ETHAN

As I walked through campus, keeping my head down, I could feel my heart racing. That man—Lyn Weir—had been the last person I’d expected to meet today.

Everyone was talking about him, and the morning paper had his name splashed all over it. A boy was missing, and after meeting Lyn in person…I didn’t know what to think.

I looked down at the hand he’d shaken, feeling my fingers tingle. There was something about him...something strange, an aura…something that made my hair stand on end. Those dark eyes, his gaunt face. I couldn't place what was off, but I wanted to know.

Were the rumors true?

Finding myself stepping out of the building on the far side of campus I could tell I'd taken a wrong turn, perhaps too deep in my thoughts. While I had expected to find the campus center where there was the study hall and library, I was instead faced with a rather empty stone courtyard and a vast wall of forest beyond.

The sky was gray and stormy, the tall trees creating a canopy of leaves that rippled in the wind like waves. Eyes scanning the treeline, I felt myself blasted to the past—the night I'd left the pub to find Lyn waiting outside. Had he been waiting for the boy that had disappeared?

There, amongst the tall, thick trunks, I could see him again. Lyn, perhaps unaware anyone was watching him, slipped into the forest like a shadow.

‘What the hell is he doing? Where is he going?’

There was something sinister in the air, making me uneasy. Just as I began to mull over the idea of following him, a hand caught my shoulder, making me jump.

“Ethan? I thought that was you.” The voice was familiar, though it sounded different when it wasn’t half masked by loud music. I turned to see Oliver, dark shadows under his eyes and a frown on his face as he stared toward the forest where my gaze had been locked. “I hope you weren’t planning on going in there. We’ve already lost one student this week.”

My pulse jumped in my throat as the wind caught my long hair. I turned my back on the forest, meeting Oliver's exhausted gaze. “Do you..want to get something to eat? Maybe you could answer a few questions for me.”

“Breakfast is probably a good idea,” Oliver said with a pale smile. “And you seem a little lost.”

I chuckled, though I wasn’t sure it was genuine. “Am I that obvious?”

It seemed to cheer him up. “Why don't I show you the way to the dining hall?” He grimaced, adding, “I can guess what you want to ask me about. We can talk over food. Talking about that kind of thing out here…” He seemed anxious, the way he looked at the trees, as if he expected something to jump out of them. He jerked his gaze back to me with a forced laugh. “I’m probably being paranoid…but follow me. If nothing else, it’ll be warm,” he said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jacket before he turned to lead the way.

We headed back to the main part of campus and got a table in the dining hall. Our full plates and coffee between us sat untouched. Oliver looked particularly grim.

“So,” I said, clearing my throat as I folded my hands together on the table, “What exactly do you know about Lyn Weir?”

Though he’d said he was prepared, he still flinched when I said the man’s name. “I was trying not to scare you since you’re a new student, but I suppose it’s a little late for that now,” he sighed. “The man’s all over the papers, and Collin…” Oliver ground his teeth, hands pressing against the table. They had seemed close at the pub, and Collin’s absence had clearly been a blow to the man who’d seemed so cheerful when I first met him.

“They say Lyn is some kind of sorcerer—that’s why people talk about curses, and try not to get on his bad side. And the longer he’s here, the worse it gets.” Oliver grimaced, looking up over my head as his gaze went a little distant. “He seemed normal enough when he started classes here. Just some weird goth type, but nothing dangerous—hell, I actually kind of liked the guy at first. But then things started to get…weird.”

I felt myself shiver, leaning in slightly as I asked, “What do you mean, ‘weird?’” I remembered seeing Lyn at the edge of the forest, feeling that strange aura around him. There was something definitely off. “I really want to know,” I clarified, hoping he’d hold nothing back.

Oliver toyed with his mug, jaw tight. “People would talk about him, the strange things he did. Disappearing into the woods, making strange teas for the people in his dorm…a lot of us thought he was telling the truth when he claimed it was because of his mom’s shop. But then…people who didn’t believe him started to spread rumors, and claimed they got sick if they got caught gossiping.” He glanced up, his gaze searching the room as if worried his words would summon Lyn.

