Chapter 6 Underneath It All

Chapter Six – Underneath It All

The sun returned the next morning like an apology-soft, warm, and almost golden as it filtered through the trees. Dew clung to the grass like morning stars, and the air carried a rare stillness, as if the forest had finally exhaled after holding tension in its lungs for too long.

Breakfast was quiet, filled with the hum of clinking cups, shared glances, and the occasional burst of laughter when someone nearly dropped their cereal into the campfire. No one talked about the scream from the day before. Or the thing Rhea saw. If they did, it was with raised eyebrows and nervous chuckles, like it could all be brushed away with the sunrise.

Amara sat cross-legged on a picnic blanket, nibbling at a croissant and pretending not to notice Valeria and Aiden sitting under the same tree again.

But she noticed.

Everyone noticed.

They weren't doing anything overt-just sitting, knees almost touching, talking in hushed tones. But there was a certain gravity around them now. Like something about them was locked into place.

"Jealousy doesn't look good on you," Elias said as he dropped down beside her, two steaming mugs in hand.

"I'm not jealous," Amara replied, though the words came a little too quickly. "I'm just... observant."

He handed her a mug. "Observant with a hint of glowering."

She smirked despite herself and nudged his shoulder. "Thanks for the coffee."

He shrugged. "I've got a sixth sense for when you're brooding."

________________________________________

Across the clearing, Aiden glanced sideways at Valeria.

"So," he said, voice low, "you're journaling again."

"Guilty." Valeria smiled and closed the leather-bound book resting in her lap. "It helps me make sense of things."

"Things?"

She hesitated, then answered honestly. "Dreams. Feelings I can't quite explain. The way this place feels... familiar."

Aiden nodded. "Yeah. Me too."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. A breeze tugged lightly at Valeria's curls, and Aiden watched the way the light played across her face. There was something grounding about her. She didn't ask for too much. Didn't demand answers. She just was-anchoring him in a way he hadn't realized he needed.

"I used to think I hated quiet," he said suddenly. "But lately... it doesn't feel empty. Not with you."

Valeria's eyes softened. "That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me today."

"Good. I meant it."

She looked away, biting the edge of her lip to keep from smiling too much. "We should walk," she said after a beat. "Clear our heads."

He stood first and offered her a hand.

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Elsewhere, Amara and Elias had wandered toward the lake.

The water reflected the sky perfectly-bright blue and still, framed by the gold-tinged leaves that had begun to fall from the trees.

"You ever think about what you'll do after this trip?" Elias asked, tossing a pebble across the surface.

"I think about it too much," Amara replied, sitting on a large flat rock and pulling her knees to her chest. "I have plans. Study medicine. Make something of myself. Get out of the city, maybe."

Elias sat beside her. "And you think being here delays that?"

"I think it changes things," she said, quieter now. "Being here makes me feel... different. Like I'm meant to find something. Or someone."

He didn't answer right away.

But he looked at her, and for once, he didn't look away.

"I think the forest brought us here for a reason," he said.

She turned to face him. "You believe in fate?"

He smiled. "No. But I believe in choices. And I'm choosing to stay close to you, whatever happens."

That made her heart skip. Just a little.

________________________________________

That afternoon, the teachers gave everyone an hour of free time-no hikes, no assignments. Just the freedom to wander, rest, or explore within the bounds of the main clearing. It was their way of easing tension, but for some of the students, it felt more like a breath of possibility.

Selene found Jace sitting under a tree sketching something in his notebook. He didn't see her at first, not until she leaned over his shoulder.

"You draw?"

He jumped slightly. "God, warn me next time."

She smirked. "That's good. Is that... me?"

He flushed. "It's not you you. Just... you adjacent."

Selene raised an eyebrow, amused. "I look taller in the drawing."

"Artistic license."

She leaned against the tree beside him and let the silence settle between them.

"You know," she said, "you act all goofy, but you're not that hard to figure out."

"Oh?" Jace grinned. "Do tell."

"You want to be taken seriously. But you're afraid that if you stop joking, people won't like the real you."

He looked at her. Something in his expression shifted.

"Maybe I just haven't met anyone who made me want to risk that yet," he said.

Selene's smirk faded into something quieter. Something more real.

"Maybe you just did."

________________________________________

As the sun began to dip, and golden hour washed the forest in amber light, Aiden and Valeria returned from their walk.

They didn't say much about it.

But the way Aiden brushed a leaf from her hair without thinking...

The way Valeria leaned into his shoulder just slightly as they approached camp...

It didn't go unnoticed.

Especially by Amara.

She stood with Elias near the fire pit, watching them return. She didn't feel bitter. Not exactly. But she did feel stirred-like something inside her was waking up, too.

Maybe love wasn't a lightning strike.

Maybe it was a slow burn.

Maybe it was a choice-and she still had time to choose.

________________________________________

That evening, they all gathered for s'mores and stories again. But the tales were lighter now-funny, warm, full of friendly teasing. No mention of monsters. No whisper of wolves.

Just laughter, and shared blankets, and stolen glances by firelight.

Whatever darkness lingered at the edge of the forest... hadn't touched them yet.

And for now, that was enough.