Chapter 13 ：You're Not Like Them
891 Words
Lena didn’t sleep well that night.
Even after everything had quieted, her mind refused to settle. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw it again—the way Elias had looked at her. Not just watching. Not just guarding. Something else. Something deeper.
It hadn’t been anger.
It hadn’t been control.
It had been instinct.
Raw and unfiltered, like something that didn’t belong in someone who was always so composed.
She turned over in bed, pulling the blanket tighter around herself, but the unease stayed.
“…He’s not like them.”
The thought came quietly.
Then another followed—
“…but he’s not safe either.”
Morning came slowly, but the village didn’t return to its usual silence.
Something had shifted.
At first, it was only a murmur—low voices drifting through the air, overlapping, restless. Then the sound grew, spreading from one corner of the village to another until it became impossible to ignore.
It wasn’t fear.
It wasn’t caution.
It was excitement.
Lena stepped outside, her gaze sweeping across the scene. People were gathering in groups, their movements faster than usual, their voices animated. Children ran between them, laughing too loudly, while adults leaned close together, whispering with strange urgency.
There was something wrong with their smiles.
Too wide.
Too eager.
Too… bright.
A cold unease settled in her chest.
“What’s happening…?” she murmured.
No one answered. No one even looked at her.
She moved forward slowly, blending into the edge of the crowd, listening.
“…finally…”
“…it’s time…”
“…everything is ready…”
The words slipped past her in fragments—until one word stopped her completely.
“Offering.”
Her breath caught.
The word echoed in her mind, heavy and out of place.
Offering.
It didn’t belong here.
And yet—
it fit too well.
She didn’t move immediately. Her fingers curled slightly, then slipped into her pocket.
Her phone.
Cold. Solid. Real.
If this was real—she needed proof.
Her heartbeat quickened as she lifted it just enough to capture the crowd without drawing attention.
Click.
Another.
She angled it again, capturing the children’s laughter, the adults’ hushed excitement, the strange anticipation that seemed to ripple through the entire village.
This wasn’t normal.
And now—
she had something to show it.
She lowered the phone—
then paused.
Something changed.
The air.
The silence between sounds.
Like someone was watching her.
Lena didn’t turn immediately. Her body stayed still, her breathing slowing, as if reacting too quickly would confirm something she didn’t want to know.
Then—slowly—she looked up.
For a brief second—
she saw it.
A pair of eyes.
Fixed on her.
Unblinking.
Then gone.
Like it had never been there.
Her fingers tightened around the phone.
This time—
she didn’t feel like she was observing anymore.
She felt exposed.
A burst of laughter snapped her out of it.
She turned as a group of children ran past her, their faces glowing with excitement.
“We’re going to see it!”
“It’s happening today!”
Her stomach dropped.
Something was very wrong.
She lifted her head—and saw Elias.
He stood at a distance, watching everything.
Not surprised.
Not confused.
Just observing.
Too calm.
Lena moved toward him quickly, her pulse still unsteady.
“What’s going on?”
Her voice came out sharper than she intended.
Elias turned his head toward her.
And for a moment—
his gaze lingered.
Longer than it should have.
There was something in it.
Something darker.
Something that didn’t leave when he spoke.
“They’re preparing,” he said.
“For what?”
A pause.
Then—
“An offering.”
The word hit harder this time.
Lena’s thoughts spiraled immediately. The crowd. The laughter. The whispers. Everything connected into something she didn’t want to fully understand.
She didn’t notice the way Elias was still watching her.
Didn’t notice how his gaze had sharpened again—
focused, deliberate, almost… measuring.
“You knew,” she said.
Not a question.
Elias didn’t deny it.
“They’ve been waiting.”
“For what?”
“For someone.”
Lena’s chest tightened sharply.
Her thoughts tangled, racing through possibilities she refused to name.
Someone.
A person.
A target.
She was too focused on that thought to notice him.
Too caught in the idea of the ritual, of what it meant, of what could happen.
So she didn’t see the way his eyes darkened.
Didn’t see how his attention stayed on her, not the village.
Didn’t see how something in his expression shifted—
quiet.
Intent.
Unsettling.
The village grew louder around them.
Voices rose.
Laughter echoed.
Movement spread like a current pulling everything toward something unseen.
Something was about to begin.
And everyone knew—
except her.
Lena took a step back unconsciously.
For the first time, she felt completely out of place.
Elias noticed.
Of course he did.
He stepped forward, closing the distance between them.
His hand settled at her waist—firm, steady.
Holding her there.
Keeping her close.
Within reach.
Lena didn’t react.
Her thoughts were elsewhere—on the offering, on the ritual, on what it meant.
“Stay close to me,” Elias said quietly.
She nodded faintly.
Not because she trusted him.
But because she didn’t understand anything else.
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