The two glowing points remained between the trees.
Watching me.
Waiting.
I couldn’t breathe.
Every instinct inside me screamed the same thing.
Run.
And this time, I listened.
I turned and sprinted.
Branches tore at my arms as I pushed through the forest.
My lungs burned, my legs screamed, and every breath came out in ragged gasps.
I didn’t care where I was going.
I just needed to get away from those eyes.
Behind me, something moved.
I heard it.
Heavy footsteps.
Branches snapping.
Leaves being crushed beneath something much larger than a person.
I ran faster.
“Help!”
My voice cracked.
“Somebody help me!”
Nothing.
I kept running.
The forest seemed endless.
Every tree looked the same.
Every direction looked wrong.
I stumbled over a root and nearly fell, catching myself against a tree before I could hit the ground.
“Come on…”
I pushed myself forward.
My stomach was still burning from the scar.
My head was pounding.
I couldn’t feel my fingers anymore.
But I kept running.
Then—
I saw something ahead.
A gap between the trees.
Light.
Real light.
For the first time since I’d entered the woods, I saw something that looked like an escape.
“The school…”
I almost laughed.
I didn’t know how I’d gotten so close to it.
But there it was.
Bailey Girls’ Academy.
The familiar brick building stood beyond the trees.
I ran toward it.
“Help!”
I broke through the last line of trees.
And stopped.
There was no school.
No road.
No parking lot.
Just another stretch of forest.
My heart sank.
“No…”
I turned around.
The creature was nowhere in sight.
Then I looked forward again.
A tree stood directly in front of me.
I hadn’t seen it there a second ago.
It was enormous.
Its trunk was thick enough that I couldn’t have wrapped both arms around it.
I tried to stop.
My foot slipped.
I threw my hands forward.
Too late.
CRACK!
My forehead slammed against the trunk.
Pain exploded through my skull.
The world tilted.
I staggered backward.
“Ow…”
I reached for the tree.
My fingers barely touched the bark.
Then my knees gave out.
The last thing I saw before everything went black was something carved into the trunk.
Not the warning.
Not my name.
Just one word.
REMEMBER.
Something was beeping.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
I slowly opened my eyes.
White ceiling.
Bright lights.
The smell of antiseptic.
For a moment, I thought I was dead.
Then I heard my mother’s voice.
“Oh my God…”
A hand grabbed mine.
“Destiny?”
I turned my head.
My mother was standing beside the bed.
Her eyes were swollen from crying.
My father stood behind her.
And beside him…
My grandparents.
My heart jumped.
“Grandma?”
She smiled through tears.
“There’s my girl.”
I looked around the room.
Parker.
Kennedy.
Jeffrey.
Conrad.
Nurys.
Cam.
Everyone was there.
“What…”
My voice came out hoarse.
“Where am I?”
“Bailey Falls Emergency Clinic,” my father answered.
I stared at him.
“What happened?”
My mother squeezed my hand.
“You were found unconscious near the woods.”
My stomach dropped.
“The woods…”
Everything came rushing back.
The search.
Emily.
The creature.
The chase.
The tree.
I sat up.
“Emily!”
Everyone exchanged confused looks.
“Who?”
I stared at them.
“Emily Carter.”
Nobody answered.
Then the door opened.
A girl stepped inside.
Red hair.
Freckles.
Green eyes.
My blood ran cold.
Emily.
She smiled.
“Hi, Destiny.”
I couldn’t speak.
She walked toward my bed.
“I wanted to thank you.”
“For what?”
She held something out to me.
A small silver bracelet.
My stomach twisted.
“You saved me.”
I stared at her.
“From what?”
She giggled softly.
“The pool.”
I looked around the room.
Nobody seemed surprised.
Emily placed the bracelet in my hand.
“You almost drowned trying to save me.”
My fingers closed around it.
It was cold.
Far too cold.
“Thank you, Destiny.”
She smiled.
And for just a second…
Her eyes didn’t look green.
They looked black.
I blinked.
They were green again.