Nico sat in Evan's car's back seat, watching Nate talk to Evan as Evan giving an occasional nod as he drove. Nico glanced over at Zane, staring out the window with an unreadable expression on his face. Zane has been quiet the moment he got into the car, barely uttering a word to anyone. Nico began to feel terrible ever since she told Zane that she was going without him, and he started to become closed off towards her. Nico decided to explain why she wanted to go back to the woods. Nico slid closer to him, pressing her shoulder onto Zane's, and felt him stiffen under her touch. Zane glanced over at Nico with the corner of his eye, sighing looking back out the window.
"Um, Zane?" Nico said, nudging him, but Zane didn't look back at her.
"Yeah," Zane said, resting his chin in his hand, watching the trees go by.
"I'm sorry for earlier," Nico whispered, looking down playing with her fingers. Zane rolled his eyes and scoffed at her, briefly glancing at Nico.
"For the fact that you were going to leave me behind?" Zane said. Nico softly nodded, and Zane shook his head.
"Well yeah, that but," Nico stared but stopped talking when she looked up at Zane, who was looking at her. Nico locked eyes with Zane's golden ones. She saw the annoyance that was in his eyes. Zane sighed and turned away from Nico.
"You still don't get it, don't you?" Zane muttered into his hand. Nico looked up at him with a confused looked on her face.
"Get what?" Nico asked, but Zane remained silent, and Nico nudges him again. He looked down at her again and shook his head, looking back out the window.
"Forget it," Zane said. Nico tried to push what Zane meant but was interrupted by Evan pulling the car over, putting the car in park, turning back to the pair calling the two.
"Guys, we're here," Evan said, cutting the car off.
Nico nodded her head and looked over at Zane. He was exiting the car and slamming it shut the door behind him, making Nico jump slightly. Nico looked back at Nate and Evan, exchanging a look with each other before shuffling out of the vehicle. Zane was standing in front of the car with his arms crossed, looking down Oakwood road, not paying any mind to his tall ponytailed friend approaching him. Evan looked at Zane for a moment, and he placed a hand on Zane's shoulder. Zane looked over at Evan, who was giving him a worrying look.
"You okay, man?" Evan said. Zane went to open his mouth but stopped when he heard a giggle. Zane turned his head and saw Nico and Nate chatting. Nico holding her hand to her face shaking slightly. She looked over to Zane, and he felt the anger rising into his chest.
"I'm just fine," Zane angrily muttered out, pushing himself off into the woods shoving his hands into his pockets. Nico watched Zane walked into the woods, she went to open her mouth to say something, but he looked over and swallowed hard at the intense glare he gave her. Once the distance became more significant, Nico sighed and motions Nate and Evan to follow before they lose Zane.
The group walked in the woods with only the sound of their footsteps crunching underneath their feet. Nico looked at Zane's back most of the walk, not uttering a word to him. Zane made sure the distance between the two didn't shrink. Nate and Evan were walking next to Nico, having a conversation. They tried to include her in their conversation, but after the third, yeah, the couple caught on that she didn't want to talk because her attention was on something else. Evan looked at his best friend walking by himself, and he looked back over at his boyfriend. Nate gave him a slight nod, and Evan looked back at Zane and ran up to him, giving a small pat on his back, matching his pace, beginning to have a conversation with him. Nico watched the two talk and couldn't make out what there were saying. Nate looked at Nico, and with a somber look in her eyes, he sighed and looking back at the two boys ahead of them.
"You know staring at him isn't going to fix the problem between you guys," Nate said, not taking his eyes off of the boys. Nate heard Nico sighed running a hand through her unruly curls.
"I know, but the way he is acting around me shows that he doesn't want me anywhere near me. Ugh, I wish I knew what was going through his head," Nico said, pulling at her hair. Nate pulled her hands away from her hair, holding them for a bit before letting them go throwing an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.
"Well, it's a pretty straightforward solution, actually. You two need to sit down a have a serious conversation talking about what is bothering him, and ninety percent of the time, Zane will tell you what is bothering him," Nate asked.
"Well, I tried that, and he basically blew me off," Nico said.
"Oh yeah, I heard," Nate said, scoffing.
