Chapter 5

There was a stillness in the atmosphere. The silence was deafening, and I could hear my heart beating fast despite my efforts to calm it. James had returned to the car, leaving me outside as my mind was spinning over multiple possibilities but never really focusing on one.

We were close to the forests. Too close.

I was suddenly overcome by an unnerving feeling. Were we being watched? I looked around, breaking my self-induced trance. The trees on either side of us stood tall and strong. There was a familiar sensation as I focused, deep between those trees, I saw eyes staring at me through menacing red slits. They weren't human.

There was a loud howl before James jeered me to get into the car. My mind wasn't fully itself yet, but my body responded quickly. In one second, the car was in motion. We were speeding along the quiet road.

"Are you okay?" His voice startled me. I was scared and I didn't know why.

I willed myself to speak, but I couldn't get the words out, so I gave him a little nod instead.

"You know they're just stories, for all we know an angry mob committed arson and killed a bunch of innocent people for being different. Then, they spun a web of lies to consolidate their actions."

He looked at me for a second.

"People often fear what they do not understand." His voice dropped slightly. No more words were spoken till he brought me to my door.

"Are you sure you'll be okay alone tonight?"

I nodded, having not found my voice yet.

"You really should lighten up Eva, I just gave you a little horror story under the moonlight." He chuckled lightly. "You really seem shaken up."

That was easy for him to say. He wasn't there when Kieran's face morphed. Other than that, I could tell he was lying. He believed every single word he'd told me, and I did too.

"Tonight was... Nice, we should do it again sometime." he ran his hands through his curls like a boy confessing to his crush.

I gave him a small smile before going in. I stood by the window and watched him leave before I returned to my room.

Being alone on a night like this was hard. I was sure my dreams would be haunted by cruel bloody eyes peeking out from the darkness and the screams of those who died in the fire. I might as well not go to sleep at all.

I turned on the light in my room, locked my doors, and closed the windows and window blinds. I didn't feel safe alone, but the only other place I could go to felt less safe after everything James had said.

I sat at my desk, turning on my laptop. There had to be news stories or articles dating back to the night of the fire. I wasn't sure what I was looking for, I just needed to do my own digging, and when I found something, I would know.

I searched for hours, moving from site to site and scrolling through random information, most of which had nothing to do with the town at all. The most recent details about the Crescent Manor were all under the Lightwoods name. A family of philanthropists that came into town and chose to renovate the old place.

I'd never been to that side of town until I started hanging out with Esme. I didn't tell how much damage had been done in the first place. I did find it strange that they'd choose to live at the Manor. There were plenty of rich houses in town. Maybe they just had that much money to spend, or perhaps it was the solitude they craved.

I wouldn't be finding anything on the Internet. That much was clear. I stood up from my desk, running my hands through my hair as I paced my room. The clock had just struck 2pm. It was at that very time that something else started running through my mind.

I sat back at my desk, creating a new search bar as I put in the word 'Werewolves.' There were several stories and folklore about the creatures from different cultures across the world. Most of them gave the same descriptions; half men, half beasts, who turned every full moon. Some described them as men eating demons.

In some languages, they were referred to as 'those cursed by the moon'. Their origin could be traced back to Greek mythology with Lycaon who was believed to have been cursed by Zeus himself. Then there was some nordic folklore also. There were those who swore to have encountered these creatures in real life. Yet it all seemed so... unreal. Tales and nothing more.

I recalled that night at Esme's party again. Denial was only making things harder for me. It was as though I were staring the answer right in the face and rejecting it. I refused to believe it. Not when it went against everything I knew and this boring life I lived.

To think that things such as the supernatural were real was a huge stretch. It would be easier to believe I was the one slowly losing my mind. Perhaps it took 18 years of living before the loneliness finally started getting to one.

There was only one place I could think of to get what I was looking for, and I knew just who to call for help. I reached for my phone and sent a text to. I would get my answers, one way or the other.

I finally closed the laptop as I stood up slowly, stretching my body. I looked at the clock again, 3am, the devil's hour. I got an eerie feeling as I looked around my room. I tried to ignore it as I took off my jacket and shoes.

I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. Wearily, I walked towards my window, pulling the curtains aside. I looked around, but there was nothing obviously off. The streets were quiet and empty.

I drew the curtains close and went to bed. Naturally, I couldn't sleep. By the time my alarm rang at 6:30, my eyes were tired and fighting to stay open.

I got out of bed and groggily went about preparing for school. I needed to take the bus so I could avoid Esme and Kieran, especially.

I threw on faded blue jeans and a grey hoodie, then stepped into the white sneakers from last night.

In the kitchen, I chowed down on a sandwich and some orange juice. Yes, I was tired and faced the problem of being late, but I never messed around with food. I grabbed my keys, and I was out the door in less than an hour.

The day was painfully slow. I only had two classes with Esme, and I'd had lunch by the bleachers, so I didn't have to worry about dodging her till school closed. The bell at the end of the day was like a blessing.

I only had to leave without Esme spotting me or–

"Eva!" I heard her voice scream my name from the other end of the hallway. I groaned internally as I turned around, beaming at her with a smile.

"Wait for me. Feels like I barely saw you today. You were leaving without me?"

"Oh... no, of course no. I have something to do with umm... James, yes, and I was just in a hurry." I said nervously

"Ooh, another date? On a school night? You bad bad girl," she winked

For some reason, my cheeks grew hot. I wasn't even into James in any way. I was practically using the poor guy.

"No, not that. It's just schoolwork, nothing more."

"Uh-uhn sureee" more winking followed her reply.

"Okay, bye Esme" I said, turning around.

"Call me after your date!" My cheeks burned more as everyone within hearing range looked from her to me, and at the most inconvenient time possible, James showed up. Just great. I grabbed his arm and walked out faster than I could say, embarrassed.

"What's wrong?" James asked when we finally got to his car.

"Nothing. So, did you ask your dad"

He nodded, putting the car in gear. "He says you can look through old news stories for your essay."

"Oh, thanks. I owe you"

"Anytime Red, I know how important it is you get into a good college plus you're really smart and..." I zoned out as he kept talking.

Red... That name brought back memories. Memories that weren't clear enough but existed nonetheless, in the farthest parts of my mind. The place where all the bad stuff went. I hadn't been called Red in many, many years.

"We're here," I heard James' voice again, pulling me out of my head.

James' dad was the sheriff. I knew the only other place I could get some info about the old manor was at the station, hence why I asked James if his dad could let me go through old news archives for my 'history essay'

"Wait here, let me get my dad." James informed me before leaving me standing alone at the waiting area.

I noted how modern the interior of the building looked compared to the exterior. The station was often renovated, but not much could be done about its exterior. It was one of the oldest buildings in town, after all.

There was quite a number of people seated in the waiting area, considering crime hardly ever occurred here. My eyes began scanning the room.

Then my eyes locked on an old woman. She was dressed in a long flowery dress without fittings. Her greying hair was mostly hidden underneath a brown hat. She seemed to be in her mid sixties, but I got the feeling that she was much older.

I wasn't one of those who knew everyone around, but I definitely hadn't seen her before. The woman looked up from a very old looking book in her hands. she'd caught me staring. Flustered, I looked away.

I could still feel her eyes on me. I looked back at her, and she smiled.