—We have to tell Savannah’s parents about those seeds, —Ozian said, his voice deep and tense.

—Yeah… maybe that way they’ll figure out what’s making her sick, —I murmured. A knot tightened in my chest. —I need to go home.

Before I could move, Jassiel appeared. His eyes shimmered with unshed tears, trapped at the edge of his despair.

—Don’t leave me alone… —he whispered. His voice was barely a breath, broken, as he cast a glance at his parents. They stood frozen, holding each other in front of Savannah’s closed bedroom door.

—Jass… —his name hung in the air, as if saying it out loud might shatter him. —Ozian will stay with you, —I assured him.

I patted his shoulder, but he didn’t react. I didn’t wait any longer. I turned and ran down the hallway, my footsteps echoing against the white walls.

The elevator doors were open. I was about to step in when a firm hand grabbed my arm. I turned around. It was Ozian. His grip wasn’t violent, but there was a silent plea in it. His clover-colored eyes urgently searched for mine.

—Is something wrong, Juno?

He was so close I could feel his breath on my cheek—warm, a stark contrast to the hospital’s cold air.

—Nature, Ozian. There’s a dark pulse closing in on the town.

His brow furrowed.

—Juno… —his full lips shaped my name like a spell— You look pale. Wait for your mom.

But… his voice sounded distant. Had it always been this far away? No—it was my own mind drifting, as if something was pulling me out of my own body.

I yanked myself free and stepped over the elevator’s threshold.

The doors closed with a hollow sound, muffling Ozian’s voice on the other side. I struggled to breathe. My chest rose and fell in an erratic rhythm, as if something were squeezing my lungs.

The cold metal beneath my feet seemed to vanish, turning soft, damp. I heard a deep crackling, like roots forcing their way through the earth. The stench of rotting flesh—of decayed food—filled the air. Thick, poisonous sap clung to the atmosphere, its sickly sweetness burning my throat.

The trees. The withered flowers. The forest surrounded me.

I blinked, and for an instant, there was only darkness.

Then, I was back—metal walls enclosing me, the elevator creaking as it descended.

But the forest remained.

Inside me.

Waiting…

Then, I heard it.

—Mmmhmm —A low, amused, almost mocking growl.

The shadow wolf emerged from nowhere, moving slowly around me. His fur darkened the dimness of the elevator even more.

—You look crazy, you know that? —he whispered—. Everywhere you go, you make them pull away from you. And they’re right... Those who stay by your side die.

My jaw tightened.

—Get out —I muttered, feeling the poison of his words slide down my skin.

He chuckled softly.

—You heard your mom crying last night, didn’t you? You know things are going wrong. And it’s all because of you.

The elevator was descending too slowly. Each second in that metal cage with the shadow wolf made my breathing heavier.

—I don’t have time for your cynicism, stupid wolf —I spat, digging my nails into his neck.

The creature howled, twisting in the nothingness until it vanished.

The hospital doors opened with a sharp ding. I rushed out, my heart pounding against my ribs.

I threw my skateboard to the ground and pushed off with force. The wind whipped against my face, messing up my hair, but it didn’t bring relief. Something in the air was sick.

I looked up. The sky wasn’t the same. A dark energy flowed from the forest, twisting like a cloak of living shadows. It spread over the town, slow, invasive, as if it were breathing.

A searing pain pierced my chest. I screamed. My legs froze, but the skateboard kept moving. I had no control. My arms lifted, rigid. My jaw opened, stretching in a silent scream. I couldn’t hear myself. The world darkened. And within it, things moved.

Riders on metamorphic creatures glided between the trees with the stealthy precision of predators. They had no faces, but I could feel their gazes piercing through me.

Then, a light. A shooting star descended and landed on my forehead.

—Find your light... —it whispered.

The air rushed into my lungs, as if emerging from icy waters.

The warmth enveloped me in an embrace. Strangers' tears slid down my face.

—Not again... —my mother’s voice trembled. Her gaze met mine, and her face lit up.

—Juno, are you okay? Let’s go inside.

She held me firmly as she helped me sit up. Around us, people were watching. We entered the hospital. But none of that mattered. They always said the same thing. Anxiety.

Again, I heard the monotonous sound of the CT scanner, but the shadow wolf’s voice was louder, sliding its taunts between the hum of the machine’s tunnel.

—Remember when you told the teacher you saw an alien? The kids' laughter... can you still hear it?

I didn’t answer...

A few hours later, they sent me home. When I got there and changed into my pajamas, my mom appeared in the doorway.

—How about you rest tomorrow? —she suggested, noticing it was almost three in the morning.

—Ozian wouldn’t know what to do without Savannah and me —I joked, pretending to be lighthearted.

She kissed my forehead and told me to sleep. Despite the shadow wolf’s growls, exhaustion took over, and I fell into a deep sleep.

In the morning, I woke up startled. I looked at the clock. I’d fallen asleep. I stretched and had cereal for breakfast, ignoring the note from mom saying she’d left rice with sausage for me.

Around three in the afternoon, I heard someone calling my name. I leaned out of the window and burst out laughing.

—Ozian, over here! —I opened the door and greeted him with a smile—. You’re crazy.

He just stared at me, as if he truly believed I had lost my mind... or as if he had found it in me.

—Are you okay, Juno? —He approached, raising his hand as if he wanted to brush a lock of hair from my face, but hesitated.

—Obviously —I replied—. It was just a routine check-up.

—Routine? Wow... —He stepped into the trailer’s living room, glancing at the worn-out sofa, the old TV, and a couple of childhood photos of mine—. It’s... cozy.

His gaze lingered on one where I was about six, my cheeks smeared with ice cream and a huge smile on my face.

—You were a charm, —he commented with a half-smile.

—I still am, —I laughed.

Ozian shrugged with feigned indifference, but his eyes betrayed him.

—And a lot... —he murmured very softly.

I wrinkled my nose, pretending I hadn’t heard.

—I’m going to make you a drink that’ll blow your mind. —I jumped up and headed to the pantry.

I grabbed chocolate chips, sour candies, and butter pecan ice cream. Everything went into the blender. I poured the mixture into two large glasses, adding a splash of white chocolate syrup and another of strawberry syrup.

I handed him one with a smile.

Ozian took a sip, and his pupils dilated.

—By all the stars...

—I’ve got the smoothie touch.

We drank that sugar bomb and decided to go out and burn off the energy.

—Will your mom be okay with it?

—I’ll leave her a message.