Chapter 15 Aria
The hum of the tires on asphalt and the faint crackle of the radio with some old pop song by Lil Wayne crackling through the speakers were the only things keeping me from spiraling into the quiet anxiety that always came when I drove alone at night. The small grocery store wasn’t far less than fifteen minutes from home, but Silverpine’s streets were dark and winding making the slightest movement at the edge of your vision feel like a threat. I’d only gone because we were out of milk and Mom had texted from her shift at the hospital.
Mom: Can you grab some milk? Love you♥️♥️.
“Okay, Aria, it’s just a trip to the store,” I muttered to myself, gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly. My mom’s old sedan creaked beneath me, its engine whining faintly as I turned onto the main road. I’d been trying to keep up with my new life at school and my own nervous curiosity about Luca Hale and wondered why my mind and thoughts were always so preoccupied with him.
The streetlights flickered as I drove and somewhere in the back of my mind, I heard Sienna’s warning echo faintly: “Watch yourself around the Hales. Don’t get involved.” Sienna could be overprotective at times and paranoid but I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling the girl stirred. As I turned a right bend, my thoughts wandered to Avery’s sly smirks and her heated stares. I had a strange pull of curiosity toward the Hale’s house. The dark structure had seemed impossible from the moment I first saw it, tucked behind trees that made it feel ominous.
Lost in thought, I never noticed the movement on the side of the road until it was almost too late. Something darted into the path of my headlights and my heart slammed against my ribs. I jerked the wheel instinctively trying to swerve with tires squealing on the asphalt. A low guttural growl echoed through the night air. My stomach lurched and I stomped on the brakes but the car skidded slightly on a damp patch with leaves spinning in every direction.
My eyes widened as the figure froze for a heartbeat in the light. It was the tallest and biggest wolf I’d ever seen. Its muscles were coiled under thick, dark fur with a streak of ash running down its spine, that seemed to ripple with its every movement. Its eyes burned amber, sharp and intelligent, like they could see everything at once, pining me with its intense and fiery gaze. Its teeth glinted in the moonlight, long and deadly, and its claws dug into the ground as it stood, silent and terrifying. For the briefest moment, I thought I glimpsed something human in those eyes. It shook itself out of the trance and then bolted back into the trees, leaving nothing behind but the faint echo of movement.
My hands trembled on the wheel as I sat there, breathing too fast, trying to make sense of what I’d just seen. “What the hell was that?!” I mumbled, my voice barely audible over the thrum of my racing heart. My mind wandered to the figure I had seen at night few months ago after moving in. Could it be the same as this particular one?
My knuckles were still white against the wheel. I looked around nervously and every instinct screamed to go back home and tell someone, anyone. Slowly and cautiously, I eased the car forward, headlights scanning the roadside. The forest flanking the street seemed denser here with shadows thicker and swallowing light. I pressed the accelerator hard, trying to put distance between myself and the treeline, but my eyes were glued to the shadows, scanning for any hint that whatever had crossed my path might return.
When I reached the small store, my hands shook so badly I had to grip the steering wheel with both hands while shutting the engine off. I sat there for a moment listening to the sound of my heartbeat louder than the world around me. I could still feel the lingering impression of something watching from the edge of my vision, its presence pressing at the edges of my reasoning.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the car my purse slung over my shoulder. The store’s neon lights buzzed faintly casting an artificial glow over the empty parking lot. Inside, the fluorescent lights were harsh and the aisles were quiet. I moved slowly picking up the few items I needed and milk. The cashier, an older woman with tired eyes and a warm smile, oblivious of the tension in my posture. She exchanged a few polite words and handed me my receipt of payment alongside the stuffs I bought in a bag. As I walked back to the car the unease still didn’t leave me. I slid into the driver’s seat, locking the doors automatically, a habit I hadn’t needed to form until now. Turning the key, I felt every sense on alert, listening for movement because whatever I had encountered wasn't ordinary.
The drive back was slow and I pulled slowly into my driveway, the sense of being watched not fading. I killed the engine and sat in silence, exhaling slowly then went inside.
Mom was home. She looked up from the couch, glasses perched on her nose, laptop balanced on her knees. “Hey, baby. You okay? You look spooked.”
I set the milk, my voice came out smaller than I meant. “I almost hit something on the way back.”
Her brows lifted. “Deer?”
I hesitated. “I… think so?”
She closed the laptop, patting the cushion beside her. “Come here.”
I sat and she wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
“Tell me.”
I swallowed. “It was bigger than a dog with dark fur. It's eyes—they glowed amber staring at me like it knew who I was.”
Mom rubbed my arm. “Sweetheart, it was probably just a deer caught in the headlights. Makes them look weirder especially at night.”
I wanted to believe her. “But it growled and moved really fast for a deer.”
She squeezed me tighter. “The woods are full of animals, Aria. Wolves, coyotes, even the occasional bear. Animals may be curious. It doesn’t mean they’re after you.”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah.”
Mom kissed the top of my head. “You’re safe and home. That’s what matters.”
I leaned into her. “I know.”
I knew with a sinking certainty that my life in Silverpine was about to become far more complicated than I had ever imagined and whatever had crossed the road tonight was closer than I realized.
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
That road encounter just turned the dial up to eleven. Aria’s shaken and Mom’s trying to keep things calm and normal, but those glowing amber eyes are not deer vibes. What do you think she really saw? A wolf? Something more? And is this the same shadow she’s glimpsed before? Drop your thoughts below, my lovelies♥️.
P.S Yes, y’all are my lovelies🤭