Eyes in the Shadows

Those events of the previous night would not leave Ariana's mind. She hadn't slept much, she lay on her bed restlessly, turning and twisting with haunting images of glowing eyes, low growling sounds ringing in her head. Every time she closed her eyes, the memory of that strange, enormous wolf, no, wolves, came right back.

She sat at the kitchen table with her hands cradling a cup of coffee against her chest for warmth, but her mind was racing out of control. Her grandmother hummed to herself some soft tune as she worked her way around the kitchen, preparing breakfast like all was right as rain. But Ariana wasn't dialled into that frequency. She felt she was walking in fog, her body in the present, her thoughts caught in the night before.

It didn't add up. None of it did. Wolves didn't attack humans, least of all in Ravenwood. And what of the second one, the one which had saved her? Why this sense that this was so much more than a wild animal?

"You're quiet this morning, Ari," her grandmother said, peering over the rim of her glasses. "Everything alright?”

Ariana's fingers tightened on the mug as she hedged. She wanted to tell her grandmother what'd happened, but the words got caught in her throat. She wasn't even sure she could explain it.

"I'm fine," she said, softer than normal. "Just. didn't sleep well.".

She knew her grandmother had done nothing more than raise an eyebrow. "Well, it is Saturday. You can rest a little today." She turned back to the stove, as warm and soothing as ever. "Get your strength back.

Ariana nodded vaguely, lost still to some other place. She looked out the window; her gaze drifted over the familiar view of the backyard, half-expecting to catch something, anything staring back from the trees. But there was, in fact, nothing. Only the silent stillness of morning.

It was one of those feelings that were hard to shake off, maybe because she had felt it last night before the attack; it now lingered in the safety of her own home, clinging to her like a shadow.

She wanted answers, but where could she even begin? Telling anyone that giant wolves had been stalking her at night made her sound crazy, and the local police would not take her seriously.

"Perhaps it was only a dream," she whispered to herself. Yet, deep in her heart, she knew it was not. All had seemed so real, so alive. The mark on her ankle, a slight bruise where she had twisted it in running, was proof enough, if she needed any, that last night was all too real.

The rest of the day seemed to be a blur. Ariana tried to do her chores around the house, cleaning, laundry, catching up on schoolwork, but nothing seemed to dislodge that unsettled feeling that had taken a seat in her chest. To every sound, to every motion outside the window, everything, she jumped. Every minute she waited.

As the sun set, she was a nervous wreck-and her resolution to stay indoors was similarly in tatters. She couldn't merely sit and pretend it was all right, and she needed to know what was out there, she had to see it for herself.

She didn't waste another second but grabbed her jacket and was out the front door into the cold of the night. The coolness of the air touched her skin as she made her way up the street, heading in the direction of the attack. Her heart was racing from fear and curiosity that propelled her onward.

It was as quiet on the streets as it had been the night before. Ariana stopped as she came to the place where the wolves had attacked. The pavement was bare, without any trace of the vigorous struggle that had gone on less than 24 hours before. No blood, no fur, no hint of anything out of the ordinary. As if it hadn't happened.

But she knew it had.

A rustling in the trees nearby tore her from the trance, and she froze, her breath catching in her throat. The shadows shifted, and for one tantalising instant, she could have sworn she saw something, watching her from the edges of the woods.

Her heart racing, she took one step closer, peering into the dark. "Hello?" she called, her voice quivering with sudden fear. "Is anyone there?"

No answer.

She took another step forward. Her heart was racing at this point. This feeling of being watched was far too much to take in now. Whatever or whomever out there wasn't any figment of her imagination.

In an instant, from amongst the shadows, a figure emerged into the dim circle of light stemming from the streetlamp. Ariana's breath caught as she took a step back, eyes wide.

It was him.

Standing before her was a tall, broad-shouldered man who exuded confidence not to be ignored. His dark hair was tousled slightly, his eyes two gleaming points of brightness in the low light fixed on hers. There was something about him, something almost animalistic, dangerous, and strange.

Neither of them uttered a word for a while. Ariana's heart was performing riots in her chest as she peered to make out what was right in front of her. He did not look like a stranger apt to the shadows, he was more like one with the night itself.

"What are you doing out here?" The deep, smooth voice sent shivers running down her spine.

Ariana blinked, forcing her racing thoughts to still. "I-I could ask you the same thing," she replied, trying to set her voice just a little firmer than she felt.

The man's eyes gleamed with something-maybe humour as he said, "It's dangerous out here. You shouldn't be walking around alone.”

Ariana swallowed as her feet automatically took a backwards step. "I'll be fine," she lied, but the shake in her voice, of course, served as a dead giveaway about how nervous she was. "I'm not afraid of the dark."

The man's lips quirked in a faint smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "You should be.”

As he said it, her breath hitched in her throat, and by the inflexion in his voice, a run of shivers came down her back, he knew more about that night than she would ever have. In a voice barely louder than a whisper she asked, "Who are you?".

There was a moment where he didn't say another word, his eyes never leaving hers. The silence between them spoke volumes in itself, suggesting that he was balancing on the cusp of a decision regarding how much he should reveal.

"My name is Liam," he finally said in a very low voice. "And you need to go home, now."

Ariana furrowed her eyebrows. "Why?”

"Because," he said low, but his voice held a note of finality, "there are things in this town you don't understand. And unless you're careful, you'll get caught in the middle of something you can't handle."

Her pulse quickened at his words, but she was not about to let him scare her off. "What things?" she pressed, her curiosity outweighing her fear. "What's out there?"

Liam's eyes darkened, and for a second, something flickered behind them, something dangerous. "Go home, Ariana," he growled. "And stay out of the woods”

But even before a word could leave her lips, Liam wheeled round and disappeared into the night with that suddenness that came with his materialisation, leaving Ariana standing where she was, her head reeling with questions.

Who was he? How did he know her name? Most of all, what was he saving her from?

She stood there a minute longer, whirling thoughts, before turning and starting to make her way home. But even now, as she walked away, a suspicion she couldn't shake was that it all was bigger than what it seemed something that would change everything.