The night rain had stopped, leaving the woods slick and dripping.
The air still carried that metallic tang of stormwater, and the cemetery gates groaned like they'd been woken from a nap they'd never wanted to wake up from.
Unknown to the group of boys already skulking near the grounds, another pack of youngsters had decided to tempt fate.
Five girls crept along the muddy path. Their shoes squelched, and every gust of wind clawed invisible fingers across their arms. Goosebumps spread like a plague.
"AHHHH! Fuck!" Yoko shrieked, spinning so fast her hair slapped her face. "Enid! You're scaring the fuck outta me!"
Enid snatched her hand back, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry. I didn't think vampires were supposed to be scared of cemeteries."
Yoko froze, her expression dropping into that flat, unimpressed stare only she could pull off. Slowly, she turned her head toward Enid.
Enid's eyes widened. She pressed her palms together like she was praying, shut her eyes tight, and squeaked, "W-What? I-Is something b-behind me?!"
"No, dumbass. I'm just staring at your racist, fluffy ass," Yoko said, brushing past her.
Enid scampered after her with a little yelp. "Don't leave meee!"
The others giggled, but the nervous kind, the kind that bled into silence too fast.
These were girls of Ophelia Hall.
They were also on a dare, the kind whispered about until someone snapped and said, Fine, I'll do it.
And Enid Sinclair, who was usually left out of things, had been the first to say yes.
The dare was simple... maybe? knock on the grave of one of Nevermore's dead headmasters. The stories went that if they weren't asleep, they'd knock back.
Nobody in their right mind wanted to be the one to try it. But Enid, desperate to prove herself, volunteered. Which meant Yoko, her roomate was dragged into it by default.
"I hate graveyards," Yoko muttered under her breath, clenching Enid's hand so tight their knuckles cracked.
"Same," Enid whispered back. "But at least we'll die together, right?"
Meanwhile, across the cemetery.
The boys had slipped past the gates already, flashlights tucked into their jackets, shoes crunching gravel. The Skull Tree, waited on the far side, past the graves.
"Shhh," Valen hissed. He had heard something.
Every boy ducked behind something, broken tombstones, statues , broken angels, eroded faces that were creepier than anything whole.
The shadows moved.
"Is it guards?" someone whispered.
"I dunno. Sounds like girls."
Alex, peeked over the top of a gravestone. Sure enough, he spotted a cluster of girls moving like a pack of terrified ducklings.
"It's just girls, man." Alex popped right up, stretching.
Before anyone could stop him, he cupped his hands and shouted, "Hey!!"
The girls screamed so loud the ravens bolted from the trees.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
Then chaos, they scattered in every direction, shrieking like they were being chased by Satan himself.
Valen dragged a hand down his face. Idiot.
The storm clouds had thinned, moonlight breaking through in streaks that silvered the stones.
This is Nevermore, Valen thought grimly. So it's definitely not just a normal graveyard. Better not piss off the residents here.
He ordered the others to spread out and search the girls... the least he wanted was a dead girl scandal on his first day in Nevermore.
Valen's boots sank into wet soil as he followed a sound, a yelp, sharp and desperate.
He found her near an open grave, half-dug, black mud dripping down its sides. A girl clung to a tree root jutting from the edge, her sneakers slipping.
Enid Sinclair.
(IMAGE)
"Hey," Valen called softly, careful not to startle her. "Need some help?"
She whipped her head up, eyes wide, then screamed, "AHHHH!" and nearly lost her grip.
Valen didn't think. He jumped into the pit, boots splashing mud, and caught her just as her fingers gave out. His arms wrapped under her knees and shoulders, cradling her like some kind of dark fairy tale rescue.
Enid squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the crash she never felt. Slowly, she cracked them open.
A boy. Not just a boy, a face carved out of moonlight. Strong jaw, lashes darkened by the rain, hair damp and dripping silver drops down his temple. His chest rose steady, unfazed.
Her brain betrayed her. "So handsome," she whispered out loud.
Valen's brow arched, but his lips tugged at the corner. "Thanks, I guess…"
Heat slammed into her cheeks. She wanted to crawl back into the hole and die.
"Let's get out of here," Valen said, voice low, calm. "Hold on tight."
She nodded furiously.
He bent his knees, kicked off the wall, and in one smooth motion landed above ground, still holding her.
Enid's heart thumped against her ribs. So strong!
"ENID!!"
Yoko's voice snapped her out of her daze. She stumbled down from Valen's arms, fixing her hair in a rush. She tried not to smile, but the butterflies in her stomach didn't listen.
"You okay?" Yoko asked, scanning her.
Enid nodded quickly, eyes dropping, her lips twitching toward a grin.
The rest of the boys and girls trickled in, the tension dissolving once everyone realized no one was dead.
