"You saw it too, didn't you?"
Ronan had barely sat down at the back table of the library when Calla dropped into the seat across from him — no warning, no hello, just eyes locked and voice low.
He blinked. "What?"
"The woods. The fog. The—" she glanced around. "—thing watching."
Ronan stared at her.
"Ah," the wolf whispered in his ear. "Your partner-in-poor-decisions has arrived."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Ronan said, trying to go back to his textbook.
"Bullshit." Calla leaned in. "I saw you out there. You ran."
"I was jogging."
She snorted. "In fog. At 2AM. Toward the woods."
"I needed air."
Calla raised one brow. "You always need air right before supernatural shit happens?"
That made him freeze.
She saw it.
The flicker of recognition. The fear.
Her voice softened. "You really don't want to talk about it, huh?"
"No," he said quickly. Too quickly.
"Smooth," the wolf said. "You're like a walking 'I'm hiding something' poster."
Calla tapped her fingers on the table. "Well, I do want to talk about it. Something's going on at this school, and I'm not the type to pretend I don't notice. You think those freaky crows were just a coincidence?"
"Maybe," Ronan muttered.
"And the lights going out? The weird fog? The mark on the tree?"
"You saw that?"
"Of course I saw that. I took a picture." She pulled out her phone, then paused. "It's gone now, though."
"What do you mean gone?"
"I mean the image is just... black. Like the data's still there, but nothing shows up. Even my backup's glitched."
That made Ronan sit up straighter. "You didn't draw that mark, right?"
She looked offended. "No. I'm not an idiot."
"That's debatable," said the wolf. "She is talking to you."
Calla leaned back in her seat. "Look. I've been in trouble before. Not just regular detention stuff. Bigger. I know what people look like when they're scared but pretending not to be. The way the staff's acting? They're hiding something. I'm telling you — this place is crawling with secrets."
"Then ignore it," Ronan said flatly.
"Why?"
"Because it's not our problem."
"But what if it is?"
"It's definitely not mine."
Calla narrowed her eyes. "You know something."
"No," he lied.
"Yes," the wolf said helpfully.
"Then why are you acting like you've seen this before?"
"I haven't."
"You kinda have."
Calla stared at him for a long moment. Then her expression changed — not angry, not smug. Just... disappointed.
"You know," she said quietly, "I thought you were different."
That stung.
"I'm trying not to die," Ronan snapped. "Sorry if that offends your inner detective."
Calla stood up, grabbing her bag. "Suit yourself."
She walked off.
Ronan didn't move. His heart was pounding.
"You could've gone with her," the wolf said softly. "Let her chase shadows. Kept her close."
"I don't want to get involved."
"But you already are."
Outside the window, the wind picked up.
A single crow hit the glass with a soft thud… then slid out of view.