Chapter 1-Ashwood
Sophia's POV
The forest didn't want me here, I could feel it in my bones even before I crossed the town line,the bus jolted as it rolled over a cracked stretch of road,it's wheels crunching against the gravel.
The trees leaned toward the road like they were listening, their twisted branches hanging low, whispering in a language made of creaks and rustling leaves.
I pressed my forehead lightly against the cool glass,my breath misting the window as I watched Ashwood unfold before me.
It wasn’t much of a town,just a cluster of narrow streets, all winding into shadows that the afternoon sun seemed reluctant to touch.
The town sign loomed up ahead, cracked and half-covered in moss.
ASHWOOD – EST. 1839
The letters looked carved more by time than man.
I slowed as I passed it. My foot hovered over the brake. Turn around, something inside me said. But I didn't. I couldn't,not anymore. Ashwood was supposed to be my fresh start. A place no one knew my name, no one whispered behind my back. No more waking up in the middle of the night feeling like my own life didn't belong to me.I would be invisible in this town.
“No more running” I took a deep breath.I was here now. And I'd make it work.
The road narrowed as I entered the town proper, houses crouched low along the street like they didn't want to be seen. They were old, wooden things with peeling paint and shuttered windows, and they all seemed to watch me pass.
I parked in front of the realtor's office. A bell above the door gave a single, tired chime as I stepped inside. The woman behind the desk.A thin, bird-boned thing with white hair and sharp eyes looked up but didn't smile. Rude.
“You must be sophie.” It didn't seem like a question.
"Yes," I spoke hesitating a bit. "I spoke with…..
"Keys are in the envelope." The woman nodded toward the counter, not letting me finish, I didn't mind though. The sooner we get over with this, the better.
"Address is on the back. We don't leave lights on after dark. Not safe. You'll see why."
I blinked. "I'm sorry?"
The woman stared at me strangely. "Ashwood has rules. You follow them, you'll be fine. People like you…" She trailed off. "They don't usually stay long.”
“What does she mean people like me” I huffed
-----
The house was small, tucked into the edge of the woods like it had been built for someone who wanted to disappear.
I didn't mind though, this is exactly what I want. To be invisible, away from people.
New town. New school. New life.
I chanted inwardly, reminding myself why I was here before walking into the house.
I stood in the empty living room, surrounded by boxes am yet to unpacked, staring out the window at the tree line. The forest began less than fifty feet from my door. The trees swayed in a wind I couldn't feel, like they were breathing.
It wasn't just the silence…It was the quality of it. Not a single bird in the trees. Not a squirrel in the grass. Just the wind,the forest and the feeling of being watched.
-----
The bedroom was a bit larger than I had expected, with slanted ceilings and a window that overlooked the forest.The wallpaper was faded, patterned with climbing roses that had lost their color over time. A mirror leaned crookedly against the wall, its frame chipped, its glass speckled with age. The corners of the room seemed a little darker than they should be, as though the light from the window couldn’t quite reach them. It was really creepy.
I walked to the window and pushed it open. The forest stretched endlessly, trees packed close, their branches clawing at the twilight sky. The air smelled damp and wild, carrying a faint metallic tang that made my stomach tighten.
As I turned back, my eyes caught on something near the wardrobe. A faint stain marked the wooden floor, dark, circular, and almost perfectly round. I crouched, touching it lightly. The texture was sticky, as if it hadn’t fully faded despite years of cleaning.
My breath hitched. It looks like… blood.
I pulled my hand back quickly, wiping my fingers on my jeans. That isn't blood, right? Maybe it was paint. Maybe wine. My mind reached for any explanation but the one that came first.
The mirror behind me creaked faintly against the wall.I quickly spun around, my heart hammering. Nothing had moved. The mirror only showed my reflection: pale, tense, too wide-eyed.
“Stop it. You’re only imagining things.” I took a deep breath trying to get myself together. But still I couldn’t shake the feeling that if I kept staring, the mirror would show me something else,something that didn’t belong.
I turned away from the mirror, determined not to let my nerves get the better of me. I unzipped my suitcase and began folding clothes into the wardrobe, moving quickly,as if filling the silence would drive away the unease. But then…
The air shifted.
At first it was subtle but then it deepened, colder, pressing against the back of my neck. I froze with the shirt in my hand.I glanced toward the open window.
The forest outside had darkened faster than it should have. The last blush of twilight had vanished, replaced by a gray so thick it seemed to swallow the edges of the trees. Something seems really wrong with this place.
My breath caught.
A figure stood at the treeline.
Far away yet distinct. Tall and Motionless. The pale outline of a face barely visible in the gloom, eyes locked on the house. On me.
My stomach dropped. I blinked hard, but the figure didn’t dissolve like a trick of light should have,It lingered.
The air inside my room thickened, each inhale heavy, metallic, like the scent of rust. My hand instinctively gripped the wardrobe door until my knuckles whitened. Maybe Ashwood was a mistake.
And then…
The figure was gone.
The trees swayed as though something had passed between them, branches rattling in the unnatural stillness.
I slammed the window shut, my pulse roaring in her ears. I backed away until my legs hit the edge of the bed.
“Just a hunter,” I whispered aloud, my voice shaky. “Or… someone walking home. That’s all. Nothing to be scared about. Your just overreacting Sophie”
I kept chanting those words like a mantra.
But I didn’t believe it.
Somewhere deep inside,I knew the truth. Whoever or whatever had been watching me hadn’t been human.
And it wasn’t finished with me yet.
