Chapter 8 — The Forest's Threshold
The gates of the forest loomed taller than Anna expected—iron bars weathered by rain, vines curling through them like nature had tried to take it back. Beyond lay the trail that seemed to breathe with shadow and light, an invitation and a warning wrapped in one.
Gabriel stood there waiting, clipboard in hand, posture straight but not stiff. His dark hair caught the pale sun, and his green jacket looked too clean for the mud he was about to lead everyone into. He wasn't much older than them—mid-twenties maybe—but he carried himself with the kind of calm that silenced the chatter of restless students.
Beside him leaned Claire, her arms crossed, half-smile tugging her lips like she already knew what was coming. She flicked her gaze at the group, then at the trees. "Welcome to your new summer home. No Wi-Fi, no snacks at midnight, no escape. I'd complain, but…" She gestured at the trees towering around them. "The neighbors bite harder than I do."
A few students laughed. The tension loosened.
Alexandra, though, didn't laugh. She stared through the bars as if the forest were staring back.
Anna shifted beside her, fingers brushing absently over her collarbone where her shirt's edge hid the faint wolf mark etched into her skin. It tingled—not sharp, just a pull, like a thread tugged loose. She quickly dropped her hand, hoping no one noticed.
"Alright," Gabriel's voice cut in, warm but firm. "All other teachers are heading back. From here on, it's just us. You listen to me and Claire, and we'll all make it through this in one piece."
His words drew a ripple through the group—nervous glances, someone clearing their throat. Anna's stomach tightened.
The other teachers gave quick farewells, retreating toward the bus. The metallic slam of the doors shutting echoed too loud. Then the engine roared, fading down the road until all that was left was silence and the whisper of leaves overhead.
Just them. And the forest.
Gabriel pushed the gate open. It creaked like something old and reluctant. "Stay together," he said. "The trail has a way of… shifting if you don't."
Alexandra's pulse quickened. "Shifting?" she echoed under her breath.
Claire caught it, smirked, and nudged her shoulder. "Relax. It's just trees. Mostly."
But Alexandra didn't relax. Because when she stepped past the gate, the air changed—cooler, thicker, humming against her skin.
Anna felt it too. She glanced once over her shoulder, back at the empty road, before the gate shut with a heavy clang that made her flinch.
And then they were inside.
The forest swallowed the sound of the outside world whole.