FALLEN FOR THE WRONG ASHFORD: HIS FATHER’S WOLF

CALLA “Are you sure about this, Calla?” I asked my reflection in the rear-view mirror. “Because you can still turn around. You can just… drive back to nothing.” I didn’t answer myself. I just gripped the steering wheel harder. The forest on both sides of the road was so thick it felt like the trees were leaning in to watch me pass. The sun was going down, turning the sky a bruised purple, and the woods were already pitch black. “Great,” I muttered, looking at the GPS. “One mile to go.” I pulled through the gates of Ashford University and felt a chill. The buildings were all old stone and sharp towers. “Name?” a guy in a bright vest asked, leaning into my window at the dorm entrance. “Calla Voss,” I said. “Voss… Voss…” He checked a clipboard. “Oh, the lacrosse star. Full ride, right? You’re in Ravenwood Hall. Room 412. Good luck, Calla. You’ll need it.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, but he was already waving the next car forward. “Welcome to Ashford,” I whispered. The move-in was a mess. People were everywhere, screaming and laughing. I carried my bags up the stairs, dodging boxes and giant TVs. When I finally reached my room, it was empty. I dropped my lacrosse stick on the bed and walked to the window. “Why is it so close?” I asked the room. The woods were right there. If I leaned out, I could probably touch a branch. It felt a weird tug in my chest, like a string was tied to my heart and the other end was deep in those trees. I felt like I was supposed to go out there. “Nope,” I said firmly, slammed the window shut and locked it. “We are staying inside.” I started unpacking. I was halfway done when the door flew open. A girl was standing there, holding a plant so big I couldn't see her face. “Coming through!” she yelled. “Don’t let the leaves hit you!” She thudded the plant down on the desk and gasped for air. She had bright hair and about a million rings on her fingers. “I’m Wren,” she said, sticking out her hand. “I’m your roommate. I have a lot of stuff, a lot of plants, and I talk in my sleep. Are we cool?” “I’m Calla,” I said, shaking her hand. “And yeah, we’re cool. As long as the plant doesn't eat me.” Wren laughed. “This is Steve. He’s a Monstera. He only eats bad vibes. Why do you look so tense? You look like you’re waiting for a ghost to pop out of the closet.” “Just the woods,” I said, pointing at the window. “They feel… like a lot.” “Oh, totally,” Wren agreed, already taping fairy lights to the wall. “They’re spooky. But hey, that’s the Ashford vibe, right? Gothic. Dark. Mysterious. Do you have a projector? I want to watch movies on the ceiling.” “I don't,” I said, smiling a little. “But I have a lot of sports tape.” “We’ll make it work,” Wren said. We talked for an hour while we settled in. She told me everything about her life, and for the first time in months, I actually laughed. It felt easy to be around her. “Check it out,” Wren said, pointing to a box on my side. “Is that the last one?” “Yeah,” I said. “Just some desk stuff.” I reached into the bottom of the box. My hand hit something cold and smooth. I pulled it out and my heart stopped. “What’s that?” Wren asked. “A diary? Very old school.” “It’s my mother’s journal,” I whispered. My throat felt tight. “But… I didn't pack this, Wren. I left it in a drawer back home. I know I did.” “Maybe you did it while you were tired?” she suggested. “Open it up. See if there’s any juicy secrets.” I opened to the last page. My mom’s handwriting was shaky and messy. They will find you if you go there. Don’t go there, it said. They chose you before you were born. I tried to stop them. Please, Calla. Please. “Whoa,” Wren said, leaning over. “That’s… dark. ‘They chose you’? Is she talking about a cult? Or just a really intense sorority?” “She was sick,” I said, my voice shaking. “She didn't know what she was saying.” “Are you okay?” Wren asked quietly. “You’ve gone totally pale.” “I’m fine,” I lied. I shoved the journal into my desk drawer. “Let’s go to that bonfire. I need to be around people.” “That’s the spirit!” Wren said. “Let’s go see if the Ashford boys are as hot as the brochures say.” The bonfire was huge. The fire roared and the heat was intense. I stood near the edge, watching the sparks fly up. Wren went off to find some snacks, leaving me alone for a second. “I’m going back, Wren!” I shouted over the music when I saw her. “I’ll see you in the room!” “Already?” she yelled back. “Okay! Don’t get lost!” I walked back across the quad. It was quiet here. The shadows of the buildings looked like monsters. I was walking taking in everything when I saw something white on the ground. It was an envelope. I picked it up. My name was written on the front in beautiful ink. “Who left this here?” I opened it and there was just one line inside: Your mother was one of ours. So are you. Welcome home, Calla. I dropped the paper. My heart was thumping so hard it hurt. “Who’s there?” I shouted. “Wren? Is this a joke?” I looked toward the woods. Twenty feet away, in the dark, I saw two spots of light. They were eyes. Glowing amber eyes and they were staring right at me. “Oh god,” I breathed. The eyes didn't blink. They just watched. Then, they vanished. I didn't think. I just ran. I sprinted all the way to the dorm, flew up the stairs, and slammed our door shut. I locked it and leaned against it, gasping for air. “Calla?” Wren said. She was sitting on her bed with a face mask on. “What happened? You look like you just ran a marathon away from a murderer. I expected you to be home before me.” “I… I thought I saw a deer,” I said, trying to make my voice steady. “It just jumped out and scared me.” “A deer?” Wren asked, tilting her head. “You’re that scared of Bambi?” “It was a big deer,” I said. I stayed against the door, my hand still on the lock. I looked at the desk where the journal was hidden and looked at the window. It was definitely not a deer.