CHAPTER 1: THE CHILD ON THE ROAD

The wind rolled gently across the quiet streets of Cold Valley, brushing over cracked sidewalks and faded porch lights. It carried with it the faint scent of pine mixed with something older something wild and hidden beneath the calm surface of this sleepy town. If anyone still believed in magic, they might have felt its pulse in the cool evening air.

Inside Mr. Fisher’s Diner, warmth and comfort wrapped around the worn checkered floors, the smell of sizzling bacon, and the hum of low conversations. The bell above the door jingled softly every time it opened, a small punctuation in the quiet rhythm of the night.

Behind the counter, Mr. Fisher wiped a glass with a rag, his eyes tired but kind. His hands, rough from years of work, moved steadily, serving regulars and chatting with customers like the heartbeat of this small town. He was a man who carried his loneliness well, but that loneliness had softened ever since Alison came into his life.

Alison sat at a booth near the window, a stack of worn textbooks spread out in front of her. Her dark hair was tied into a loose ponytail, strands falling over her forehead as she bit the end of her pencil. At eighteen, she was a bright student, but on this evening her focus wavered as her thoughts kept drifting to a strange ache she couldn’t shake.

“Don’t forget to eat while you study, Ally,” Mr. Fisher called from behind the counter, his voice rough but warm.

Alison glanced up and smiled softly. “I’m almost done, Mr. Fisher.”

He grinned, a twinkle in his tired eyes. “How many times have I told you to call me Dad?”

She chuckled quietly but didn’t reply. It was a habit she was still learning to break. Most days she called him Dad without thinking. But sometimes, especially on days like this when the wind howled outside and the moon hid behind thick clouds, she remembered the story she’d been told so many times and it left a small, unfamiliar ache in her chest.

When Alison was just five years old, Mr. Fisher found her on the side of a rainy country road. She was barefoot, soaked to the bone, shivering under a threadbare coat. No parents, no name, no memory. Just a little girl with silver eyes wide with fear and confusion.

He had been driving home late from a food delivery when he spotted her trembling in the rain. Something in her eyes stopped him, a pull he didn’t understand, a silent plea for safety. Without hesitation, he pulled over, wrapped her in his coat, and took her home as his after notifying the police and going through all the legal procedures of adoption.

And from that moment on, she became his daughter. Alison Fisher,

The bell above the diner’s door jingled again, breaking Alison’s thoughts. Two familiar figures stepped inside, laughing and shaking off the cold. Kira and Sara, her closest friends, radiated warmth and energy that filled the room.

“Alison! Tell me you’re almost done studying. It’s Friday, and I need bubble tea and gossip,” Sara said, dropping her backpack by the table.

Kira grinned. “Also, you’re working tomorrow and Sunday, so tonight is your only chance to live.”

Alison laughed, closing her notebook with a soft thud. “Okay, okay, you win.”

“ I am so glad we're a week away to finishing high school, and you my dear will finally live a life without touching those books. I mean you need that life, because girl! You study a lot ” Sara complained

“ Well I need to prepare for the last exams, you too should prepare ” Ally replied

Mr. Fisher appeared with three steaming mugs of hot cocoa, placing them carefully on the table. “Your usual, girls.”

“You’re a hero, Mr. Fisher,” Kira declared, grabbing her mug.

“ A life saver ” Sara added with a smile

“I know,” he replied dryly, moving back toward the counter.

“ Show off ” Alison teased her father who puffed his muscles and the girls laughed at his gesture

The three girls settled into easy conversation. Laughter bubbled between them, stories of school drama and weekend plans weaving together like the familiar fabric of youth. But beneath Alison’s smiles, something tugged, a shadow of unease she couldn’t quite name.

As they talked, Alison’s gaze drifted to the window where the full moon struggled to peek through the rolling clouds. It was beautiful and haunting, a silent witness to the secrets that slept beneath Cold Valley’s calm surface.

Later that night, the diner long closed and dark, Alison lay awake in her small room above the restaurant after saying goodnight to Me Fisher

“ Goodnight dad ”

“ Goodnight Ally ”

The walls in her room were decorated with posters of constellations and moons, and on her bedside table rested a small crystal bracelet, the only keepsake from the night Mr. Fisher found her. A silver crescent moon, cool and smooth beneath her fingertips.

She stared at the bracelet, tracing its curves, and felt a shiver ripple through her.

“ Whi left me? Why ? And why were you the only thing found near me. ”Ally questioned the bracelet as if it's hearing her, feeling tired she shut her eyes and fell asleep.

The dream had come again.

It was always the same. A dense forest with trees taller than the sky, their branches tangled like ancient secrets. A woman’s voice, soft and sorrowful, calling out a name “Althea” . And a feeling of being lost, torn away, forgotten.

Each time Alison woke, the dream slipped away like mist, frustratingly out of reach.

She turned her head toward the window just as a low, haunting howl echoed from the alley beside the diner.

Wolves didn’t live in Cold Valley. No one had seen one in years.

Yet the sound was clear, raw, and bone-deep.

Alison’s breath hitched.

Her fingers clenched the bracelet tighter.

Was this a sign? A warning?

She didn’t know. But somewhere deep inside, something ancient stirred.

Outside, the wind whispered through the trees, carrying secrets Alison wasn’t yet ready to hear.

And beneath the silver glow of the moon, the story of Alison Fisher, the girl with silver eyes, was only just beginning.