The smell of bacon still lingered in the air, warm and familiar—so at odds with the tension twisting inside Nora's chest. Breakfast sat half-finished between them on the counter: toasted bagels, scrambled eggs, the last crispy strips of bacon, and two mugs of coffee gone lukewarm.
Nora poked at her bagel without really seeing it.
Lila watched her closely. "You've barely eaten."
"I'm trying," Nora murmured, though her stomach felt tight and restless. "My brain is… everywhere."
Lila reached across the counter, tapping the folded letter with one finger. "It's still about this, isn't it?"
Nora's breath hitched slightly. She didn't pick up the letter, but her eyes drifted to it like it was magnetized. "Yeah. I keep waiting to wake up. Or for an email saying this was a mistake. Something."
"Maybe it'll make more sense after you talk to your advisor," Lila offered gently.
Nora shook her head, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't even know what I'm supposed to say. 'Hi, can I take a leave of absence because a haunted manor I've never heard of mailed me a medieval summons?'"
Lila snorted into her coffee. "Please don't say that."
Nora almost smiled. Almost.
They fell quiet for a moment, the soft patter of leftover drizzle tapping against the windows like a steady drumbeat.
Lila broke the silence first. "You're scared."
Nora didn't deny it. "Yeah. But I'm also… curious? Which is worse."
"It's not worse," Lila said, sliding her plate aside. "It means you're human. And brave. And possibly out of your mind, but in a really lovable way."
That made Nora huff out a real laugh this time.
Lila grinned, relieved. "There it is. I knew you still had a pulse."
Nora drained the last sip of coffee, then pushed her mug away. "We should go. I have class before the meeting."
"Right." Lila hopped off the stool, scooping up her bag. "And I'm coming with you to the advisor. I'm going to the manor with you, so I'll need to take the same time off."
They gathered their things—textbooks, laptops, a half-zipped pencil pouch from Lila, and Nora's planner she suddenly wasn't sure she'd be using for a while. She tucked the letter carefully into the front pocket of her bag, its weight grounding and unsettling all at once.
At the door, Nora hesitated just long enough to catch Lila's concerned look.
"You ready?" Lila asked.
Nora inhaled deeply, the lingering scent of breakfast warming the air behind them.
"Yeah," she whispered, though the truth simmered deeper.
Nothing about today would be normal.
They stepped outside together, locking the door behind them as the morning breeze washed over their faces—cool, damp, and carrying the faint smell of pine and something else Nora couldn't quite place.
Something waiting.
They stopped at a crosswalk, waiting for the signal to change. The mist curled low around their ankles. A breeze swept through the courtyard—cooler than before, sharper somehow.
Nora's gaze drifted upward.
The trees lining the walkway swayed, but not in the same rhythm as the wind. A ripple moved through them—gentle, deliberate—like something unseen brushed past the branches.
Then she saw it.
A thin stream of mist peeled away from the treeline, rolling across the ground in a slow, silvery wave. Not blown by wind. Not normal. It moved with intention—curling toward her feet, swirling around her shoes as if tasting the air around her.
Nora stopped mid-step.
Lila noticed instantly. "What? What's wrong?"
Nora's voice was barely a whisper. "Do you see that?"
"See what?" Lila followed her gaze, but the mist had already thinned—dissolving as quickly as it came.
Nora blinked hard, heart pounding. "There was… I don't know. Mist. Moving toward us."
Lila frowned. "Nora, it's been raining all morning. There's mist everywhere."
But Nora knew what she saw.
And more than that—she felt it.
Like something was watching her.Like something had followed her.
Not from her dream.
From the letter.
From Wolf Creek.
From him.
The rest of the walk to class passed in a blur. Nora kept replaying the mist in her mind—how it moved with purpose… how it felt aware. Even when she finally slipped into her lab room, pulling on goggles and gloves, the unease clung to her skin like humidity.
Her friend Marcy dropped onto the stool beside her with her usual burst of energy, dark curls bouncing. "Nora! You look like you got hit by a truck. Or three."
Nora forced a small smile. "Just… rough morning."
Marcy handed her a pipette. "Well, good news is this lab is mindless today. Even a sleep-deprived raccoon could do it."
Nora huffed a quiet laugh. "Perfect. That's exactly my energy level."
They worked through the procedure together, Marcy filling the silence with chatter about her roommates, her crush, and a professor she swore was a vampire.
By the time class ended, Nora's head was pounding, but she managed to clean her station and pack her bag.
As Nora gathered her things, movement near the front of the lab caught her eye.
Her heart stuttered.
Dr. Rowan stood beside Professor Hanley, speaking in low tones. Her blond hair was in its usual elegant twist, and she wore a charcoal suit sharper than anything in the building.
Marcy blinked. "Uh… isn't that your advisor?"
"She's not supposed to be here today," Nora whispered. "Wednesdays she's off campus."
But Dr. Rowan glanced up — her eyes finding Nora with unsettling precision.
Then she turned back to the professor.
Marcy wandered off to wash a beaker, leaving Nora frozen in place.
Dr. Rowan was leaving. Her heels clicked toward the door.
Nora's pulse thrummed.
Before she could overthink it, she called out: "Dr. Rowan?"
The advisor paused and turned, calm and composed. "Yes, Nora?"
Nora swallowed. "Could I… meet with you today? After lab? It's important."
A strange expression flickered across Dr. Rowan's face — unreadable, almost knowing.
"Of course. Come to my office when you're finished here."
She left without another word.
Nora sat heavily onto her stool and immediately pulled out her phone.
TEXT TO LILA:Change of plans. Meeting Dr. Rowan today. Please meet me outside her office.
Lila replied within seconds.
LILA:I'll be there. Don't go in without me.
Nora exhaled, tension loosening slightly.
When lab ended, Marcy hooked her arm through Nora's again as they left the building.
"Okay, don't forget—my birthday party this Friday," Marcy said. "You better be there."
Nora winced. "Marcy…"
"Nope. Don't even try it," Marcy pressed. "You skipped last year because you said you were 'socially dehydrated.' That's not a real condition."
"I know, but this is different," Nora said softly.
Marcy slowed. "Different how?"
Nora hesitated. "A letter came yesterday. From… a part of my family I don't know. And I might have to take a leave. Like… soon."
Marcy's eyes widened. "Wait—what? Nora, are you serious?"
"Yeah."
"What kind of letter? Like inheritance? Summons? Mafia stuff?"
Nora snorted. "Not mafia. I don't really understand it yet. That's why I'm meeting my advisor."
Marcy squeezed her arm. "Hey. Whatever it is, I'm here. And if you can't make the party, you can't."
They reached the advising hallway — and there, waiting on the bench outside Dr. Rowan's office, was Lila.
The moment Lila saw Nora, she stood.
"There you are!" she said, hurrying over. "Are you okay? I left class early. I wasn't letting you face this alone."
Marcy blinked. "Oh! Lila."
Lila gave her a quick smile. "Hey. Thanks for walking her here."
"Always," Marcy said, stepping back. "Alright, I'll head out. Text me after so I know you haven't been kidnapped by academia."
Nora let out a startled laugh. "I'll try."
Marcy waved and left.
Lila took Nora's hand. "Ready?"
Nora swallowed. "As I'll ever be."
Together, they stepped toward the office door.
Nora raised her hand to knock.
Lila squeezed her fingers. "We do this together."
Nora nodded.
And they knocked.
🌙 End of Part One 🌙