"You know you shouldn't eavesdrop on people's conversation," Nico stated, pulling Nate's arm away from her.
"Well, it is hard not to when you guys were talking pretty loud. What did you expect?" Nate said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Well, what do you think I should do since you know everything?" Nico looked up at Nate, and he gave her a dull look, and Nico sighed. "You really think that taking it out would work," Nico suggested.
"Yeah, it would. Nic, talk to him," Nate said, and Nico stopped. Nico stood there, feeling the guilt rise in her chest as she shifted her attention to the ground. As her negative thoughts went through her head, she was suddenly pulled when she hears Evan calling out to them.
"Hey guys, we're here," Evan shouted.
"We're coming," Nate responded and began to walk up to the guys. He suddenly felt a pull on his sleeve, and Nate looked back, and Nico looked upset, still staring at the ground.
"You really think that talking to him will help?" Nico asked in a hushed tone, glancing up at Nate.
"I believe it would," Nate said, giving Nico a small smile before grabbing Nico's hand and began pulling her towards the clearing.
Nico and Nate emerged from the woods into the clearing, and Nate let go of Nico's hand, running up to Evan, who was standing in front of the platform staring at them, rubbing his chin. Nico looked over at Zane who was, observing the area, making sure that everything was okay. Zane locked eyes with Nico, and she took a step towards him, opening her mouth to call out to him to talk the conversation forming in her head, but that idea was quickly abandoned when Zane turned on his heels and walked to the other side of the clearing. Nico held her hand to her chest and walked towards her best friend and boyfriend, standing on the platform. Nico stepped onto the stone platform, looking at the four pillars on edge opposite each other. Each stone pillar looked worn after sitting her in the middle of the woods. Nico's eyes settled on a raised circular stand at the center of the ground. Nico walked up to it looked down, and it was a foot high with something edge in the stone, but Nico couldn't make it out. Nico looked back at the two boys, and they were talking to each other. Nico turns to the stone pillar that was ahead of her and walked to it. Nico looked at the pillar, and it made her wonder who would build this here and why here. Nico looked and noticed there was some edging in it and ran her hand against it.
"Hey, there is something edged on here," Nico called out, and Nate and Evan walked over to Nico, looking over at what Nico was staring at.
"Oh shit, it does," Nate frowned and squinted at the pillar. "Wait, what does that even say?" Nate question.
"Well, it- actually, I have no clue," Nico said, taking a step back, tilting her head in confusion.
"It's in Latin," Nico heard Zane say. The three turned towards him, looking at him with his arms crossed, sitting on the center platform looking at the three. No, he was looking at Nico. Zane's gaze felt so intense, and she couldn't break it; she was entirely in his hands. Nico broke the fierce stare down when Nate moved in front of her.
"How do you know that?" Nate asked, and Zane sighed, getting up walking up to the pillar. They stepped aside, watching Zane read the craving.
"Because I learned Latin, and when I was looking for Nico, I notice them, but I didn't stop because looking for her was my top concern," Zane said as he glided his finger over the word edge in the stone and saw Nico hid further behind Nate.
"So what does it says?" Nate asked.
"Ad septentrionem. It means to the North." Zane said.
"To the North, well, that doesn't make sense. What is in the North?" Nate asked, crossing his arms, and Zane shrugged his shoulders. Nate began to whine to Zane, and Nico tuned him out and started to walk around the platform looking at the other pillars. Nico looked back at Zane, and he was looking at her, and Nico turned away. Nico looked at the other pillars and noticed that the engravings were not just on that one; it was on all of them.
"Guys, there are moreover here," Nico called out, and everyone walked over to her, Zane lagging.
"Let me guess more stupid engravings?" Nate says bitterly. Nico nodded and looked back at the engraving before looking back at the three boys marching to them.
"I can't read them, but," Nico began and grabbed ahold of his wrist, pulling him toward the engraving.
"Can you tell me what this one says, please?" Nico asked. Zane stood there, arched an eyebrow, crossing his arms. Nico huffed at him, and he sighed and walked over to the pillar, examing it.
"Ad orientalem. To the east," Zane said, glancing over at Nico.
