Born Between Two Worlds

The Symbol

Chapter Six

I didn't sleep well that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I found myself thinking about the woods again—the trees, the strange sounds, and that uncomfortable feeling that someone had been watching me. But more than anything, I kept thinking about the pendant I'd found.

I had left it on the ground, or at least I thought I had. Yet sometime between picking it up and rushing home, I must have slipped it into my bag without even realizing it. When I woke up the next morning, I couldn't stop thinking about it.

I sat up and looked at my schoolbag beside my desk. For a few seconds, I simply stared at it before finally getting up and opening it. I moved my books aside until my fingers touched something cold.

The pendant.

I pulled it out and held it between my fingers. In the morning light, it looked ordinary. It was small, silver, and old, with a strange symbol carved into its surface. I turned it over several times, hoping I might somehow understand what I was looking at.

Nothing happened.

There was no strange sensation this time. No sudden chill. Nothing.

"Then why did you feel so strange yesterday?" I whispered.

Of course, the pendant didn't answer.

I sighed and slipped it into the small inner pocket of my bag. I wasn't sure why I was keeping it. Maybe because throwing it away felt wrong. Or maybe because some part of me wanted to know where it came from.

I quickly got ready for school and headed downstairs.

Mom was already in the kitchen when I walked in. She looked up and smiled. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Mom."

She studied me for a moment. "You look tired."

"I'm fine." I grabbed something to eat and glanced at the time. "I'm in a hurry."

"You say that every morning."

I smiled. "I'll see you later."

"Be careful."

"I will."

I left before she could ask anything else.

The walk to school was quiet, and thankfully, nothing strange happened. I didn't feel watched, and I didn't hear anything unusual. For once, I was grateful for an ordinary morning.

When I reached class, Nina was already there, and Adrian joined us a few minutes later. Nina looked at me the moment I sat down.

"You look distracted."

I smiled faintly. "I'm just tired."

"Is it because of yesterday?"

I hesitated.

I had been trying to decide whether I should tell them about the pendant. Part of me thought I should keep it to myself, but Nina and Adrian were the only people at school I trusted enough to talk to about strange things.

"Actually," I said, lowering my voice, "I found something in the woods yesterday."

Adrian immediately looked at me. "What did you find?"

I opened my bag and pulled out the pendant.

Nina leaned closer.

Adrian picked it up carefully and turned it over in his hand.

"Where did you get this?" Nina asked.

"I found it on the ground."

"In the woods?"

I nodded.

Nina examined the symbol. "I've never seen this before."

Adrian turned it over again. "Neither have I."

"Do you think it's some kind of vampire symbol?" I asked.

Adrian shook his head. "I don't know. It could be anything."

Nina handed it back to me. "Maybe you should ask your mom."

I looked down at the pendant.

"That's what I was thinking."

Adrian's expression became serious. "Just be careful with it. If you don't know what it is, don't assume it's harmless."

I nodded and slipped it back into my bag.

"You're right."

For some reason, though, I couldn't shake the feeling that the pendant wasn't just some random object I'd happened to find.

Our conversation ended when the teacher walked into the classroom, and we turned our attention toward the lesson.

By art class, I had almost forgotten about the pendant.

Almost.

Our teacher placed several boxes of paint on the tables and handed each of us a blank sheet of paper.

"Today, I want you to paint whatever comes to your mind," she said. "Don't overthink it. Just let your imagination guide you."

I stared at my blank paper.

For a moment, I had no idea what to paint.

Then my hand moved.

I started with trees.

Tall trees.

Then I painted a narrow path running between them. The longer I worked, the more familiar the picture became.

It was the woods.

The same woods I'd walked through yesterday.

I added something small in the middle of the painting—a silver shape hanging from what looked like a thin chain.

Then, without really thinking about it, I drew the strange symbol from the pendant inside the silver shape.

I stopped.

I stared at my painting.

Why had I drawn that?

I hadn't planned to.

My hand had simply moved.

I was still looking at it when someone stopped beside my desk.

Tessa.

She glanced at the painting, and for a brief moment, her expression changed.

Her eyes stayed fixed on the symbol.

"You okay?" I asked.

She looked at me quickly. "Yeah."

"You were staring."

She forced a small smile. "It's just a nice painting."

"Thanks."

She nodded and walked away.

I watched her return to her seat.

Something about her reaction bothered me. It almost seemed as though she recognized the symbol, but maybe I was imagining things. I had been overthinking everything lately.

I looked back at my painting.

The symbol seemed to stare back at me.

I quickly folded the paper and placed it inside my bag.

The rest of the school day passed normally. When the final bell rang, I packed my things and said goodbye to Nina and Adrian before heading home.

This time, I avoided the woods.

I wasn't ready to test my courage again.

When I arrived home, Mom called my name from the living room.

"Liora?"

"I'm here."

She walked toward me. "How was school?"

"Good."

She gave me a knowing look. "Just good?"

I laughed softly. "Okay, it was normal."

"And how are you?"

"I'm fine, Mom."

She sighed. "You've been saying that a lot lately."

I smiled and followed her into the kitchen. She started asking me about my classes, my friends, and whether I was settling into the school properly. I answered her questions, but my mind kept returning to the pendant.

I couldn't keep it from her.

If anyone knew about strange vampire things, it would be my mother.

I reached into my bag and pulled out the pendant.

"Mom?"

She turned toward me.

The moment her eyes landed on it, she froze.

Her expression changed so quickly that I almost wondered if I'd imagined it.

She stared at the pendant.

Then she looked at me.

"Where did you get that?"

Her voice was different.

Serious.

I held it out.

"I found it in the woods yesterday."

"The woods?"

"Yes."

She stepped closer but didn't touch it.

"How did you get it?"

"I told you. I found it on the ground."

"Did anyone give it to you?"

"No."

"Did you see anyone?"

I shook my head.

"No. I felt like someone was watching me, but I never saw anyone."

Mom's eyes returned to the symbol.

I watched her carefully.

"Do you know what it is?"

She didn't answer.

Instead, she asked another question.

"Who else knows about this?"

I hesitated.

"Nina and Adrian."

Mom's head lifted immediately.

"What did you tell them?"

"Just that I found it. They don't know what it means. They said they'd never seen the symbol before."

Mom went completely silent.

I could feel the atmosphere in the room change.

"What is it, Mom?"

She finally looked at me.

There was something in her eyes that made my stomach tighten.

"Do you understand what you've brought into this house?"

I stared at her.

"What are you talking about?"

She look

ed down at the pendant again.

Then, very quietly, she asked,

"Liora... did anyone see you pick it up?"

I opened my mouth to answer.

But before I could, Mom's expression changed again.

This time, it wasn't fear.

It was recognition.

And somehow, that frightened me even more.