The Shadow Between Us

Chapter Two: A New Threat

The morning after my encounter in the woods, the world felt wrong in a way I couldn’t explain. Sunlight filtered through my frost-covered window, painting shimmering patterns on the walls, but the brightness only made the shadows seem darker. I stared at the ceiling, my mind replaying the events of the night before: the figure in the clearing, the voice that called my name, and those haunting words.

The blood moon rises.

I tried to dismiss it as a dream, something my overactive imagination conjured up in the middle of the night. But the memory of cold air pressing against my skin, the unnatural weight of the figure’s stare, and the attic door swinging open on its own weren’t so easily explained. I should’ve told my grandmother, but the look in her eyes when I’d mentioned the blood moon still lingered in my mind. Fear mixed with guilt, as though she’d been expecting this.

I pulled myself out of bed, pushing the thoughts away. Whatever had happened last night could wait. Today, I had to get through another miserable day at Blackthorn High, which was challenging enough without adding supernatural encounters to the mix.

The walk to school was uneventful, the cold morning air biting at my face as I trudged through the quiet streets of Blackthorn Hollow. The town was small and isolated, tucked between dense forests and endless hills. It was the kind of place that seemed frozen in time, untouched by modernity. Most of the buildings were old, their bricks worn and their windows clouded with years of grime.

I passed the Blackthorn Library on my way, its heavy oak doors shut tight, and felt the familiar tug of curiosity. It had always been my safe haven, a place where I could lose myself in books and escape the whispers of the town. Lately, though, I’d been drawn to a particular section: the local history archives. My grandmother had forbidden me from poking around in “old wounds,” but I couldn’t help myself.

The whispers about my family weren’t just cruel gossip. They were rooted in something real, something I could feel in my bones.

By the time I reached school, the halls were already buzzing with the kind of chaotic energy that came after a long weekend. I kept my head down, avoiding eye contact as I slipped past groups of students gossiping by the lockers. Most of them didn’t notice me, which was fine. Being invisible was a skill I’d mastered long ago.

I made my way to the library and found my usual corner near the back, far from the noise. Pulling out my laptop, I opened a search tab and typed in the words that had been haunting me: blood moon prophecy.

Thousands of results flooded the screen, most of them unhelpful. Astrology blogs predicting disaster. Conspiracy theorists warning about government cover-ups. A few ancient myths, vaguely referencing the blood moon as a time when the veil between worlds thinned. But nothing concrete. Nothing that explained why a shadowy figure in the woods would speak those words to me.

The more I scrolled, the heavier the knot in my stomach became. I’d hoped for answers, but all I found were more questions.

“You’re looking in the wrong place.”

I jumped at the voice and slammed my laptop shut, my pulse racing. When I looked up, Ophelia Cross was leaning against the edge of the table, her arms crossed and her signature smirk plastered across her face.

“What do you want, Ophelia?” I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.

She tilted her head, her perfectly styled blonde hair falling over one shoulder. “Relax, Vale. I’m just curious. You’ve been acting weird lately.”

“I’m always weird. Go away.”

She laughed, a high, mocking sound that made my skin crawl. “Fair point. But seriously, I heard something interesting this morning and thought you might want to know.”

I doubted that, but I sighed and leaned back in my chair. “Fine. What is it?”

“There’s a new kid in town,” she said, lowering her voice like she was about to share the world’s biggest secret. “Transferred here this morning. And guess what? He asked about you.”

I frowned. “Me?”

She nodded, her smirk widening. “Yep. Walked into the office and asked if you were here. Pretty weird, right? What’s the deal? Old boyfriend? Creepy stalker?”

“I have no idea who you’re talking about.”

“Sure you don’t.” She pushed off the table and straightened her skirt. “Anyway, you might want to keep an eye out. If he shows up dead in the woods, I’ll tell the cops you did it.”

“Thanks for the concern,” I muttered, but she was already walking away, her laughter echoing through the library.

By lunch, I’d all but forgotten Ophelia’s cryptic warning. If someone was looking for me, they’d have to try harder than that. Blackthorn Hollow wasn’t the kind of place people stumbled into by accident. Most newcomers left as quickly as they came, driven away by the suffocating isolation and the strange energy that seemed to cling to the town like fog.

I grabbed a tray of food from the cafeteria—mystery meat and limp vegetables—and found a seat in the far corner, away from the chaos. The room buzzed with conversation, but I tuned it out, focusing on my notebook. I’d started sketching the figure from the woods, trying to capture the eerie way the shadows clung to them like a second skin.

“Seraphina Vale.”

The voice was low and smooth, cutting through the noise like a blade. I looked up and froze.

The boy standing in front of me was tall and lean, with dark hair that fell into his eyes and a jawline sharp enough to cut glass. He wore a leather jacket over a black hoodie, his boots scuffed and muddy. But it wasn’t his appearance that unnerved me—it was the way he looked at me, like he knew me.

“Who are you?” I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.

“Kael,” he said simply, sliding into the seat across from me without asking. “We need to talk.”

I glanced around the room, but no one seemed to notice us. “Do I know you?”

“Not yet.” He leaned forward, his dark eyes locking onto mine. “But I know you. And I know what’s coming.”

“What are you talking about?”

He glanced at my notebook, where the half-finished sketch of the shadowy figure lay open. A flicker of something—recognition?—crossed his face, but it was gone in an instant.

“Stay out of the woods,” he said, his voice low.

The words hit me like a punch to the chest. “Why?”

“Because they’re watching you.”

I stared at him, my pulse pounding in my ears. “Who’s watching me?”

He hesitated, his gaze flickering to the cafeteria doors. “Not here. Meet me after school. Behind the library.”

Before I could respond, he stood and walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

After school, I almost didn’t go. Part of me wanted to ignore Kael’s warning, to pretend he didn’t exist. But the other part—the part that had led me into the woods last night—couldn’t let it go.

The library was quiet, its old brick exterior bathed in the golden light of late afternoon. I rounded the corner and found Kael leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and his expression unreadable.

“You came,” he said, straightening as I approached.

“Start talking,” I said, keeping my distance.

He didn’t waste time. “Your family has a reputation. People talk about curses and witchcraft, but it’s bigger than that. The woods, the blood moon—they’re all connected. And you’re at the center of it.”

My stomach churned. “What do you mean?”

“The Circle of Thirteen,” he said, his voice dropping to a whisper. “They’ve been watching your family for years, waiting for someone like you. They think you’re the key to completing their ritual.”

“Ritual for what?”

“To bring something back. Something dark.”

A chill ran down my spine, and I crossed my arms over my chest. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I’ve seen what they can do,” he said, his voice grim. “And if you’re not careful, you’ll end up like the others.”

“Others?”

His jaw tightened. “Just trust me, Seraphina. Stay out of the woods. Stay away from the blood moon.”

“And what about you? Why should I trust you?”

Kael hesitated, then looked me straight in the eye. “Because I’ve been running from them my whole life. And now they’ve found me.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The air between us was heavy, charged with something I couldn’t name. Finally, Kael pushed off the wall and started walking away.

“Wait!” I called after him. “What am I supposed to do?”

He glanced back, his expression unreadable. “Survive.”

And then he was gone, leaving me standing in the shadow of the library, the weight of his words pressing down on me like a storm.