Lena didn't plan to go into town that day. She’d meant to stay in, to avoid strange forests and impossible dreams and burning wrist marks that didn’t feel imaginary anymore. She’d intended to stay close to Ethan, to cling to the familiarity of their quiet, predictable life — the one she could still control.
But she couldn’t.
Something in her — or someone — kept tugging her forward.
She felt it every time she blinked. Every time she breathed. Every time she tried to convince herself she was normal, human, safe.
So she found herself walking, without much thought, toward Blackthorn’s general square, surrounded by old storefronts and the hush of a place that felt both forgotten and deeply watched. One of those silent towns where you didn’t know who was looking — but you knew someone was.
