Diana leaned against the hood of her father's matte black SUV, arms crossed, watching the shadows stretch across the edges of Mystic Grove. The town felt old in the bones — older than anyone realized. And lately, the woods were breathing again.
"Too early," her father muttered beside her, sliding a heavy case back into the trunk. "This kind of awakening shouldn't be happening yet."
"You're the one who said fate doesn't follow schedules," Diana replied.
He gave her a sideways look. "Don't get cute."
"I'm always cute."
He ignored her and looked toward the distant treeline.
Diana's gaze followed his. "Then why does it feel like someone else is pulling the strings?"
Her father didn't answer right away.
She hated that.
"I want you to get close to the girl. The one he used to be friends with. Zelta."
Diana sighed. "Already done. We're lab partners. She thinks I'm edgy and mysterious."
"Don't get attached."
"I'm not."
(She was.)
Her father closed the trunk and Diana looked away.
But he also didn't look pleased.
---
Later that week, during lunch, Zelta and Diana sat on the bleachers, skipping their next class under the excuse of "urgent sun therapy."
"Can I ask you something?" Zelta asked, tugging at the loose threads on her cuff.
Diana shrugged. "Sure. But if it's about Jackson's jawline, I charge for consultations."
Zelta rolled her eyes. "No. About Scott."
Diana turned slightly. "What about him?"
"Everyone assumes I still have feelings for him. That I'm stuck in the past or something. But I'm not. I'm not in love with him, Diana. I just... never got closure. One day we were best friends, and then he vanished. Now he's back like nothing happened. And it's confusing, but not like that."
Diana nodded, silent for a beat.
"You don't have to explain yourself to anyone," she said at last. "Not even him."
Zelta looked up, her eyes meeting Diana's. "I know. But I wanted to explain it to you."
Diana held her gaze for a long time, the teasing slipping out of her voice. "Why?"
"I don't know," Zelta said, voice barely a whisper. "Maybe because you actually listen."
Diana's chest tightened slightly.
For someone meant to stay neutral, she was very bad at staying neutral.
"Let me make you a promise," Diana said suddenly. "No matter what weird crap starts happening in this town — and it will — I've got your back. Okay?"
Zelta smiled. "Even if I'm being dramatic?"
"Especially then."
---
In the distance, in the woods, something howled again. Not quite wolf. Not quite human.
Diana didn't flinch.
She already knew the sound by heart.