Marked by Midnight

The Man Who Knew I was running. I didn't know where I was or what I was running from. All I knew was that I had to keep going. Branches kept hitting my arms as I pushed through the bushes. I could hear someone behind me, but whenever I turned around, there was no one there. I ran faster. Then I heard it again. The footsteps. This time, they were closer. I looked back, but all I could see were trees and darkness. My breathing became heavier as I tried to move faster, but my legs suddenly felt weak. “Who are you?” I shouted, but there was no answer. I turned forward again, immediately tripping over something, and I fell hard on the ground. Before I could get up, I heard footsteps coming towards me. Slowly, I looked up. Someone was standing a few feet away from me, but I couldn't see his face. “Who are you?” I asked again, this time my voice shaking. The person took one step towards me. I tried to move backwards, and I woke up. I sat up so quickly that I almost fell off my bed. For a few seconds, I just stared around my room. My curtains were still closed. The room was quiet, and everything looked normal, but my heart was beating so fast that it took me a moment to realise I was awake. “Elena?” I looked towards the door. Olivia was standing there. “You're awake,” she said. I wiped my face with the back of my hand. “Yeah.” She walked into the room and looked at me carefully and asked “are you okay?”. “I think so.” “You were shouting.” I frowned. “I was?” She nodded. “What did you dream about?” I hesitated. I didn't know why, but telling her about it made the dream feel real again. “I was in the woods,” I finally said. “Someone was chasing me.” Olivia became unusually quiet. I noticed it immediately and asked, “What?” “Nothing,” she replied. “You look worried.” “I said it's nothing.” She forced a small smile. “It was just a bad dream.” Maybe it was, I said, looking down at my hands. “I've been having strange dreams lately.” Olivia didn't answer. “About my parents,” I added. That got her attention. She looked at me for a moment before turning away. “You should get some more sleep,” she said. “I don't want to.” “Elena.” “I'll be fine.” She sighed. “Fine. Just don't stay up all night.” After she left, I remained on my bed. My parents. That was one thing I had always wanted to know more about. Olivia had raised me for as long as I could remember, and she had always taken care of me. I loved her for that. But whenever I asked about my parents, she never gave me a proper answer. Sometimes, she would say they were gone. Other times, she would tell me I was too young to understand. I wasn't a child anymore. I wanted answers. By evening, I couldn't stay inside anymore. “I'm going for a walk,” I told Olivia as I picked up my shoes. She looked at me from the kitchen. “Now?” I glanced outside. “It's not that late.” “It will be soon.” She replied. “I won't go far.” She stared at me for a few seconds. I knew that look. She didn't want me to go. “Olivia, I'll be back soon.” She finally nodded. “Don't take too long.” “I won't.” I stepped outside. The air felt cooler than I expected. I walked down the familiar path behind the house, enjoying the quiet. For a while, I forgot about the dream. Then I heard something. I stopped. Nothing. I shook my head and continued walking. A few seconds later, I heard it again. Footsteps. I turned around. There was no one there. My stomach tightened. Maybe it was an animal. I kept walking, but the footsteps followed. I stopped again. They stopped, too. “Okay,” I whispered to myself. “That's weird.” I looked around. Nothing. I started walking faster. The footsteps became faster, too. At that point, I didn't bother pretending I wasn't scared. I turned around and ran. I wasn't even sure where I was going. I just wanted to get away from whoever was behind me. Then my foot caught on a root. I fell. “Ouch.” I pushed myself up and looked behind me. Someone stepped out from between the trees. It was a man. I froze. He wasn't someone I recognised. He looked older than me, dressed in dark clothes, and there was something about the way he stood that made me feel like running again. Instead, I stayed where I was. “Who are you?” I asked. He didn't answer immediately. His eyes moved over my face. Then he said my name. “Elena Morgan.” My stomach dropped. I stared at him. “How do you know my name?” He took a step closer. “I know more about you than your name.” I stood up slowly. “What does that mean?” “I know about your parents.” I forgot about everything else. “My parents?” He nodded. For years, I had imagined someone finally telling me the truth about them. I just never imagined it would happen like this. “Who are you?” I asked again. “My name is Alaric Hayes.” The name meant nothing to me. “What do you want?” “To give you the answers you've been looking for.” I stared at him. I should have walked away. I knew that. A stranger had appeared in the woods, somehow knew my full name, and was now telling me he knew my parents. But this was the first time anyone had ever stood in front of me and said they could tell me the truth. “What do you know about them?” I asked. “That depends on how badly you want to know,” He replied. I frowned. “I wouldn't be asking if I didn't.” For the first time, something changed in his expression. “Then come with me.” I looked past him into the trees. I couldn't see where the path led. “Where?” “Somewhere we can talk.” I hesitated. Every sensible thought in my head told me not to follow a stranger into the woods. But there was something else inside me. Curiosity. I had spent my whole life wondering about my parents. If there was even a small chance that this man knew the truth, I couldn't simply walk away. So I followed him. I had no idea where he was taking me. And I had no idea that before the night was over, everything I thought I knew about my life would change.