Moonbound Hearts

A cold wind carries secrets. Sometimes, all it takes is one new face to awaken them. --- The town of Moonridge was beautiful. Too beautiful. The kind of place that looked as though it had been pulled straight from the pages of a fairytale. Tall pine trees surrounded every road, their branches swaying gently in the cool autumn breeze. Small wooden houses sat peacefully beneath the mountains, while a silver lake reflected the sky like a giant mirror. Most people would have called it paradise. But the moment Lena Carter stepped out of the moving truck, an uneasy feeling settled deep inside her chest. She couldn't explain it. It was as if the forest was... watching her. "Lena?" Her father climbed out of the driver's seat and smiled wearily. "You coming? We've got boxes to unpack." She forced a smile. "Yeah... I'm coming." Their new house stood at the edge of town, only a few hundred meters from the forest. It wasn't fancy, but it was cozy enough—a white wooden cottage with blue shutters and a small porch. "This is home now," her father said quietly. Home. The word felt strange. Only six months ago, home had been somewhere else. Somewhere her mother had still been alive. Lena looked away before the tears could return. She had promised herself she wouldn't cry today. Not again. --- The next morning... Moonridge High School buzzed with laughter as students hurried through the hallways. Lena adjusted the strap of her backpack and took a deep breath. First days are always awkward. "You'll survive," she whispered to herself. The classroom fell silent the moment she entered. Every pair of eyes turned toward her. "Class," the teacher announced warmly, "this is Lena Carter. She's just moved here from Portland. Please make her feel welcome." A few students smiled. Others simply stared. "There's an empty seat beside Kai." Lena followed the teacher's finger. The boy sitting by the window never looked up. Dark hair covered part of his face. He wore a black hoodie despite the warm classroom, and his attention remained fixed on the notebook in front of him. She walked over nervously. "Hi... is this seat taken?" He finally looked at her. For one brief second... Time seemed to stop. His eyes. They weren't brown. They were... Gold. Not light brown. Not hazel. Golden. Like sunlight trapped inside amber. Something flashed across his expression. Shock. Confusion. Then... Fear. Without saying a single word, he stood up and walked out of the classroom. The entire class watched him leave. An awkward silence filled the room. "...Did I do something wrong?" Lena asked softly. A girl with bright red hair leaned across the aisle. "No." She lowered her voice. "Kai Blackwood is just... weird." The class laughed nervously. But nobody explained further. --- Lunch arrived. Lena sat alone beneath an old oak tree, picking absentmindedly at her sandwich. She missed her old friends. She missed her old life. She even missed the noisy traffic she used to complain about. Everything here felt... Different. A shadow fell across her table. "Mind if I sit?" She looked up. It was the red-haired girl. "I'm Emma." "Lena." Emma smiled. "So... you've already met Kai." "I guess." "He always does that." "What?" "Leaves." Lena frowned. "Why?" Emma hesitated. "No idea." Then she quickly changed the subject. "So... stay away from the forest." Lena blinked. "...Why?" Emma looked toward the mountains. "People disappear." Lena laughed nervously. "You're joking." Emma didn't laugh back. --- That evening... Dark clouds covered the sky. Rain began to fall. Lena stood on the porch, breathing in the fresh scent of wet earth. That's when she heard it. A howl. Long. Deep. Haunting. It echoed through the mountains. Then another. And another. Her heart skipped a beat. "Wolves?" she whispered. Her father stepped outside carrying two mugs of hot chocolate. "They're common around here." Lena couldn't take her eyes off the forest. For just a second... She thought she saw someone standing between the trees. Watching the house. A tall figure dressed completely in black. Before she could focus... Lightning flashed across the sky. The figure was gone. --- Far inside the forest... Kai stood at the edge of a cliff overlooking Moonridge. His fists trembled. "She's here..." Behind him, an older man stepped from the shadows. "You've seen her?" Kai nodded. "Our paths have crossed." The older man's expression darkened. "Then the prophecy has begun." Kai closed his eyes. "I prayed she would never come to Moonridge." The old man looked toward the glowing lights of the town below. "The moon never makes mistakes."