"Just as I expected," Nico said, walking to the opposite pillar and then to the other one next to it.
"What is, Nic?" Nate question.
"Don't you see it?" Nico asked, and everyone looked confused, and she groaned. "It's the cardinal direction? Look North, South, East, and West. These pillars are marking the cardinal directions. It is basically a giant compass," Nico exclaims, looking back at the three excited.
"Okay, so now that we know that they are directions, but now we have to ask directions to what," Evan asked. Nico hummed and rubbed her chin, glancing at the ground, and then she noticed it.
"Get off," Nico said, and the guys stared at her.
"What," Zane asked, perplexed.
"I said get off," Nico said, shoving Nate off the platform, then shoving Evan off, and Zane shuffled off before Nico got to him.
Nico shuffled toward the raised center platform and looked at the engraving before turning around and studying the area. In front of each pillar, there was Latin writing on a much bigger scale edge into the ground. Nico walked towards the north stone pillar, getting down on her hands and knees, examing it closer.
"Zane, I need you again to translate something," Nico said motions Zane to her side. Zane walked over and knelt, staring at the words before looking back at the pillar.
"Pelagus domum. The main house," Zane said, looking at Nico as she grinned at him.
"Now we have our answer," Nico said, getting up dusting herself off.
"Of course, that makes sense," Zane said, getting up walking over to the west pillar, staring at what was written there.
"It does?" Nate asked.
"Yes, this one right here says plelagus semita, which means the main track, that is referring to Oakwood Road," Zane said, pointing towards the road before rushing towards the south pillar.
"Okay, I get it," Evan nodded his head, shuffling over to Zane, who was translating the next one.
"So what does that one says?" Evan asked.
"This is supercilium montis. The edge of the cliff." Zane said, pointing to the south.
"Oh, I know that one Lover's Outlook," Nate stated, walking on the other side of Zane, glancing in that direction.
"What about this one?" Nico asked, standing at the east pillar. Zane walked over and translated it, suddenly stiffening and scrambling back, hitting the center platform, sitting on top of it, placing his head in his hands.
"Zane?" Nico asked, walking up to Zane sitting next to him, settling her hand on his arm. Zane peered over at Nico with a look of terror washing across his face.
"Which direction did you go when you last night when you found Emma?" Zane said in a grim tone.
Nico thought it over before pointing over to the left side of the East pillar. Zane sighed and shooked his head, looking down at the ground.
"Hey man, what is going on?" Evan said, sitting on the other side of him, placing his hands on Zane's shoulder. Zane looked up at Nate and felt the sadness rise in his chest.
"Zane, what does it say?" Nico asked. Zane looks at her before shutting his eyes, taking a deep breath.
"In umbra Mortis," Zane said in a discouraged tone.
"And that means?" Nate asked.
"In the shadow of death," Zane uttered. Nico stared at Zane with a grim look.
"Zane, where did you see that thing in the shadows, Zane?" Nico asked.
"It was by the north pillar," Zane said, and Nico held her breath.
"What is going on," Nate asked.
"Nate I there is a possibility that whatever Zane saw last night might have killed Emma," Nico said, and Nate turned white.
"I think I need to sit down," Nate said, and Nico nodded.
Evan stood up and grabbed Nate's hand, and Nate took it and walked where Zane was sitting, and Nico got up and let Nate sit down. Nico began to look around and walked up to the East pillar, and started to examine it. Nico looked back one last time, and Evan was making sure Nate was okay, and she looked at Zane and shared that same look of concern. Nico looked back at the pillar and felt her breath hitch, noticing something on the pillar's side. There was a faint red hue smudged together going down the side of the stone pillar. Nico followed the stain to the side, and the smudge was beginning to make out something like line five of them, in fact. The lines went down to the base of it, and Nico felt her blood go cold. At the bottom was a bloody handprint next to a small pool of dry blood splattered on the ground next to the pillar and a long thick bloodstream leading off the platform. Nico looked back into the woods, and the memories from last night's play began to play again in her head. Nico stood there and frozen, watching the leaves blowing in the distance. Nico felt her mouth go dry, realizing that there was something out there waiting to kill, and she happened to be in its territory.