“The longer he’s been here, the more people talk about him. More people say they got sick, or hurt in some kind of accident. A guy on the football team broke his arm trying to follow Lyn into the woods to find out if everything they said is really true. But this? This is the first time somebody has disappeared. Everybody thinks it’s his fault…I think it’s his fault,” Oliver muttered, pushing his coffee away. “It’s like he’s been holding back, but this year he decided it’s not worth the trouble. I’m worried…for the next person who makes him angry.”

Contemplating his words, I picked up my fork and began prodding at the sausage and eggs which were beginning to cool on my plate. I could feel how tight my brow was furrowed, and found myself rubbing my forehead as I sighed. “I don’t know. I mean, what you’re saying sounds pretty coincidental. I’m sorry to be skeptical, but I mean, getting sick? It’s a university. Anyone can come down with a cold. And that guy breaking his arm…I mean, he was in the woods, right? It could have been just a case of wrong footing.” I could tell Oliver was starting to look defensive.

“Maybe if it was just one or two people, but dozens of them? All of them talking about Lyn behind his back, or threatening him to his face? It’s hard to believe it’s coincidental when so many people talk about how cold Lyn’s eyes felt, and how quickly they got sick after he glared at them.” Oliver shuddered. “I count myself lucky I’ve kept quiet in front of him, and that he moved out of the dorms.”

“What about his mother’s shop?” I asked, trying to piece together what felt very much like a mystery that shrouded the entire school. True, I had only just transferred there, but the fact that everyone seemed to have the same impression of Lyn was...odd.

Oliver blinked at me, my question derailing him from his anger. “She runs some kind of witch shop in town. She calls herself an herbalist.” He rolled his eyes. “Most of us steer clear of it; but there are a few people that have an interest in that…sort of thing. A lot of the rumors say Lyn learned everything from his mother, and it’s not worth the risk. The shop is still busy, somehow, despite the warnings.”

“Maybe everyone else wants answers, too,” I muttered. I glanced up at Oliver with determination. “I saw Lyn going into the forest at the back of campus..Does anyone know what he does there?”

“Of course not,” Oliver said, shaking his head. “I told you, somebody tried to follow him and got hurt. Nobody has dared to go in after him since then. And, to be honest…I don’t think we want to know. People can forget the rumors on a good day, but if somebody caught him doing something horrible, it would throw the whole campus into chaos.”

He had a point. I ran a frustrated hand through my tousled mane of hair. “What about the police?” I asked as perhaps a last hail Mary. “What's their take on this? Especially with a student missing…”

“They’ve investigated him plenty, but it always ends with the same argument you just gave. Nobody can prove he’s making people sick. And the guy who broke his arm admits he couldn’t see Lyn when it happened. What are we supposed to tell them, ‘A sorcerer gave me the flu, cuff him?’”

“Yeah, I guess not.”

Oliver rubbed at his forehead. “We’re all hoping the police do something about Collin’s disappearance, but even if they think Lyn did it, what kind of evidence can they bring to a judge? A burnt candle and a straw doll? They don’t do witch trials anymore.”

I sighed, gripping my coffee cup. “So, there's no evidence of anything, but everyone’s so sure it’s him. That he’s the cause.” Were they right? I had noticed something different about Lyn, but was it because there was something really different, or were these stories just making me superstitious? “Where did you say his mom’s shop is?”

“It’s twenty minutes south of campus, off of Mill Lane. It’s got this gaudy red door you can see from a street away.” Oliver paused, eyes widening. “You’re not planning on going there, are you? After everything I just told you? You could get hurt, or worse!”

“No!” I shook my head, pushing the thought away. “I just...want to avoid it. That’s all.” I felt my stomach churn, and I was unsure why I even felt the need to ask. It would be stupid to get involved.That was the whole point of coming here, to start over, to not get involved and just lead a normal life. Why was I always so drawn towards things I knew I should stay away from?

I gritted my teeth, swallowing hard. Whether the rumors were true or not, for my own good I knew I should stay away from Lyn and leave the questions unanswered.