CHAPTER 3

Elena spent the rest of her day in a trance—the threatening notes and weird messages playing over in her mind. Chores and homework couldn't pull her away from thoughts straying to the forest and the man she met in the clearing. Who was he? And who would want her off his tail?

That evening, Elena got a text from Jenna asking whether she wanted to go out with some of the gang. Ordinarily, Elena would turn her down, excusing herself and heading home for a night of quietude, but now she did need a distraction. She agreed readily and got dressed, hoping to find something that would draw her away.

Jenna picked her up, and they drove to their local hangout spot—a homey café open pretty late and that made the best hot chocolate in town. As they walked in the door, Elena spotted a group of their friends gathered around a table near the back. Among them were Marcus, who always seemed to know everything about everybody, and Lydia, who had a talent for being attuned to people's emotions.

"Hey, Elena, you look like you've seen a ghost," Marcus greeted her, still grinning, though his eyes did reveal a little concern.

Elena forced a smile as she joined them with Jenna. "Just had a weird day, that's all," she lied, trying to sound casual. She wasn't sure how much to share with them, especially the mysterious messages and warning notes.

Intuitive, Lydia leaned forward. "Weird how? You know you can tell us anything, right?"

Elena hesitated before nodding. "Yeah—I know. It's just. this morning I met someone weird in the woods. And then there were those creepy messages. It probably doesn't amount to anything, but it freaked me out."

Marcus's eyebrows rose. "Wait, what kind of messages? Like, stalker-creepy?"

"Sort of," Elena admitted, finally pulling out her phone. She showed them the texts and the note she had found at her door. She watched their faces the entire time they were reading. Jenna looked concerned, Lydia looked interested, and Marcus's usual playful expression became serious.

"This isn't nothing," said Marcus, rocking back in his chair. "Do you have any idea who might have sent these?"

Elena shrugged. "No idea. Though they did seem to know all about the guy I saw in the woods. Said he was dangerous and warned me to stay away."

Lydia tapped her chin pensively. "Did this guy say anything to you? Or do anything strange?"

"Not really. He just told me to be careful in those woods. But there was something.off about him," Elena explained, grasping at every detail. "He had this intense way of looking at me like he knew something about me that I didn't."

Marcus exchanged a glance with Jenna before refocusing on Elena. "Sounds like a mystery worth investigating. But if someone's sending you threats, we should be careful."

Jenna nodded. "Perhaps we can learn more about this man. What was he like, exactly?"

Elena did her best to describe him, the words tumbling out in a rush: tall, dark hair, an aura of command that clung to him like some invisible mantle. As she spoke, she saw something flicker in Lydia's face, a spark of recognition.

"That sounds like Lucas," Lydia said suddenly. "He's new in town, moved here a few months ago. My mom mentioned him once; said he was some kind of researcher or something. He's pretty private, though. Keeps to himself."

"Lucas, huh?" Marcus leaned forward, now interested. "What sort of a researcher?"

"I don't know," Lydia admitted. "But if he's connected to these weird messages, maybe there's more to him than we know."

Elena was torn: on the one hand, it felt somewhat of a relief to finally attach a name to that face; on the other, it created many more questions than answers. "I don't know if I should dig deeper. The messages said to stop or there would be repercussions."

Marcus shrugged. "Maybe, but threats like that could be a bluff to scare you off. If he's dangerous, that's all the more reason to find out what's going on."

For Elena, things weren't that obvious. On one hand, she was intrigued by Lucas and the motives a person would have in warning her about him; on the other, it creeped her out—serious tingles of warnings—and she didn't want to take any risk on herself or with her friends.

They went on and on about what they could do next until Elena's phone buzzed again. She couldn't help but hesitate before picking up another message from that unknown number; her shivers slid down her spine. "You're getting too close," it said. "This is your final warning."

Feeling her heart race, she turned the message toward her companions. The atmosphere tightened around the table as she felt the tension, and her brain began to process how much was at stake. They all looked into one another's faces, and in that moment, a silent agreement formed: Whatever is going on here, it's bad, and they need to tread carefully.

It was now that the door of the café opened, and Elena looked up instinctively. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw Lucas standing there at the door, his eyes darting restlessly with the same old piercing fineness over the room. Fortunately, his eyes had met hers for only half a second, as he turned around and left in the next moment—just like that. It was a state of shock in its real sense that held these friends together.

Elena's thoughts whirred like an engine on Formula One. Had he glanced at her? Was he the one who had been sending her all those messages? That Lucas just happened to appear when they were talking about him was more than just a coincidence. Her heart thumped in her chest, and a cold sense of dread settled into her stomach. She had an idea things were going to get even more complicated.