I woke up the next day with a slight temper, the residual sleep deprivation, the unnerving events in the the woods and the fact we were kind of rich, all piled up into a freakin'tastic start of the day.
Even though me and Tess were on good terms for the first time since our parents' accident, was apparently not enough good reason to overshadow my inexplicable anger.
"Get some answers" a deep baritone from within me startled me, demanding and leaving no room for debate.
Right there and then I have concluded i was slowly but surely losing my sanity.
I exited my room in a haze, to find myself alone in the house. Just before i was about to call Tess and throw a tantrum, i remembered she had tutoring and i was definetly out for blood for no reason.
There was this mental itch present all day, like i was forgetting something, probably the most important thing in my entire life. I was on edge, and there was no way i could've possibly finnish my assignments or study in this state.
I even caught myself reliving more than once the events in the woods. Why was i not more frightened?! I should have called the cops. Why was all of this happening to me?! What exactly did happen to me?
Safe to say my inner turmoil led me to the same conclusion as my sassy mental voice (what?!) well i will just call it that. So i went to get some answers..
Before i could talk myself out of it i was stepping into the forest.
The moment I stepped into the forest, I felt something stir in the air. It wasn't just the typical coolness of dusk settling over the trees. No, it was something heavier, something that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. My heart started to race, and for a brief moment, I wondered if I should turn back, if this was just my mind playing tricks on me. But that pull—*that draw*—was too strong to ignore.
Then, I heard it.
A soft rustling, the barely audible sound of something—*someone*—moving through the trees. A chill spread down my spine, and I froze. I didn't know what it was. My instincts screamed at me to run, but I stood there, rooted to the spot, as if waiting for something—or someone.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows.
He was tall, too tall, and the dark clothes he wore blended seamlessly with the night, but his eyes—those eyes—*were different*. They were the brightest shade of blue I'd ever seen, glowing almost, as if they weren't quite human. I should have been scared, but I wasn't. I just felt... *compelled*, like my body was betraying me.
"You shouldn't be here," he said, his voice low, and somehow commanding. He looked at me with those strange eyes, and for a moment, I couldn't breathe.
"Who are you?" My voice trembled, but I wasn't sure if it was from fear or something else entirely. A strange pressure built up in my chest, as though I was missing something, something huge.
The man didn't answer right away. Instead, his eyes flicked down to my hands. I looked down, surprised to see my fingers clenched in tight fists, my nails digging into my palms. I hadn't even realized. But when I caught sight of them, a flash of pain surged through me, almost as if my body knew something I didn't.
"Serena," he said, his voice soft, almost like he was speaking to a child. "You don't understand yet, but you will soon enough."
I stepped back, suddenly dizzy. How did he know my name? I didn't even know him. But something inside me told me I wasn't supposed to know him—not yet. The way he spoke, the way his eyes burned into me—it was like he was waiting for something. Waiting for me to *wake up*.