The immortal diaries

Raven Hollow had always been the kind of town people left. They came for a job, stayed for a few years, got married, had children, and eventually moved somewhere brighter. Somewhere warmer. Somewhere without stories about people disappearing in the woods. Serena Caldwell had never planned to leave. At least, she hadn't before the night everything changed. Three months after her parents' deaths, she was still living in the same house, sleeping in the same bedroom, and waking up every morning with the strange feeling that someone was standing outside her window. She never saw anyone. But she always felt watched. That morning, Serena stood in front of her bedroom mirror, tying her dark hair into a loose ponytail. Her eyes looked tired. She hadn't slept properly in weeks. The same dream had returned again. A forest. A silver moon. Someone calling her name. And two figures standing beneath the trees. One turned away from her. The other looked directly at her. Then everything went black. Serena shook her head. "It was just a dream." She grabbed her schoolbag and walked downstairs. Her house was painfully quiet. Her mother's favorite mug was still sitting inside the kitchen cabinet. Her father's old jacket still hung beside the front door. Serena sometimes hated that nobody had moved anything. It made the house feel like her parents might walk through the door at any moment. She reached for the handle. A cold breeze touched her face. The door was already open. Serena frowned. She was certain she'd locked it. She stepped outside. The morning air was unusually cold for September. Across the street, the old church bell rang once. Then twice. Serena looked toward the church. Nobody was there. She closed the door and started walking. Raven Hollow High stood near the center of town, surrounded by old trees and enormous stone buildings that had been there longer than anyone could remember. Students filled the entrance. Some laughed. Others complained about homework. For a few minutes, everything felt normal. Then Serena saw the black car. It was parked across the street. Its windows were tinted so dark that she couldn't see inside. She slowed down. The driver's door opened. A boy stepped out. He was tall, dressed in the school's black uniform, with dark hair and an expression that made him look as though he hadn't smiled in years. Serena didn't know him. Yet something inside her recognized him. Her heart suddenly beat faster. The boy looked directly at her. For a moment, the noise around Serena seemed to disappear. Then a voice interrupted her thoughts. "Serena!" She turned. Amara Hayes hurried toward her. Amara was Serena's closest friend and possibly the only person in Raven Hollow who could talk for twenty minutes without taking a breath. "You weren't answering your phone," Amara said. "I left it upstairs." "You always leave it upstairs." "I know." Amara stopped and followed Serena's gaze. "Who are you looking at?" Serena looked back across the street. The boy was gone. "Nobody." Amara raised an eyebrow. "That was definitely somebody." "I thought I knew him." "From where?" "I don't know." Before Amara could ask another question, the school bell rang. They entered the building. Neither noticed the second figure standing beside the black car. He was older than the first boy, with lighter hair and a calm expression. He watched Serena disappear through the school doors. "She's here," he said. The first boy stepped out from the shadows. Dorian Black. His eyes remained fixed on the school. "I know." "You said we should stay away from her." "I changed my mind." The other brother stared at him. "You always do." Dorian smiled faintly. "That's why you should stop trusting me." Inside the school, Serena sat through two classes without hearing much of what the teachers said. Something about the new students had changed the atmosphere. Everyone was talking about them. Two brothers. Dorian and Silas Black. They had apparently transferred from another school without warning. No one knew where they came from. No one knew why they had moved to Raven Hollow. And according to one student, they had bought the enormous abandoned house at the edge of town. "Apparently they're rich," someone whispered behind Serena. "How rich?" "Rich enough to buy half the town." Serena tried not to listen. Then the classroom door opened. The teacher walked in. "Everyone, settle down. We have two new students joining us." Serena's stomach tightened. Dorian Black entered first. Silas followed. The second brother was different. While Dorian looked dangerous, Silas seemed almost gentle. His expression was calm, but his eyes were distant. The teacher pointed toward the empty seats. "You can sit there." Unfortunately, one of the empty seats was directly behind Serena. Silas sat down. Serena could feel his presence. She turned slightly. His eyes met hers. He looked startled. Not surprised. Startled. Then he looked away. The lesson began. Serena tried to focus. Five minutes later, a folded piece of paper landed on her desk. She opened it. Don't talk to them. Serena looked behind her. Silas was staring at his textbook. She turned around again. Another note appeared. I'm serious. Stay away from Dorian. Serena's eyes narrowed. She wrote underneath it: Why? She passed the paper backward. Silas read it. He didn't answer. Instead, he folded the paper and put it inside his pocket. That annoyed her. When the bell rang, Serena immediately followed him into the hallway. "Silas." He stopped. "You sent me the note." He looked around. Students were moving past them. "I don't know what you're talking about." "You do." Silas lowered his voice. "Forget it." "Why should I?" "Because it's safer." "For me?" His expression changed. "Especially for you." Before Serena could respond, Dorian appeared beside them. "Having fun?" Silas looked at his brother. "Go away, Dorian." Dorian smiled. "You haven't changed." "Neither have you." Serena looked between them. There was something strange about the way they spoke to each other. Like they weren't brothers who had known each other for a few years. Like they had known each other forever. Dorian turned toward Serena. "You're Serena." She frowned. "How do you know my name?" "I pay attention." "That's not an answer." "No." He smiled. "But it's the one you're getting." Then he walked away. Serena watched him go. Amara suddenly appeared beside her. "I don't know what just happened, but I officially don't like him." Serena nodded. "Neither do I." But that wasn't completely true. There was something about Dorian that frightened her. And somehow, that frightened her even more because she wanted to understand him. That afternoon, Serena stayed late at school. She had forgotten her history notebook in the library. The hallways were almost empty when she returned for it. The library was dark. She switched on the lights. Nothing. She found her notebook on the table. Then she noticed a door at the back of the room. It was covered in dust. A silver lock hung from the handle. Serena had never seen it before. She stepped closer. There was a symbol carved into the wood. A circle surrounded by three small marks. The same symbol appeared in her dreams. Her fingers moved toward it. The moment she touched the door, a sharp coldness traveled through her hand. She pulled back. A whisper came from behind her. "Don't." Serena turned. Silas stood at the entrance. "What are you doing here?" He walked toward her. "Looking for you." "Why?" "Because you shouldn't be here." Serena glanced at the door. "What is behind it?" "Nothing you need to know about." "You keep saying that." "Because you keep asking dangerous questions." Serena crossed her arms. "You barely know me." Silas looked at her for a long moment. "That's where you're wrong." Before Serena could ask what he meant, the library lights flickered. Once. Twice. Then went out. The room became completely dark. Serena heard something move behind the locked door. A low sound. Almost like a growl. She stepped backward. Silas immediately moved between her and the door. "Stay behind me." "What was that?" He didn't answer. The lock on the door began to shake. Silas's face changed. For the first time, Serena saw genuine fear in his eyes. Then a voice came from behind the door. A woman's voice. Soft. Almost whispering. "Serena..." Her blood ran cold. Silas turned toward her. "How does it know your name?" The door suddenly stopped shaking. Silence returned. Then Dorian's voice came from somewhere behind them. "Because she's the reason we're here." Serena turned. Dorian stood in the doorway. His expression was no longer playful. He looked serious. Almost afraid. Serena stared at both brothers. "What are you talking about?" Neither answered. Outside, thunder rolled across Raven Hollow. And somewhere beneath the school, something ancient had just awakened. Serena didn't know it yet, but the two brothers hadn't come to Raven Hollow by accident. They had come because of her.