never share them again.
At the hospital, while we chatted, Brenda tugged a cloth from Emma's arm and revealed smooth skin. Pete’s eyes narrowed. “Wait… wasn’t there a wound here?”
Emma sighed. “I don’t know. Looks fine.”
Pete watched her closely, unsettled but silent. As Brenda and I left, I caught his lingering gaze fixed on her arm, as though trying to reconnect memory with reality.
Lydia walked in and Pete excused them.
************
Walking home, I noticed someone was watching me. My pace hastened until I got to my door. Cole walked out of the house, smirking.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded, rushing inside. “Aunt Mara?” Lydia? I yelled. She answered. “Where's Lydia?” I asked.
Her voice floated from the kitchen. “She went to visit a friend at the hospital.”
Cole leaned on his window side. “That should be the girl I drove to a hospital… huh?”
“Why did you attack me in the woods in Maryland?” I asked, dropping my bag, arms crossed.
He sighed. “It wasn’t intentional. I thought you were a threat.”
“And Emma? Was she a threat too?”
“Relax, bubble bee. Emma was… a mistake. I was just having fun.”
Anger boiled in me. “And I wonder why they call you an a—hole. Maybe try being like Lynn for once at least he has humanity in him.” I fired, angrily.
In a blink, he was in my face, pinning me to the wall. His breath burned my skin. “Don’t you ever compare me to my brother again.”
My fear tangled with defiance. “Even if I wanted to forgive you, I couldn’t. You hurt me first.”
His grip loosened. He stepped back, jaw tight. “For what it's worth, I’d never hurt you.” Then he turned and stormed off into the night.
Later that night, the creak of my window woke me up. I flicked on the light and nearly screamed before I saw him.
“Lynn?”
“I couldn't sleep without saying this. I’m sorry about Cole. He's not himself.”
I gave him a look. “I’ve heard that excuse before.”
“That’s not why I’m here.” His voice dropped. I wanted to talk about us. Aria… I’d never hurt you. And I think… I know… I’m in love with you. Since the first moment I saw you in Maryland…”
I silenced him with a kiss.
A slow smile spread across his face.
“I love you, Lynn,” I whispered.
He cupped my face gently and kissed me.
************
At school, during practice, I could swear I saw someone… someone who looked exactly like me. I froze. I rubbed my eyes, shutting them tightly before glancing back. The figure was gone.
“Maybe I'm imagining things.” I muttered under my breath. When I turned, Lynn was standing right in front of me. I flinched, my hand flying to my chest.
“Imagining what?”
“Lynn… you scared me.” I said, smacking his chest lightly.
He chuckled. “What’s wrong?” His eyes swept over the field, sharp and searching.
“I thought I saw… someone. Someone who looked exactly like me.”
Lynn’s expression shifted, his brow arching, confusion darkening his gaze. “You said you saw what again?”
I hesitated, my mouth going dry. “Nothing, forget it.” I caught sight of Cole in the corner of the field, his eyes fixed on me, unblinking.
That night, the school buzzed with excitement for the intra-match. I excused myself before the game began. By halftime, Lynn noticed my absence. I had promised to meet them before the game started, but after the first half of the game, I was nowhere in sight.
“Maybe she just got delayed,” Cole said casually.
Lynn paced the sideline like a predator in a cage.
The second half was about to start, the crowd roaring, but his focus was fixed elsewhere.
“No,” Lynn murmured, closing his eyes as he inhaled the night air. “Something’s wrong. Her scent is faint, scattered. She's not in school."
The whistle blew for the game to continue. "Let's finish the game, we'll check on her later." Cole assured, clapping Lynn's shoulder, and leaping back onto the field.
After the game, Lynn went into the school building to look for me when he saw it. My broken hand chain glinted on the floor. He picked it up.
“Cole!” His voice echoed sharply against the walls. Cole jogged over, catching the look in his brother’s eyes.
Lynn’s grip tightened around the chain. She didn’t leave on her own. She was taken.”
In a blur, both brothers were running through the fog-shrouded streets of Silver Ridge, following my fading scent. The scent led them to a rusted chain-link fence of the old train depot, a place no one visited anymore.
Inside, I was tied to a chair, wrists bound with rope that dug into my skin. The unknown figure who had taken me lurked in the shadows, face hidden in the dark. His voice was cold, taunting.
