Nina Enzo and I stumbled out of the swirling vortex of colors into the quiet forest of Mountainview. The moonlit sky and the familiar scent of pine trees should have been a relief, but it wasn’t. Instead, my stomach roiled inside of me and my head spun, threatening to send the contents of my stoma
Nina Eventually, the hatch to the tunnels came into view. It was nestled in the woods, not far from where we had taken the portal in, covered loosely with leaves and pine needles. No one ever came out here, and if they did, they paid it no mind; to the naked eye, it was nothing more than a hatch l
Enzo When I saw Matt walk out of the room without a word, I knew what was up with him; it was the party earlier. He was still upset, likely a multitude of things, one of which being the moment when I had introduced him as my friend rather than my Beta. It had been a moment of weakness, a moment
Nina The room felt tense as Enzo left to talk to Matt, leaving only Lori, Jessica, Luke, and me behind. “Geez,” Luke said once we were alone. “Everything alright?” I sighed, shrugging. Whatever was between Matt and Enzo was between them, and I wouldn’t pry. Whatever it was, though, I knew that
Just as we were about to discuss the matter further, Enzo and Matt returned to the room, their expressions indicating that they were on better terms now. Enzo looked exhausted, and he turned to me. “Nina, do you want to go home?” he asked softly, looping his arm around me. I nodded, feeling reli
Enzo I remember that morning vividly, the sunlight trickling through the curtains as I sat at the kitchen table, my phone in hand. It was a day heavy with decisions, the kind that could alter the course of my life. The fateful Moon Goddess Festival party had happened just a couple of days ago, a
Nina I woke up that morning with the same sense of calmness that I had felt over the past couple of days still enveloping me. The first rays of the morning sun were beginning to shine through the large window of our bedroom, casting a warm amber glow across the room. I always liked waking up in
“Morning,” I said, pulling back a bit to look at him. He blinked, clearly having been pulled out of a deep train of thought, and offered me a tense smile. “Morning. Sleep well?” “Mhm. Did you make your call yet?” I asked as I walked around the counter to turn on the electric kettle. His eyes f
Nina The warm summer breeze brushed across my skin as I stood on the patio, clutching my robe tightly around my body. Laughter and splashes echoed up from the pool below, where our friends were already gathered for our big end-of-summer party. I should have been down there too, soaking up the ve
“What... what do you mean?” He braced his hands on the doorframe, leaning in closer with a heavy sigh. “I mean, by the time I caught up to them this morning, I only saw them long enough to get that photo before they were boarding a speedboat and taking off. Hell, I’m still not even totally sure wh
Nina My breath caught in my throat as I pulled open the front door expecting to see excited party guests, only to be immediately met with the sight of Luke’s grim expression. His brow was furrowed in a deep frown, his lips pressed into a tight line—clear signs that something was very wrong. “Luk
Nina I huffed out a breath as I hoisted the oversized cardboard box higher in my arms, carefully navigating my way through the living room. Strings of fairy lights poked out haphazardly from the top, and I could feel the weight of glass jars and other assorted decor inside shifting precariously wi
Then, at the last possible second, the scout seemed to find an extra burst of speed. He surged forward, hurtling between two towering oak trees and vanishing into the cover of the forest beyond. “Dammit!” I slammed my palms against the rough bark of the nearest trunk, powerless to do anything but
Enzo The crunch of leaves and snap of twigs echoed through the trees as Matt and I tore after the Schreiber scout. Our breaths came in ragged gasps, the hot summer air burning our lungs. Overhead, a little red bird chirped and flitted through the green canopy of trees; Daphne. But even she wasn’
Shaking my head, I turned without another word and stormed out of the fitting room. I took the two strides across the hall to Jessica’s fitting room and knocked on the door, folding my arms across my chest. “Jess? You in there?” There was a muffled thump in the fitting room, followed by the soun
Nina “How’s it looking in there?” I called out, rapping lightly on the wooden door of Jessica’s fitting room. “Um… decent, I guess?” her muffled voice floated back a moment later, although I could sense the uncertainty in her tone. “Decent? That’s it? Come on, Jess, this is your wedding gown w
Had I really known him at all, I wondered? Or had I merely been too self-absorbed and naive to see past the facade of unshakable command he projected? After a long silence, I found my voice. “Why didn’t he ever tell me that?” “He didn’t want you to see his weakness, I suppose,” Angelica replied