Chapter 4 New Moon, New Ties

Chapter Four – New Moon, New Ties

The final bus arrived late.

It rumbled into the campsite just after sunset, headlights slicing through the trees like spears of gold. The students who had arrived a day late stepped off with weary expressions, luggage dragging behind them. Most of the group paid them little mind-everyone was too busy swapping ghost stories by the fire or brushing ash off half-burned marshmallows.

But when Valeria stepped off the bus, Aiden's head snapped up like he'd been yanked by an invisible string.

Amara noticed.

She'd been halfway through a joke with Rhea, but her voice trailed off as her eyes followed Aiden's. A tall girl with dark auburn hair and skin kissed by sunlight walked slowly toward the cluster of tents, her expression unreadable. There was something striking about her-not just her looks, but the way she moved. Like she belonged in this forest. Like it whispered to her.

"Aiden knows her?" Amara asked softly, but Rhea was too busy scrolling through her camera roll to respond.

Aiden stood up slowly and made his way toward Valeria, something unreadable in his gaze.

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The fire burned lower that night. Everyone had settled into familiar pockets of company. Jace had coaxed some of the kids into a game of truth or dare by the water, and Elias was helping Selene set up her sleeping bag under a tarp closer to the edge of the forest.

Valeria sat alone, warming her hands on a mug of tea. She hadn't said much since arriving-just a few short answers to the teachers, a polite nod to Amara, and a single glance toward Aiden that lingered for just a beat too long.

Amara sat on a log across from her, watching.

"You came late," she said, not unkindly.

Valeria looked up, meeting her eyes. "Family reasons. My mother didn't want me to come at all."

Amara tilted her head. "Why not?"

A faint smirk. "She thinks the forest has... teeth."

Amara blinked. "Teeth?"

"Old stories. Superstition. You know." Valeria blew into her cup. "But I guess she gave in when I told her I didn't believe in fairy tales anymore."

There was something about the way she said that-anymore-that stuck in Amara's mind. Like a scar half-healed.

Just then, Aiden approached, silent as ever. He didn't say a word, just sat beside Valeria like he'd done it a hundred times before.

Amara felt something twist low in her gut.

Valeria turned to him, her voice soft. "It's been a long time."

Aiden didn't reply immediately. "Yeah."

Amara stood. She wasn't sure why. Maybe she just needed air. Or space. Or to walk away before she stared too long at the way Valeria's eyes softened when she looked at Aiden.

She passed Elias on the way to the trees.

"You okay?" he asked, falling into step beside her.

"Fine," she muttered.

He didn't press. Instead, he offered her a quiet kind of company that didn't demand words. That was something she always liked about Elias. He saw people without needing them to perform for him.

They reached the edge of the clearing, where moonlight bled silver through the treetops.

"I think something's going on," Amara said, breaking the silence.

"With Valeria?" Elias asked.

"With everything," she replied, crossing her arms. "The dreams. The forest. The teachers watching us like hawks. And now Valeria shows up and acts like she knows Aiden from another life."

Elias was quiet for a long time. Then he said, "Selene said she dreamed she had claws."

Amara turned to him.

"She didn't say it in front of the others. Just me. She said it felt real. Like she wasn't pretending."

Amara swallowed hard. "That's not a normal dream."

"No," Elias agreed. "It's not."

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Back at the fire, Valeria and Aiden still hadn't moved.

"Did you know?" Valeria asked him softly.

Aiden didn't answer right away.

"I had dreams before I came here," she went on. "Dreams of something calling me. Something ancient and cold and hungry. And in every one, you were there."

He looked at her then. "I didn't tell anyone."

"You felt it too," she whispered. "Didn't you?"

He nodded once.

"I thought I was losing my mind," she said, her voice breaking for a fraction of a second. "But now... I think we were always meant to find each other here."

Aiden's hand clenched into a fist. "That's what scares me."

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Selene was unusually quiet that night, even as Elias sat beside her.

"You're not sleeping," he said gently.

"I don't like this place," she whispered. "The forest remembers things. And we're waking them up."

Elias brushed her knuckles with his. "I'll keep watch."

She looked at him, really looked, and for once, her guard dropped just enough for him to see the fear behind her cool mask.

She didn't say thank you.

She didn't need to.

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Later that night, when most of the camp had gone quiet, Amara stood outside her tent, staring up at the sky.

The stars seemed too bright, too close. The air smelled different-sharp and old, like the breath of something sleeping just beneath the moss and dirt.

She didn't know what was coming. But she could feel it building-like thunder in her blood, like footsteps in the dark.

Something was shifting.

The forest wasn't just a setting for their little school trip.

It was the beginning of something.

And somewhere out there, something had begun to stir.