I didn't know that a single night could split my life into a before and an after.
The sky looked ordinary when I stepped outside—dark, quiet, almost peaceful. The kind of night that made you think nothing bad could happen. I remember thinking that, and I remember how wrong I was.
There was always a strange feeling in my chest, like something watching me from far away. I'd felt it for as long as I could remember, but that night, it was heavier. Louder. As if the world itself was holding its breath.
"Elara," my mother called from inside the house. Her voice was calm, but I could hear the warning hidden beneath it.
I turned back, my fingers tightening around the strap of my bag. I didn't understand why my heart was racing. Nothing had happened yet.
The wind shifted, carrying a scent I didn't recognize—cold, sharp, dangerous. Shadows stretched unnaturally across the ground, bending in ways they shouldn't. I took a step back, every instinct screaming at me to run.
That was the moment I realized the truth.
My life had never been normal.
And whatever was coming for me had finally found my way home