The branch continued to sway.
Back and forth.
Back…
And forth.
Every pair of eyes remained fixed on the canopy overhead.
No one dared blink.
No one dared breathe too loudly.
The snapping sound had been unmistakable.
Something heavy had landed above us.
Yet…
There was nothing there.
Only thick branches tangled together like the ribs of some enormous beast.
And without meaning to, we all collectively held our breath.
Mr. Martin was the first to move.
"Everyone."
His voice came out lower than usual.
"Circle up."
None of us questioned him.
Within seconds, we had formed a tight circle, our backs facing inward, our eyes scanning the forest around us.
Miss Nilsson stood in the center.
Emily's backpack still hung from her shoulder.
She clutched it a little tighter than before.
"I've taught outdoor survival classes before," she admitted quietly.
"I've hiked these woods."
"I know these trails."
She swallowed.
"But…"
She looked around slowly.
"I've never seen this forest behave like this."
Those words settled heavily over us.
Until now…
I'd been hoping the teachers knew something we didn't.
That they had a plan.
That they could explain all of this.
Instead…
They were just as lost as we were.
The mist thickened.
It rolled lazily between the trees, curling around our ankles before creeping higher, until it reached our knees.
The world beyond our little circle blurred.
The trees looked farther away than they should have.
Their trunks stretched into pale shadows.
Even the sounds around us changed.
The forest seemed…
Muted.
As though someone had wrapped the entire world in thick blankets.
Without warning, I felt warm fingers close gently around my wrist.
I flinched.
Conrad.
He didn't look at me.
His eyes remained fixed on the trees.
"I don't want anyone wandering off," he murmured.
"I wasn't planning to."
"I know."
His grip loosened slightly.
"But just in case."
I didn't pull away.
Oddly enough…
It helped.
Not because I suddenly felt safe.
Because I felt…
Less alone.
Then Jeffrey spoke.
"Did someone just walk behind me?"
Everyone turned.
Nothing.
Only drifting mist.
"I heard footsteps," he insisted.
"They were right behind me."
Mr. Martin frowned.
"We're all standing still."
"I know what I heard."
Silence returned.
Then Kennedy reached for the back of her neck.
"…Okay."
Her voice trembled.
"That wasn't funny."
Nobody answered.
She looked around nervously.
"Which one of you breathed on me?"
Parker stared at her.
"We're all in front of you."
Kennedy's face drained of color.
"…Then who was behind me?"
No one had an answer.
I forced myself to breathe slowly.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
Don't panic.
Not yet.
My gaze drifted toward the ground.
Something caught my attention immediately.
Shadows.
The mist made them faint, but they were still there.
Mr. Martin.
Miss Nilsson.
Jeffrey.
Kennedy.
Parker.
Conrad.
Me.
I counted again.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Seven people.
Seven shadows.
I frowned.
No…
Eight.
My heartbeat faltered.
One shadow stood just outside our circle.
It stretched impossibly long across the leaves.
It wasn't attached to anyone.
I blinked.
It vanished.
"…Destiny?"
Conrad's voice sounded distant.
"You alright?"
I looked back at the ground.
Only our shadows remained.
"I'm fine."
He didn't believe me.
I could tell.
But before he could ask anything else…
A laugh echoed through the forest.
Soft.
High-pitched.
A child.
It lasted only a few seconds.
Then another joined it.
And another.
Within moments…
Children were laughing from every direction.
Some giggled.
Some cried between laughs.
Others whispered words I couldn't quite make out.
The sounds overlapped until it became impossible to tell where any of them were coming from.
Parker covered her ears.
"Make it stop."
Jeffrey turned in circles.
"Who's there?"
The laughter stopped instantly.
The silence that followed was somehow worse.
Mr. Martin stepped forward.
His jaw clenched.
"Who's out there?"
His voice echoed through the trees.
"…Who's out there…"
"…Who's out there…"
The first echo sounded normal.
The second was quieter.
The third…
Wasn't his voice.
It was deeper.
Slower.
"…You're too late."
No one moved.
No one breathed.
I felt Conrad's fingers tighten around my wrist.
"You heard that?"
I nodded without taking my eyes off the trees.
He looked at me.
Not frightened.
Concerned.
Like he was studying my reaction instead of the voice.
"You've heard things before, haven't you?"
My stomach twisted.
I looked away.
"…Destiny."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"Tell me."
I wanted to.
God…
I wanted to tell him everything.
About Allyson.
About the dreams.
About Harold and Charity.
About the creature with glowing eyes.
About waking up with a scar that shouldn't exist.
Instead, all I managed was a single sentence.
"…This isn't the first time."
He stared at me.
Not with disbelief.
Not with pity.
Just…
Understanding.
Before he could say another word—
Miss Nilsson gasped.
Everyone turned toward her.
Lying in the middle of the path was a single school shoe.
Small.
Black.
The Bailey Girls' Academy crest was still stitched onto the side.
Jeffrey took one look at it.
"That's Emily's."
No one questioned him.
Miss Nilsson slowly picked it up.
"It's clean…"
She frowned.
"It shouldn't be."
She reached inside.
Her fingers brushed against something folded neatly into the toe of the shoe.
A piece of notebook paper.
Dry.
Perfectly clean.
She unfolded it.
Mr. Martin stepped beside her.
Neither of them spoke.
"What does it say?" Kennedy asked.
Miss Nilsson's lips parted.
She held the paper out toward us.
Three words had been scratched into it.
Not written.
Scratched.
As though something sharp had carved through the paper itself.
YOU'RE GETTING CLOSER.
A gust of wind tore through the trees.
Every bird in the forest exploded into the sky at once.
Hundreds of wings beat against the air.
The noise was deafening.
Everyone instinctively looked up.
Everyone…
Except me.
Movement.
Ahead.
Between two trees.
A little girl stood there.
Barefoot.
Long red hair.
Bailey Girls' Academy uniform.
Emily.
She smiled.
Not happily.
Knowingly.
Then she slowly raised one finger.
Not pointing at me.
Pointing…
To my left.
I turned.
Nothing.
When I looked back…
Emily was gone.
Only the trees remained.
But carved into the trunk behind where she'd been standing…
Fresh enough that sap still oozed from the cuts…
Were six chilling words.
DON'T LET HER LOOK BEHIND YOU.