The rest of the school day crawled by in a haze. Nora and Lila both finished their remaining classes with half-focused minds, exchanging quiet looks that said everything neither of them was ready to voice.
They were leaving. Soon. And nothing felt normal anymore.
When the final bell rang, Nora met Lila outside, and they walked to the car together. The drive home was filled with the soft hum of traffic and an unsettling quiet, as though both were bracing for something they couldn't name.
By the time they reached the apartment, the sky had deepened into dusky golds and purples. The day was winding down, but everything inside Nora felt wound tight.
"Okay," Lila said, trying for cheerful as they stepped inside. "Packing round two. Let's get it done before we collapse."
Nora nodded. "Yeah. Before I lose my nerve."
They headed to their rooms, gathering clothes, toiletries, chargers, notebooks, and anything else they might need for however long this would last.
Once their bags were zipped and stacked by the door, Nora's stomach growled loud enough to echo.
Lila turned sharply. "That's it. We're ordering food. No way we're cooking after today."
Nora didn't argue.
"Chicken lo mein?" Lila asked.
Nora nodded. "Extra soy sauce."
"Already added."
Their takeout arrived twenty-five minutes later: chicken lo mein, fried rice, egg rolls, and too many fortune cookies. They spread everything across the coffee table, the warm smell filling the apartment instantly.
"This is the dinner of champions," Lila announced.
"More like the dinner of two stressed disasters," Nora said.
"Same thing."
Lila dug through the bag for napkins while Nora stepped out onto the balcony, craving air.
The sky had fully darkened now. For a moment, Nora simply stood there, breathing in the cool night breeze.
Then the air shifted.
Still. Colder. Alert.
A thin mist gathered at the far end of the courtyard—soft at first, then thickening as it rolled across the ground with purpose. It slipped through the shrubs and drifted into the open.
Toward her.
Nora froze.
It didn't move naturally. It moved like something alive.
The mist curled upward into a tall, blurred outline—human-shaped, watching her.
Her breath caught.
Then the shape dissolved.
"Nora!" Lila called. "Let's eat! The food smells illegal!"
Nora stepped back inside quickly, closing the balcony door.
"You okay?" Lila asked.
"Yeah. Just… cold."
"Well, sit. We need carbs and denial."
They ate dinner while watching thrillers—Lila's idea.
"This is research," Lila insisted. "If we're going to some creepy manor, we need to know what not to do."
Nora laughed as Lila yelled at the screen.
"Don't split up! What is wrong with you people?!"
Halfway through the third movie, they fell asleep on the couch, curled under a blanket. Outside, mist pooled below the balcony railing again.
Watching. Waiting.
Sunlight streamed through the blinds when Nora blinked awake. Lila groaned beside her, hair wild.
"My spine is eighty years old," Lila said.
Nora stretched. "We fell asleep."
"Uh-huh. Okay, breakfast."
They made toast, eggs, and lots of coffee. After eating, they grabbed their bags, locked the apartment, and headed out.
Lila entered the address into the GPS: Wolf Creek Manor.
She started the car and pulled onto the road.
The drive began normally city fading into farmland and open country. Lila hummed off-key to the music. Nora tapped her knee, nerves simmering.
Then the scenery changed.
Trees thickened along the road, their branches creating a tunnel overhead. The air grew cooler and heavier.
Nora felt pressure building in her chest.
But Lila felt it first.
She sat up straighter. "Do you feel that?"
"Feel what?"
Lila pressed a hand to her sternum. "It's like… something brushed inside me. Like someone whispered under my ribs."
"Is it the letter?" Nora asked softly.
"I don't know. But it's strong. And it's… pulling."
The air buzzed with something ancient.
The road curved.
And there—through the trees—Wolf Creek Manor appeared.
Large. Dark. Quiet.
Breathing history and secrets.
Lila exhaled. "Well… shit."
"Yeah," Nora whispered.
The manor waited.
Lila drove up the long gravel driveway. The car rumbled over stone as the house towered above them—cold stone walls, tall windows, ivy clinging like veins.
They stopped at the front steps.
Silence settled thickly.
A figure stepped forward from the shadows.
Thorne.
Tall, dark coat brushing the ground, silver eyes watching them with eerie calm. Mist curled around his boots.
He stopped at the bottom of the steps.
"Welcome to Wolf Creek Manor," he said, voice low and smooth.
Nora froze mid-step.
Lila moved closer beside her.
Thorne's gaze flicked to Lila briefly—recognition in his eyes—then back to Nora.
"You were expected."
"By who?" Nora asked.
"The manor," he replied. "And those who serve it. Come."
He turned and walked up the steps.
Nora and Lila glanced at each other.
"We go together," Lila whispered.
"Always."
They followed him inside. The heavy doors shut behind them.
In the shadows of the forest—unseen—another figure watched.
Half-shifted. Tall. Eyes glowing gold.
Soren.
The Alpha of Wolf Creek.
He watched Thorne lead the girls inside, jaw tight.
Only when the doors sealed completely did Soren fade back into the woods.
Because now the girls were inside the Manor. And their real story was about to begin.