Hallow's Edge

Chapter 6 - Raven

I shut my bedroom door and press my back to it, breath coming fast. Seeing Noah in the hallway was… a lot. Being near him stirs something in me I can’t name. It’s like standing too close to a bonfire, my cheeks flush, my skin tingles, and the air still carries the ghost of rain and his cologne.

I can’t stop picturing the way his shirt clung to his shoulder, damp from practice. I have to swallow hard just to steady myself.

He’s attractive. Anyone with eyes would notice. But it’s not just that, and that’s what scares me. I can’t let myself fall. Not for him. Not for anyone.

Rules exist for a reason. The state has its rules, and I have mine. Foster kids don’t get tangled up with their foster siblings. It’s messy. Complicated. Dangerous. Once, at Miss Sheila’s house, I let myself get too close to one of her sons. The next day, I was shoving my life into a bag, blamed for something I didn’t do. I learned fast: don’t trust it. Don’t trust them. Don’t trust yourself.

And guys like Noah, football players with easy smiles and girls lining up for their attention, don’t look twice at girls like me. He probably has a cheerleader girlfriend anyway. I sigh and crawl into bed. Tomorrow will be long enough without me spiraling over a boy I barely know. New school. New faces. New everything.

I close my eyes. Sleep drags me under fast.

I’m standing in a dark hallway. The old wood walls groan and creak, rhythmic and alive, like they’re breathing with me. A slow thumping echoes beneath the floorboards, steady, like a heartbeat.

A cold draft brushes past, carrying whispers I can’t understand.

Then I hear it. Crying. Soft at first, then breaking, raw and desperate. I follow the sound to a door cracked open at the end of the hall. A thin blade of light spills out. I push it wider.

A woman stands with her back to me. Black hair with auburn highlights. Shoulders shaking. Hands cradling a swollen pregnant belly. “I’m sorry,” she whispers. “I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry…”

She rubs her stomach like she’s trying to soothe the baby inside. Her voice cracks, and something inside me cracks with it. I step closer. “Who are you?” She doesn’t turn. “Please,” I say, reaching out. “Let me see your...”

The door behind me slams open. I spin around...

I jerk upright, sheets twisted around my legs. My heart stutters painfully. Panic claws up my throat. I squeeze my hands into fists and start counting, one, two, three, four, like the therapist taught me. Box breathing. In for four, hold for four, out for four, hold for four.

I trace invisible squares in the air until the panic loosens its grip. The room is dark. Quiet. Still. But the image of the woman lingers, the way she sobbed, the way she clutched her stomach, the way her voice unraveled.

I wipe my forehead with a shaky hand. There’s no way I’m going back to sleep. I cross to the window and unlatch it. Cool night air rushes in, brushing my overheated skin. I sit on the sill, letting the breeze settle my nerves.

That’s when I see it. A shape moving in the yard. A cat. A black cat. It pads across the roof, tail flicking. When it steps into the moonlight, I freeze. Blue streaks shimmer through its fur. Just like my hair. The cat looks up at me, eyes bright and too intelligent.

“Uh… hi?” I whisper. It meows softly.

“You’re… really pretty. And weird. But pretty.”

The cat trots closer, then leaps onto the windowsill and slips into my room like it owns the place. I should be freaked out. I should chase it out. I should do something.

Instead, I laugh quietly. “Okay. Sure. Random magical farm cat in my room. That tracks.” It hops onto my bed, circles once, then curls up like it’s been sleeping here forever. I sit beside it and run my fingers through its fur. It purrs, low and steady, and something in my chest loosens.

“I had a dream,” I whisper. “About a woman. Crying. Pregnant. Saying sorry over and over.” The cat lifts its head, watching me. “I know I sound crazy,” I say, stroking behind its ears. “Talking to a cat like you understand me.” It blinks slowly. I lie down beside it, exhaustion pulling at me again. “I’m definitely losing it.” The cat presses its head against my arm. And for the first time since I got here, I fall asleep without fear.

Sunlight spills across my bed, warm and golden. I blink awake, stretching... The cat is gone. I sit up quickly, scanning the room. No fur. No pawprints. No sign it was ever here. The window is closed. Locked. I’m sure I shut it before I fell asleep. “How did you get out?” I mutter. “Or… did you?” I shake my head. “You’re losing it, Raven.”

I get dressed, flowy skirt, faded tank, oversized cardigan. Witchy thrift‑store chic. Me. The pendant rests warm against my skin. I head downstairs.

The kitchen is bright and loud in a cozy way. Grace flips pancakes. Liam reads something on his tablet. Emily swings her legs on a stool, eating cereal. Noah’s chair is empty. Emily looks up when I walk in, then quickly looks away, cheeks pink. She’s acting strange. Not bad strange. Just… aware. “Good morning, sweetheart,” Grace says. “Sleep okay?”

“Yeah,” I lie. “Fine.”

Emily’s eyes flick to mine, sharp, knowing, before she shoves another spoonful of cereal into her mouth. Liam smiles. “First day at a new school. Big deal.”

“Terrifying,” I say.

He chuckles. “You’ll do great.”

I sit beside Emily. She keeps sneaking glances at me like she’s checking to make sure I’m real. Noah still hasn’t come down. Grace notices me looking. “He left early for practice. Football season.”

“Oh.” I try to sound casual. “Right.”

Emily’s spoon pauses midair. She watches me for a second too long, then looks away again. Definitely weird. We finish eating, and Grace grabs her keys. “Alright, girls. Let’s get moving.”

Emily bounces up. “I’ll show you everything. The cafeteria, the courtyard, the good bathrooms...”

“Emily,” Grace warns.

“What? She needs to know!”

I laugh. “I appreciate it.”

We pile into the SUV. The drive is short. The school looms ahead, brick, old, tall windows, a sign that reads Hallow’s Edge High School. Emily hops out before the car fully stops. “See you inside!”

Grace turns to me. “Let’s get you checked in.” I nod, clutching my bag tighter. New school. New people. New everything.

But the dream lingers. The crying woman. The slammed door. The cat with blue streaks. Something is shifting. And I don’t know what it is yet.