“He will be so glad I caught you. You Vales have taken a lot from us. "Even after the death of your father, we still can't rest.” The figure pours out his frustration.
My heart pounded. I tried to stay strong, but my fear took a better part of me. Whoever he was, he knew me, knew about my family and that made him dangerous.
Suddenly, the echo of footsteps approached the door. The figure jerked his head up, eyes narrowing.
Cole broke the door, a blur of rage, his fangs glinting under the flickering depot lights. “Let her go,” he snarled, every syllable dripping with lethal promise.
Behind him, Lynn appeared with red eyes glowing in the dim. “This is your last chance,” he warned, his voice echoing with aura.
The figure chuckled darkly, dragging a knife against my arm just enough to make me tremble. “One move, and she bleeds.” He threatened.
Tension filled the air. Cole lunged without hesitation, faster than the eye could follow. The unknown figure barely dodged, the knife clattering to the ground. At the same time, Lynn was at my side, snapping the ropes and lifting me to my fish gently.
“Are you hurt?” Lynn’s voice was soft, his hands steadying me as I trembled.
Behind us, Cole’s fight with the man ended in a brutal crash against the depot wall. But before Cole could finish him, he vanished into the darkness as though he’d never been there.
“Coward,” Cole spat, eyes still burning.
I leaned against Lynn, my breathing uneven. Lynn hugged me tightly. I felt Cole’s eyes on me, sharp and piercing, not just in anger but in fear of losing me.
“You’re not leaving my sight again,” Lynn said, her voice low and absolute. I tightened my hold on his shoulder. Whoever that was, this was just the beginning.
The ride home was silent. Lynn walked beside me to the porch, while Cole lingered behind, eyes still scanning the shadows as if expecting the rival to reappear.
Inside, the warm glow of the sitting room eased the tension a little. My aunt rose from the armchair, relief flooding her face.
“Aria, thank heavens...” She froze when she saw the bruise on my wrist.
I didn’t wait for excuses. My voice cracked with anger and confusion. “Why didn’t you ever tell me? "Why didn’t you say our family were hunters?”
Mara stiffened. “Hunters?” I pressed, stepping closer. “That man tonight knew who I was. He said I was the hunter’s girl. And when I fought back… he looked at me like I was someone he’d seen before.” My breathing hastened. “Like I was her.”
The room was filled with tension.
“You are,” came a new voice.
I turned. A man stepped from the hallway. It was my uncle. His eyes were sharp, his build unmistakably military. "He smiled faintly, but there was nothing warm in it. “The doppleganger of the first hunter. Our ancestors. "The one who nearly wiped them out,” he said, his voice exuding command.
Lynn and Cole exchanged looks, but stayed silent.
My stomach dropped. “Uncle Zach…?”
He nodded once. He turned to Lynn and Cole, "As you can see, this is a family matter," he said, signaling his eyes to the door. They left.
He continued, “The vale blood runs deep, Aria. I came here tonight because I traced some werewolves to this town. Your resemblance to her, the first hunter, makes you a beacon. "Every rival sees you as both a threat and a prize,” he said
Mara moved quickly between us. “Stop it, Zach. She's not ready. She's still a child. She doesn't need this.”
“She needs the truth,” he snapped, his voice cutting across the room. "His gaze pinned me like a weapon. “Listen kid, wolves sniff you out before you even breathe. "Your father and I swore to continue the Vale legacy since some of us were weak enough to let go,” he said, glaring at Mara. He chose to hide it from you. I won’t.”
My head spun. Images flashed, my father’s secrecy about the woods, the way my aunt always avoided questions, the unknown figures and eyes on me since I moved to town. Now it all made sense, and yet it didn’t.
“So that’s it?” I whispered. My whole life has been a lie. I’m just… some weapon? Some copy of a woman who hunted them centuries ago?”
“No, Aria.” Mara tried, reaching for me. “You’re more than that. But yes, you deserve to know who you are.”
Zach’s expression softened just enough. “We’ll explain everything. The Vale ancestor, the wars
We fought. Why do the wolves fear you? But you must be ready.”
I shook my head, backing toward the door. My chest felt tight, my pulse loud in my ears. “No. Not now. Not tonight.”
I fled out.
- Writer
