Chapter Two: The Warning

I barely slept that night. Ronan’s face, his eyes, the way he had warned me to go home—it played over and over in my mind like a broken record. His words carried weight, a silent threat lingering in their simplicity. The darkness of the woods, the cold edge of the night—it had all changed in the space of a few minutes.

The next morning, Grey Hollow was its usual self—calm, unbothered by whatever had occurred in the shadows of last night. People went about their business, opening up shops, exchanging idle chatter at the diner, and acting as if nothing had shifted.

But I felt it. Something had changed. Or maybe it had always been there, hidden beneath the surface, and I had just been too blind to see it.

I wandered down Main Street, sipping on my coffee, trying to blend into the usual rhythm of the town, but my thoughts kept drifting back to the stranger who had appeared at the edge of the woods. Ronan. Why had he come here? What did he mean, “It’s not safe”?

The thought gnawed at me. I had grown up in Grey Hollow. Safe was a word that had always defined this town. Nothing ever happened. No crime, no drama—just endless routine. But his presence, the way he spoke—it was as though he knew something I didn’t.

Maybe I was overthinking things. Maybe I was letting my imagination get the best of me. Yet, the gnawing unease from last night still clung to me, and no matter how much I tried to push it away, it kept coming back.

“Lena!”

I jumped at the sound of my name, nearly spilling my coffee. Sophie, my best friend since high school, was waving at me from across the street, a bright smile plastered on her face as usual. Her blonde hair bounced as she jogged over, all sunshine and energy.

“Hey, I’ve been trying to catch you all morning,” she said, looping her arm through mine. “You were totally spaced out at the diner.”

“Sorry,” I mumbled, trying to focus on her, but my mind was still stuck in last night’s encounter. “I didn’t sleep much.”

“Why?” she asked, giving me a curious look. “Everything okay?”

I hesitated, unsure whether to tell her about Ronan. Sophie wasn’t exactly the kind of person who believed in danger lurking in the shadows. To her, the world was one big happy place full of opportunities. And I didn’t want to ruin her perfect little bubble. But still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very, very wrong.

“I met someone last night,” I said finally, trying to sound casual.

Sophie’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Oh my God, tell me everything! Was he cute? What’s his name?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her reaction, though it was far from a romantic encounter. “His name is Ronan. He just moved to town... or so he says.”

Sophie raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “Just moved here? How come I haven’t heard about this? You know everyone who comes through Grey Hollow has to pass through my dad’s store.”

“I don’t know, he seemed... off,” I admitted, glancing down the street as if I’d spot him again. “Like he wasn’t telling me the whole truth.”

Sophie scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. “You’re just paranoid. Grey Hollow is the safest place on Earth. I mean, come on, we haven’t had a crime in years. Besides, new people come and go all the time.”

I shook my head, knowing she wouldn’t get it. “There was something different about him. He said something weird... like I shouldn’t be out at night.”

Sophie rolled her eyes. “He’s probably just trying to scare you, or maybe he’s one of those weirdos who think every small town has some hidden mystery. Don’t let it get to you.”

But I couldn’t brush it off so easily. The look in his eyes, the way he watched me—it wasn’t just casual concern. There had been something deeper there, something unsettling.

“I don’t know,” I said, chewing on my bottom lip. “I just have a bad feeling.”

Sophie patted my arm reassuringly. “You’re probably overthinking it. But if you’re really worried, we can always ask around. See if anyone knows anything about this Ronan guy. Maybe he’s staying at the motel?”

That wasn’t a bad idea. In a town like Grey Hollow, word traveled fast. If Ronan was new here, someone would’ve seen him by now. But part of me wasn’t sure I wanted to dig any deeper. What if I found out something I didn’t want to know?

Still, my curiosity wouldn’t let it go. “Yeah, maybe we should.”

Sophie smiled and gave my arm a reassuring squeeze before letting go. “Okay, detective Lena, let’s grab some lunch first, and then we’ll start snooping around.”

I nodded, though my mind wasn’t fully in it. Sophie didn’t seem concerned, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to find out more about Ronan. Who was he really, and why did I feel like he was hiding something?

We headed to the diner, and I tried to focus on Sophie’s endless chatter about work and life, but my thoughts kept wandering. There was more to this stranger than met the eye, and I couldn’t rest until I found out what.

After lunch, we made our rounds—first to the motel, then to a couple of local spots where strangers sometimes stopped by. No one knew anything about him. No one had seen anyone by the name of Ronan Blackwood checking in anywhere.

“He’s definitely not staying at the motel,” Sophie said, frowning. “Weird, huh? Maybe he’s camping out in the woods?”

“Maybe,” I muttered, though the thought made me uneasy. If he wasn’t staying in town, then where was he? Why was he here?

We walked down the quiet streets again, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched, as though eyes were on me from every shadow, from every darkened corner of Grey Hollow.

That night, after I returned home, I locked the doors and pulled the curtains closed. My house had always felt like a safe place, a sanctuary from the world, but tonight, it felt different—like the walls were thinner, like anything could slip through.

I sat by the window, watching the moon as it hung low in the sky, casting eerie shadows over the street.

Then, just as I was about to head to bed, I saw him.

Ronan. Standing across the street, watching my house.

This time, I didn’t look away.