Welcome to The Awakening Experience. In this thrilling journey, secrets hide in silence, and fate begins to stir before the sun even rises. Whispers Before Dawn marks the beginning of something far greater than anyone can imagine. Every dream, every shadow, every heartbeat, it all means something. Are you ready to awaken?

The wind wasn’t supposed to howl like that. Not in spring. Not in the middle of a silent night when everyone in Evershade was fast asleep.

But Amara wasn’t sleeping.

She sat up in bed, heart racing, her sheets tangled around her legs like vines. The same dream again—soft whispers, a glowing forest, and that same echoing voice:

“It’s time.”

She rubbed her eyes and tiptoed to her window. The sky was a deep shade of purple, just before dawn. Everything outside looked… still. Too still. The trees didn’t sway. The streetlight didn’t flicker. Even the night bugs had stopped singing.

Then, she saw it.

Right across the street, under the old lamppost near the woods—a black crow, standing perfectly still. Watching her. Not blinking. Not moving.

And then—it cawed. Loud. Sharp. Almost like a warning.

Amara stumbled back, heart pounding. “That’s… weird,” she whispered. But something in her gut told her it wasn’t just a bird.

It was a sign.

She grabbed her notebook and scribbled it down: Dream. Voice. Forest. Crow. Lamppost. 4:03 AM.

Her phone buzzed. A message from a number she didn’t know:

“The forest is waiting.”

She dropped the phone.

The first sign had come… and Amara had no idea that nothing in her life would ever be “normal” again.

She hadn’t told anyone about the dreams. Not even Kayla, her best friend since forever. The message felt like someone—or something—had been watching. Listening. Waiting for her to wake up.

She sat back down on the edge of her bed, notebook clutched to her chest. Her bedroom felt too small all of a sudden. The walls felt like they were closing in. She needed answers. And she needed them fast.

The thing is, this wasn’t the first sign.

There’d been others.

The strange flickering of lights at school. That weird smell of burning lavender in the air. The glowing mark she thought was a rash on her wrist—it shimmered under moonlight.

And now this.

The dreams were becoming more vivid. The voice was louder. The signs were too many to ignore.

She opened her window just a crack. The air outside was cold and thick, like the world was holding its breath. The crow was gone.

She swallowed hard.

Tomorrow, she would go to the forest. Just after school. She didn’t know what she was going to find, but if the forest was calling… she wasn’t going to hide anymore.

Not from the voice.

Not from the truth.

Not from herself.

Amara Daniels was ready to find out what was waiting on the other side of the whispers.

Amara didn’t go back to sleep.

She sat there for what felt like hours, staring at the message on her phone. She tried blocking the number—didn’t work. Tried calling it—dead line. She even tried deleting the text, but it reappeared every time she looked away.

“The forest is waiting.”

By the time morning came, her eyes were heavy with sleep, but her mind was racing.

At breakfast, her mom gave her a funny look. “You okay, baby?”

Amara nodded too quickly. “Yeah, just didn’t sleep well.”

“You look pale. Maybe you should stay home.”

“No,” she said, a bit too sharp. “I mean—no, I’m fine. I have to go. There’s a quiz in English.”

Her mom raised a brow but said nothing.

The walk to school was foggy, and Amara kept glancing behind her like someone—or something—was following. The trees lining the sidewalk seemed taller today, darker. She hugged her hoodie tighter around her and hurried her steps.

At school, everything felt off. The lights in the hallway flickered when she walked under them. Kayla was late—again. And when she reached her locker, a small, folded note was tucked into the side.

She unfolded it, hands slightly shaking.