Both groups admitted why they were there.
"Wanna go together?" Yoko asked. "The tree's still in the cemetery, right?"
Most of them nodded. Safety in numbers.
The graves grew denser as they walked. Broken tombstones tilted like teeth, angel statues missing their faces, ivy coiling in suffocating tangles.
Conversation dried up. Only Yoko and Alex talked, her sarcasm and his cocky replies.
Enid, meanwhile, drifted closer to Valen.
"Thanks for earlier," she said softly.
He glanced down at her, unreadable, then gave a smile. "You are welcome... You hurt?"
She shook her head. "No… thanks to you."
The smile deepened slightly.
She's so cute!
"I-I'm Enid Sinclair." She thrust out her hand awkwardly with expectation.
Enid Sinclair didn't exactly fit the setting.
Where the cemetery was all jagged stone and rotting angels, she was bright color and restless energy, even in the dead of night. Her blonde hair, streaked with cotton-candy pinks and blues, clung in damp waves to her cheeks, catching the moonlight like sugar.
Her eyes, wide and bright, held that nervous glitter, the kind of puppy-dog adorable.
Her smile, even when she was terrified, had a softness that begged to be trusted. Yet there was something else under it, the sharp line of her jaw, the gloss on her lips, the way the rain slicked her collarbone where her jacket hung a little too loose. She was all contradictions: messy and sweet, but with flashes of heat in the way she moved, in the way her chuckles lingered too long.
Cute enough to make you want to protect her. Hot enough to make you forget why you should.
Valen clasped her hand, his grip firm but not crushing. "Valen."
Her stomach flipped.
They reached the section of headmasters' graves. These were newer, more intact, though still worn with age. The girls picked one that looked least disgusting and rapped on the stone.
Silence.
They tried again. Nothing.
"Bullshit," one muttered.
The group gave up and headed toward the tree.
The Skull Tree rose like a nightmare. The trunk split, hollowed, the holes gaping like empty eye sockets. In the moonlight, the whole thing looked like a colossal skull watching them.
Valen stepped up first, pressing his ear to the bark. His jaw tightened.
So there's definitely someone here...
Tick. Tock.
The sound crawled under their skin, sharp as claws on glass.
One by one, the others leaned in. Every single one heard it. Tick. Tock.
Goosebumps flared.
Just then a raven cawed, and the girls shrieked and bolted. Some boys ran too.
Only five remained: Valen, Ajax, Alex, Yoko, and Enid.
"Fucking assholes," Alex cursed. "I was just about to take a pic and they ran. Let 'em cry when we post without them." He smirked at the girls. "Wanna join? It'll be memorable."
Enid and Yoko nodded, adrenaline still fizzing.
They stood in front of the Skull Tree, the boys in back, the girls in front. Alex snapped the photo, the hollow eyes of the tree glowing faintly behind them.
For a moment after, silence pressed heavy. The ticking never stopped.
"Yeah, this is scary as fuck," Enid whispered. "Let's get out of here."
No one argued.
At the gates, they split. Numbers exchanged, promises of tagging on socials.
Later, Enid lay on her bed, still dazed. Her phone lit her face in pale blue glow. "He was so handsome…" she murmured dreamily.
"Yeah, yeah," Yoko said from her own bed, scrolling lazily. "First day and you already have a crush. Damn girl, you're hopeless."
Enid blushed, hugging her pillow.
Then, DING.
Both phones buzzed at once.
Enid picked hers up, and froze. Her mouth dropped open.
Yoko leaned over, eyes narrowing, then widening. "E-Enid… what was your crush's name again?"
"Valen…"
"Right. Of course. THEY'RE THE FUCKING EIDOLON BROTHERS!"
On the screen glowed the photo- Enid and Yoko in the front, Ajax, Alex, and Valen behind them. Caption- New friends?
The account? 176k followers.
And Enid's heart nearly exploded.
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A/N – We finally meet Enid!!! 🐺💖
Not gonna lie, I still like S1 Enid more than her S2 version, but let's see how this plays out
Milestone update: 5/10 reviews so far—just 5 more and I'll drop a bonus chapter! Powerstone milestone: Every 400 stones = 1 bonus chap. (I know it sounds greedy, but I don't have bulk stockpiled, so please have mercy lol.)
Now gimme those freaking stones!! Let's hit the rankings and unlock new milestones together!
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Update – About the review milestone!A few people commented they were confused, so let me clear it up real quick:
When I say "every 10 reviews = 1 bonus chapter," I mean new reviews after the milestone started.For example: before this event, we already had 9 reviews. So once we hit 19 reviews in total, I'll drop a bonus chapter.
So right now the milestone stands at 14/19. Just 5 more new reviews to unlock that bonus!