**Chapter 3: Truth in the Dark**
Eva walked home from school in a daze, her thoughts swirling like a storm inside her head. The crisp autumn air brushed against her cheeks, but she barely felt it. Her feet moved out of habit, carrying her down the familiar streets lined with towering oak trees. It had been years since she'd walked this path, yet everything about it now felt different. Unreal, even.
*Werewolves,* she thought, shaking her head in disbelief. The word seemed ridiculous, like something out of a campfire story or a bad horror movie. But Lucas had been completely serious. His eyes, his voice—it hadn't been a joke. He meant it.
As she replayed their conversation over and over, nothing made sense. How could it? People didn't turn into wolves. They didn't growl in dark corners or stalk through forests under the cover of night. But there had been something undeniably strange about Crescent High—the odd way the students looked at her, the whispers that followed her through the halls, the unsettling way Vivienne had spoken to her at lunch.
Eva's stomach twisted as she reached the front door of her house, a quaint Victorian with ivy creeping up its pale blue walls. Normally, just the sight of the place would fill her with a sense of comfort, a reminder of better times before the sickness, before all the chaos. But today, even home felt… wrong.
She stepped inside, the familiar creak of the wooden floorboards greeting her. The house was quiet, except for the ticking of the old grandfather clock in the hallway. Her parents weren't home yet—no surprise. They both worked long hours at the university, and after everything she'd been through, they trusted her to take care of herself.
Eva dropped her backpack by the stairs and wandered into the kitchen. She poured herself a glass of water, hoping the cool liquid might clear her head. But as she stared into the glass, her thoughts wouldn't stop spinning.
*Why would my parents send me to a school like Crescent High?*
They had always been so careful with her, especially after all those years of medical treatments, hospitals, and doctors. They wouldn't just send her to a place full of werewolves, would they? They had to have known something about the school.
*But if they knew… why didn't they tell me?*
The thought gnawed at her as she made her way upstairs to her room. It didn't make sense. Her parents were logical, rational people. Scientists. They didn't believe in fairy tales or supernatural creatures. And yet, here she was, enrolled in a school that apparently wasn't for humans. At least, not entirely.
Eva sat down on her bed, staring blankly at the walls of her room. She had wanted so badly to return to a normal life. To just be a regular high school student, finish her studies, and move on. But now, everything felt twisted. Nothing about Crescent High was normal. And if Lucas was telling the truth—and she still wasn't sure she was ready to accept that—then she was in way over her head.
The evening passed slowly, the weight of Lucas's words hanging over her like a storm cloud. She wanted to call him, to demand more answers, but the thought of hearing more about werewolves and secret worlds made her feel like she was teetering on the edge of reality.
By the time she climbed into bed, exhaustion had begun to settle in, though her mind was far from quiet. She lay there, staring up at the ceiling, her thoughts racing.
Then, as the night deepened, the world outside her window began to stir.
At first, it was nothing more than the faint rustle of leaves in the wind. Eva closed her eyes, willing herself to focus on the calming sound. But then, somewhere in the distance, she heard it—a low, mournful howl. The sound was so eerie, so out of place, that she froze, her eyes snapping open.
She held her breath, listening intently. The howl faded into the night, leaving only silence. *It's just the wind,* she told herself, but even as she thought it, she knew it wasn't true.
Minutes passed, and then it came again—this time closer. A deep, guttural growl, followed by another sharp howl that sliced through the night air like a knife. Her heart began to pound, her pulse thrumming in her ears.
Eva sat up in bed, every nerve on edge. She threw the blankets aside and crept toward the window, peeking through the curtains. At first, all she saw was the dark, quiet street bathed in the dim glow of the streetlamps. But then, near the edge of the woods that bordered the neighborhood, she spotted movement.
A large, dark shape slinked between the trees—too fast, too graceful to be human. Another howl pierced the stillness, closer this time, as if whatever it was had drawn nearer.
Eva's breath hitched. *It can't be real. This can't be happening.*
But somewhere deep down, a part of her knew it was. There were wolves out there. And not just wolves. *Werewolves.*
She backed away from the window, her mind spinning. She didn't want to believe it. How could she? But those howls, those strange movements—they were real. Too real.
Sitting back down on the edge of her bed, Eva wrapped her arms around herself, trying to calm her racing heart. What was she supposed to do now? Pretend none of it was happening? Pretend Crescent High was just a normal school and that Lucas hadn't just told her the most insane thing she'd ever heard?
Her eyes flicked to the clock on her nightstand. It was well past midnight, but she knew she wouldn't be sleeping any time soon. The silence outside was unnerving, and even though the howling had stopped, the truth of what she had seen and heard lingered in the air.
And then the questions returned, stronger than before. *Why had her parents sent her to Crescent High?*
Had they known? Could they have known the truth about the school and what lurked within its halls? They had always been so careful, so protective of her health. But what if there was something else they were hiding from her? Something she wasn't ready to hear?
The thought sent a chill down her spine. She had always trusted them, always believed they had her best interests at heart. But now, doubt was creeping in, dark and insistent.
What if Crescent High wasn't just a mistake? What if there was a reason she was here—one she didn't yet understand?
Eva curled up on her bed, pulling the blankets tight around her. She knew she wouldn't sleep, not with her mind racing and the eerie howls still echoing faintly in her memory.
Too many things didn't add up. Too many questions remained unanswered. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized that whatever was going on at Crescent High, she wasn't just a bystander.
She was part of it now. Whether she wanted to be or not.