"It's one of them."
The words didn't just sound strange… they felt heavy.
Like they carried a meaning I wasn't ready to understand.
"One of… what?" I asked, my voice low, uncertain.
Leona didn't answer me.
Instead, her head turned slowly toward the broken window.
Toward the darkness outside.
My chest tightened instantly.
Something about the way she looked out there…
It wasn't curiosity.
It wasn't caution.
It was recognition.
My mom lowered the glowing locket slowly, her hand trembling slightly now.
The light from it faded, but not completely.
Like it was still reacting to something nearby.
"We don't have much time," she said under her breath.
That was when I noticed something else.
Leona wasn't just looking anymore.
She was listening.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, her body going still.
"They're here," she said quietly.
My heart skipped a beat.
"Who?"
This time, she looked at me.
And for the first time since I met her…
She didn't look calm.
She didn't look in control.
There was something else in her eyes.
Something that made my stomach twist.
Fear.
"More of them," she said.
The room suddenly felt colder.
Like the temperature had dropped without warning.
Slowly… I turned toward the broken window.
The night outside looked normal at first.
Quiet.
Still.
But that was the problem.
It was too quiet.
The trees behind our house stood motionless, their shadows stretching long and unnatural under the moonlight.
Then
I saw it.
A movement.
Something shifting between the trees.
My breath caught in my throat.
I leaned forward slightly, my eyes straining to see through the darkness.
And then…
Eyes.
Dozens of them.
Glowing faintly in the night.
Watching.
Waiting.
My heart started racing uncontrollably.
They weren't moving closer.
They weren't attacking.
They were just standing there.
Staring.
At me.
"Mom…" I whispered, my voice barely steady.
She followed my gaze.
The moment she saw them, her expression hardened.
Not surprise.
Not confusion.
She knew exactly what they were.
"Get back," she said firmly, stepping in front of me again.
But I didn't move.
I couldn't.
Something about them…
It felt like they were pulling me.
Not physically.
But… inside.
Like a silent call.
One of the creatures stepped forward slightly, its massive form becoming clearer under the moonlight.
It looked just like the one lying behind me.
But this one stood taller.
Stronger.
Like it was leading the rest.
A low howl echoed through the night.
Deep.
Commanding.
Another howl answered.
Then another.
Soon, the sound surrounded the house completely.
It wasn't loud…
But it was enough to make my chest tighten.
Enough to make my body freeze.
"They're not attacking…" I said slowly, trying to make sense of it.
Leona stepped closer to the window, her gaze sharp as she studied them.
"No," she said quietly.
"They're observing."
A chill ran down my spine.
"Why?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she kept watching them… like she was trying to read something.
Then she spoke.
"Because of you."
My heart skipped.
"What do you mean… because of me?"
My mom stepped forward slowly this time, her voice lower than before.
"They've found you."
The words hit harder than anything else that had happened tonight.
Outside, the larger creature let out another deep growl.
Instantly…
The others went silent.
Completely still.
Like they were waiting.
Waiting for a signal.
Waiting for an order.
My hands started shaking.
"Why are they here?" I asked, my voice cracking despite my effort to stay calm.
This time…
Both my mom and Leona looked at me.
And neither of them answered immediately.
That silence…
It scared me more than the creatures outside.
Finally, Leona spoke.
"Because you're not just human."
Everything inside me went still.
The words didn't make sense.
But at the same time…
They did.
The strange feeling under the moon.
The pull toward the forest.
The way my body had been changing.
It all came rushing back at once.
"No…" I muttered under my breath.
But even as I said it…
I wasn't sure I believed it.
Outside, the glowing eyes didn't move.
They didn't blink.
They didn't leave.
They just kept watching me.
Like I wasn't prey.
But something far more important.
Something they had been searching for.
And now…
They had finally found it.