Chapter 5 The Town with Two Faces

Pine Hollow always looked too perfect on the outside.

Neat houses. Polite neighbors. Flower beds trimmed to perfection. But Aven had begun to notice the cracks beneath it all, especially the way people glanced too long at the woods, the way conversations stopped when certain names were mentioned, and the way the silence pressed too tightly around every truth.

She wasn't just an outsider anymore.

She was the one they feared.

And maybe the one they needed.

---

She walked into school Monday morning to the sound of whispers. Again.

This time they didn't even try to hide it.

"There she is..."

"Did you see the scar on her back?"

"I heard she screamed during class and ran into the woods..."

"She talks to the trees."

Aven ignored it.

Let them talk.

She slid into her seat at the back of the room, pulled her hood lower, and stared at the clock, counting down the minutes until she could get out again.

Beside her, Dani Pratt dropped into the desk with a half-hearted grin.

"You look like you haven't slept in a week."

"I haven't," Aven muttered.

Dani's dark curls bounced as she turned to face her more fully.

"So, are you gonna tell me what's going on with you, or should I keep guessing? Because so far, I'm between vampire, cult recruit, and emotionally tormented hero with a dark past."

Aven stared at her for a long moment. Then she cracked a smile.

"You're annoying, you know that?"

"I will try."

Dani didn't press.

But she didn't stop looking either.

And Aven was grateful for that in a way she couldn't explain.

---

Lunch was worse.

Because that's when the fan clubs showed up.

Zayden Stephen, tall, quiet, untouchable Zayden. He had been Pine Hollow's golden boy since middle school. Smart, athletic, rich, and, most importantly, mysterious. The kind of guy who barely spoke but still made every girl sigh into her locker.

So when rumors started flying that Aven an hoodie-wearing, tomboyish, weird-eyed Aven had been seen with him near the forest trail, it didn't take long for backlash to ignite.

Especially from the Danielle Brooke Fan Club.

Danielle had been obsessed with Zayden since they were five. They weren't dating, but in her head, they already had a wedding planned and kids named.

Aven didn't even know him like that.

At least not yet.

But none of that mattered to the girls glaring at her now from across the cafeteria, whispering too loudly and giggling too cruelly.

Dani leaned in. "They're planning something. I can smell it."

"You smell sabotage?"

"Perfume, jealousy, and hair spray. Same thing."

Aven tried to laugh.

But then one of the girls tripped her on the way to the vending machine. Her tray clattered. Milk spilled across her shoes.

Laughter followed.

And that's when Aven snapped.

She turned sharply and grabbed the nearest chair, slamming it onto the table hard enough to make everyone jump. The legs scraped metal with a loud screech. Everyone froze.

"Try that again," she said, eyes blazing, "and I swear I will make you regret ever learning how to walk."

Silence.

Then a shrill voice, Danielle Brooke herself.

"You're unstable. Probably cursed. Go back to whatever cave you crawled out of."

Aven stared at her. "Why don't you try saying that in the forest and see if it lets you out again?"

The room held its breath.

Then, slowly, deliberately, Aven picked up her milk-soaked tray, flipped it right side up, and walked out.

She didn't look back.

---

After school, she didn't go home.

She went to the forest.

To him.

She didn't have to call him this time. Riven was already waiting.

"Rough day?" he asked.

"I hate people."

"I know."

"They think I'm crazy."

"You might be."

She shot him a look.

He stepped closer, not touching, but close enough that she could feel the gravity of him.

"I told you this wouldn't be easy," he said.

"They're trying to get to me."

"They won't."

"You can't protect me all the time."

"No. But I can protect you when it matters."

A branch snapped nearby.

She froze.

Riven tilted his head.

"Three of them," he said softly.

"What?"

"Your classmates. The ones who followed you."

Aven spun. "Are you serious?"

Riven nodded.

And then, sure enough, giggling echoed from behind the trees.

A camera flash flickered.

Danielle's voice cut through the woods. "Smile for the yearbook, witch."

Riven's expression darkened.

"Leave. Now," he said, loud enough to carry.

Laughter. Mocking.

Then one of the boys with Danielle picked up a rock and threw it.

It hit Aven square in the shoulder.

She stumbled back, pain shooting down her arm.

And just like that the air shifted.

Riven didn't yell. He didn't lunge.

He just moved.

One second he was beside Aven. The next he stood in front of Danielle, who gasped and stumbled back into the roots.

His eyes glowed.

"Run," he said.

The boy with the rocks dropped them.

They all ran.

Tripping and screaming while crying at the same time.

Gone.

Aven blinked, stunned. "You didn't even touch them."

"I didn't need to."

She rubbed her shoulder, wincing. "Thanks."

He turned to her slowly.

"You should have called me sooner."

"I didn't want to drag you into my teenage drama."

"You're not a normal teenager."

She laughed softly. "Clearly."

And that was when he reached out.

Not harsh. Not out of obligation.

Just... gentle.

His hand brushed her injured shoulder, and something warm moved from his palm into her skin. The ache faded.

"How did you..."

"The forest gives me what I need."

She looked up at him.

So close now.

The shadows softened around him, like even they bent when she stood near.

"Why do you care?" she whispered.

He hesitated.

Then, voice low, "Because I remember when you used to laugh like the sun lived in your throat. And I've spent too many lifetimes waiting to hear it again."

Her heart skipped.

She didn't move.

Didn't breathe.

And for a second, she thought he might kiss her.

But he didn't.

He stepped back.

And said, "Tomorrow, we begin again."