Chapter 2 Unseen Threat

Ethan backed his locker closed just as Liam walked down the hallway, arms waving a scattered notebook. His glasses were cracked and pages fluttered like torn leaves.

I found it! I found it! Liam gasped, skidding to a stop in front of Ethan and Jake.

Jake barely looked up from dribbling a basketball sized locker combination. How did you find your phone again?

Liam dropped the notebook into Ethan's hands. Not my phone, this. He pointed to a passage he had underlined in red ink, Wolf bite, puncture wounds set two inches apart. Healing accelerated by unknown enzymes. I got this book for one of my research assignments in class and I found this.

Ethan flipped the pages, eyes widening. And suddenly burst out laughing Wolf bite?

Jake snorted. Right, because we have all heard strange animals stalking teenagers in Ridgewood.

But there is no wolf in Ridgewood Ethan said. Yeah not Untill recently Liam concluded.

Jake bounced the ball off the lockers. Thunk. What's next? You going to tell us Bigfoot did it?

Liam's face darkened. Laugh all you want. But look at this. He pointed to a photo, a muddy paw print, claw marks scored into the earth. The depth suggested a creature twice the size of any dog.

Jake frowned, but before he could respond, Ethan froze. The hallway around them quieted. From somewhere through the cinderblock wall came the undeniable murmur of adult voices.

Ethan nodes his head, listening. "Do you guys hear that?

Jake rolled his eyes. What, the janitor singing karaoke again?

No. Ethan pressed an ear to the wall. Through the thin barrier he caught a clipped exchange

"I will be in class B next period," said a male voice smooth, precise.

"Don't surprise them too much," Simmons replied in a lower tenor.

They were in the math teacher's lounge. The walls here weren't much thicker than theater flats. Ethan had heard Ms. Taylor laughing over coffee with the librarians once, but he had never listened so much before.

"Oh. My. God." Liam's hand dashed to his mouth. "You are hearing it too?"

He began to flip his book, here, it said anyone bitten by a wolf can hear distant sounds.

Ethan nodded, eyes bright. Jake's face shifted from mockery to disbelief. No way. That's impossible.

Ethan turned toward the lounge door. Mr. Powell's subbing for Mr. Simmons in biology,he said slowly. He said so.the three of them exchanged looks, proof that something inside Ethan had grown beyond human limits.

By the time they reached the biology lab, all talk of sports or pranks had stopped. Students took seats in neat rows beneath the green chalkboard.

At 10:15, Mr. Powell swept in tall, slim, with close cut of hair and a pinched, indistinct expression. He carried a folder under one arm, nodded curtly, and began removing chalk.

Good morning, he said, voice cool as ice . "I am Mr. Powell, and I will be supervising your biology class today." He turned toward the chalkboard but paused when his gaze landed on Ethan.

In that instant, Ethan felt a tingle up his spine, as though Powell recognized more than just a student. Then the teacher's lips curved into something almost like a smile and he moved on as if nothing had happened.

Jake leaned over. Something about him is... off.

Liam folded his arms. We need to find that old report on subterranean wolf packs. There's something about Ridgewood nobody wants to admit.

Ethan's pen hovered over notes he barely remembered writing. His mind buzzed with the previous moment's clarity a wordless conversation etched in his memory. He felt both exhilarated and terrified.

The rest of the morning passed in a blur of lectures and whispered theories. During lunch, Prija slipped into the booth across from Ethan, her tray balanced in one hand. Her eyes were dark with curiosity.

Hey, she said softly, barely audible above the cafeteria din. I heard about the attack. You okay?

Ethan swallowed, heart thudding. I am fine. Just tired.

She studied him as if she could see behind his skin. You can talk to me, you know.

He wanted to tell her everything, the vanished wound, the howl that still echoed in his dreams, the knowledge burning inside Liam's notebook but words caught in his throat. Instead he managed, "Thanks."

Her smile was fleeting. " Please be careful".she kissed him, then she was gone, swallowed by the crowd.

By mid afternoon, Ethan's head swam with fatigue. He clenched his fist around a pen in math class, trying to follow Mr. Henderson's lecture on quadratic equations, but the letters blurred. He stood to sharpen his pencil at the wall mounted sharpener outside the classroom.

That's the last thing he remembered.

He came to lying face down on damp grass, the smell of earth and pine so overpowering it made his head spin. Above him, pale sun filtered through swaying branches.

His clothes were stiff with mud his jeans torn at the kneeand a thin layer of grit coated his skin. He scrambled to his feet, heart racing.

"Liam? Jake?" he croaked. No answer. He patted his pockets: empty except for a crumpled tissue. No phone, no wallet, no watch. He tried to recall the past hour. Had he left class? Walked here? He couldn't remember. His mind felt like a fog shrouded lake.

Panic rose. He stumbled through the underbrush, emerging onto the edge of Ridgewood Woods far from any path he recognized. He shielded his eyes and saw a service road snaking off in the distance, paved but cracked with weeds. He followed it, desperate for help.

After what felt like an eternity of stumbling, he spotted headlights up ahead. A maintenance shed stood beside the road, and an old pickup idled outside, engine ticking. He waved frantically, breath coming in gasps. The driver a lanky man in an orange vest, hopped down, flashlight in hand.

"You lost, kid?" the man said.

Ethan opened his mouth, but words failed. His throat closed in a dry knot. Finally he croaked, "School... I was at school."

The man's eyes narrowed. "Late start? You cut outta class?"

Ethan shook his head. "No... I..." He collapsed to his knees.

When he woke again, it was to Liam shaking him by the shoulders. They were back in Ethan's bedroom, the morning light creeping past the curtains. A glass of water trembled on the bedside table.

Dude, you passed out in the hallway, Liam said, voice urgent. You have been out for an hour. He held up his phone. Jake and I nearly got kicked out of class looking for you.

Ethan sat up, confusion and shame flooding him. I... I don't remember any of that.

Liam lead him through the door to find Jake leaning against the wall. His expression was uncharacteristically sobert. "Saw you drop," Jake said. "You were twitching, then your eyes went blank. We dragged you back here."

Ethan pressed his hands to his head. A faint pain pulsed behind his eyes. I blacked out.

Jake exchanged a look with Liam. I believe you now, he said softly.

Ethan stared at them. "You... believe me?"

Jake nodded. "I heard you in the lounge this morning. Mr. Henderson said to Mr. Simmons that he had sub for him in your lab. You told us."

Liam's face lit up. And I found it in the archive.

Ethan closed his eyes, memories of distant voices and his flight through the trees swirling together. He felt a deep pull in his chest, part fear, part exhilaration.

Jake laid a hand on his shoulder. "We will figure this out. Together.

Ethan nodded, swallowing hard.