The voices were louder now as Raven was pulled outside, the space now cloaked in a dense fog. She stumbled forward, her feet shuffling as she was yanked away from the madness.

She couldn’t breathe.

What’s going on?

The sound of shattering glass stoked a flame of anger within her. Janice and her things—precious memories—were being destroyed. Her lungs tightened, the air thick with smoke and liquor. Around her, people screamed, coughing as the haze deepened. Sparks of embers rose from the grass, blanketing the ground in fire. They were nearing the road when the screams from inside intensified.

Janice.

Panic surged through her. She yanked her hand free and rushed back toward the apartment. Crowds of people were running back towards their cars, and the haziness was thicker the closer she moved back towards the apartment, determined to help Janice. Stepping deeper into the haze, she felt uneasy.

“Janice,” She called out, wishing she hadn't dropped the bat from earlier and hoping her friend was okay after her brutal impact with the wall. As she reached the door, she could see yellow eyes again, fierce in the darkness, looking back.

“Oh, look, our dearest came back to us,” one of the men laughed over the sounds of chaos. She began to back away as she began to make them out in the haziness.

“She plans to make this easy for us, mates”, another laughed.

She could barely see their faces, but she refused to let the fear overtake her. “Let me pass,” she said shakily. “ I need to get to my friend!”

They laughed louder, and they began to walk toward her. “Don’t worry about the peasants. Come now and be a good little Luna.” One of them grinned as he neared her.

Raven wanted desperately to get past the men, but their dominating figures were blocking her way back inside the apartment. The thick smog around them seemed to make her breathing ragged, but the thought of Janice lying alone kept her from backing. One of the men reached out for her, and she instinctively darted backward, then quickly rushed past them into the smoky apartment. Without hesitating, she rushed to the spot where Janice was thrown.

“Janice! Are you okay?!”

She wasn’t in there. Raven scanned the wreckage — no sign of Janice. Just chaos. Broken bottles, tossed chairs, overturned tables, but no sign of her roommate among the destruction. The smoke was thickening, choking her as she gasped for air.

She’s gone. Good.

Her relief faded as she noticed tiny embers darting rhythmically through the room — setting flame to everything they brushed. The flames were alive, dancing to the distant screams. Her heart dropped as she saw the flames begin to eat away at the photos on the wall.

“No–o! She screamed angrily and lunged toward the light, but before she could reach it, she was yanked hard and thrown outside into grass, most of it covered in flame. “Let me go!” she snapped, her voice trembling with anger. The tallest of the three men reached down, grabbing her arm, his fingers digging into her skin.

“Let’s go. This has taken long enough.” The shortest man spoke with authority, his cold tone sending a wave of fear through her.

Her captor shoved her forward as the three men encircled her, joining hands. They began whispering a chant in a language she didn’t understand.

What is this?

Panic surged. She looked desperately for an escape, but the circle tightened, and her breath quickened. Suddenly, a gust of wind ripped through the air, stirring the flames around them as they swelled, the heat stinging her skin. Her feet left the ground, and strong arms wrapped around her, lifting her away from the smoke and flames.

She heard shouts of protest, but they were already moving too quickly. The fiery scene faded in the distance as she was carried far across the road down into the vast woods that marked the end of town. The tragedy before her disappeared beneath a veil of shadow as they entered the neverending forest. The air began to feel heavy around them

“Wait! Put me down!” she yelled, flailing in his arms as they dashed deeper into the heavy dark.

“Okay, if you wish. but keep up,” he commanded. She recognized him as the one from before, who she had danced with and had tried to save her the first time. His face was alert, and he quickly took off into a sprint. “Follow me,” she heard his voice like an echo in the dark.

She looked sharply around the forest, amazed at how clearly she could see everything. She flinched as the crisp sound of critters scurrying surprised her. “This is amazing,” she gasped as her eye adapted to the darkness.

She shuffled clumsily, trying her best to keep pace through the uneven forest floor. She bit back a yelp of pain as she fell forward, her foot catching on a large tree root. Ignoring the pain in her ankle, she got to her feet as quickly as she could. “I have to catch him,” she thought, scrambling to fix her shoes before running after him.

Just breathe.

She pushed through the wood, angry as thoughts of her home and few good memories burned away.

“How could they, why would they?”

She felt anger festering like a knot in her belly as she propelled forward. Shaking her thoughts, she continued forward, letting the darkness blur around her. Her hair whipped freely, and she felt weightless as she moved through the thicket.

“Was that his voice just now?”

She took a deep breath, letting her lungs fill up as she ran as fast as she could. She let strange energy fill her, and the sound of her heart seemed to pound in her ears as she propelled forward in the dense air. Her body felt on fire as her heart continued to pound in her chest.

“Some of us awaken in the darkness, ” his voice came from behind her, like a whisper. Raven jerked around towards him and looked curiously upon him as he stood in front of her. She could feel his body heat, and even though they had been running, he smelled so good.

He was leaning against a tree, staring intently at her. She began to squirm under his intense gaze, unsure what to say after moments passed and he continued to look at her.

“I have something to show you, but we cannot linger here,” he said, walking towards her and placing something into his pocket. He continued to gaze upon her with an intense look. ”Can you continue? Much is expected from the White Wolf.” his words seemed to have an edge of disdain.

“The white what?” she attempted, but no words would come. The trees around her seemed to blur, and she felt heavy. Her legs began to shake, and she fell forward. Her energy was fading. “white…wolf?” she thought, her eyes closing.

Before she could fall to the ground, he scooped her gently into his arms. She was breathing gently, her head resting softly on his chest. Her wild hair fell gently around her face as he stared down at her. “Is she really…” he let his thoughts fade, moving one of her curls away from her brow before picking her up to find them a place to hide until she could move again.