The Crow in the woods

Chapter 2 — The Crow in the Woods

Elara barely slept.

Every creak in the house made her jump awake.

The anonymous texts replayed in her mind over and over until sunrise bled through her curtains in dull grey light.

You shouldn’t go into the woods alone.

She still hadn’t told Jeren.

Or Bonnie.

Because how could she explain it without sounding insane?

By morning, Blackridge looked normal again. Students crowded the school entrance, laughing like monsters didn’t exist in the woods behind town.

Elara wished she could be normal too.

“You look dead,” Bonnie announced as she slid into the cafeteria seat across from her.

“Comforting.”

“I mean emotionally. Your hair still looks good.”

Elara pushed her untouched food around with a fork.

Bonnie narrowed her eyes. “Okay, what happened?”

“Nothing.”

“That’s a lie.”

Before Elara could answer, the cafeteria suddenly grew quieter.

People were staring toward the entrance.

Stefan Vallen walked in.

But he wasn’t alone.

Another guy followed beside him.

And unlike Stefan’s quiet darkness, this one looked like chaos disguised as charm.

Messy dark hair.

Leather jacket.

Smirk sharp enough to start trouble.

He looked around the room like he already owned it.

Bonnie blinked slowly. “Why are mysterious attractive men attacking this school all at once?”

The new guy’s eyes landed on Elara immediately.

And he smiled.

Not kindly.

Knowingly.

“Oh no,” Bonnie whispered. “That one looks dangerous.”

The stranger walked directly toward their table while Stefan followed behind him with visible annoyance.

“Elara,” Stefan said carefully, “this is my brother, Damon.”

“Brother?” Bonnie repeated. “You two have the same face but different emotional damage.”

Damon laughed softly.

“I like her,” he said, pointing at Bonnie before turning to Elara. “You, though… you’re interesting.”

Elara crossed her arms. “You don’t even know me.”

Damon tilted his head slightly.

“That’s the strange part,” he murmured. “I think I do.”

Stefan’s expression darkened instantly.

“Damon,” he warned.

The tension between them felt electric.

Dangerous.

Like they were having an argument without words.

Damon finally smirked and stepped back.

“Relax, brother. I’m just saying hello.”

Then he looked at Elara one last time.

“Stay away from the woods tonight.”

Her stomach dropped.

Before she could respond, Damon walked away.

Stefan stared after him with frustration before looking back at Elara.

“You should listen to him.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

But Stefan didn’t answer.

—

That evening, curiosity destroyed Elara’s common sense.

Which was exactly how she ended up standing at the edge of Blackridge Forest after sunset.

The trees towered over her like shadows stretching into the sky.

Her flashlight trembled slightly in her hand.

“This is stupid,” she whispered to herself.

But she needed answers.

About the texts.

About Stefan.

About Damon knowing things he shouldn’t know.

And about the figure she saw outside her window.

The deeper she walked into the woods, the colder the air became.

Branches cracked beneath her shoes.

Wind rustled through dead leaves.

Then—

A scream echoed somewhere ahead.

Elara froze.

Another scream followed.

Without thinking, she ran toward the sound.

She burst into a small clearing and stopped instantly.

A girl from school lay unconscious on the ground.

And standing above her…

Was Stefan.

Blood stained his mouth.

Elara’s heart stopped.

Stefan’s eyes widened in horror the second he saw her.

“Elara—”

She stumbled backward.

“What the hell are you?!”

The girl on the ground groaned softly, still alive.

Stefan moved toward Elara carefully.

“I can explain.”

But suddenly another figure appeared from the shadows.

Damon.

“You always get caught in the worst ways,” Damon sighed.

Elara shook her head rapidly.

“No… no, this isn’t possible…”

Damon looked amused.

Stefan looked devastated.

And then—

Stefan’s face changed.

Dark veins appeared beneath his eyes.

His fangs extended slowly.

Elara screamed.

Before she could run, a loud growl thundered through the forest.

Something massive moved between the trees.

Even Damon’s expression changed.

The brothers turned toward the darkness instantly.

Whatever was out there…

Terrified even them.

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