The next morning, sunlight filtered through my curtains, gently waking me up. For the first time in what felt like ages, the day ahead seemed… ordinary. I got ready, pulling on jeans and a hoodie, letting the comfort of normal clothes settle me after all the chaos.
I headed downstairs, finding Logan and Liam already sitting at the kitchen table, chatting and eating breakfast. Logan looked up as I entered, giving me a small, warm smile. “Ready for a day of being ‘normal’?”
I laughed, pouring myself some coffee. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Liam looked a bit nervous, glancing at us. “So… high school. You think people will buy this cousin story?”
“C’mon have you looked at yourself, it’s like your Logan mirror.”
Logan chuckled, giving Liam a playful nudge. “She’s got a point. You do kind of look like my long-lost twin.”
Liam rolled his eyes but couldn’t help smiling a bit. “Great. Just what I need-another reason for people to stare at me.”
I grinned. “Trust me, Liam, in high school, you’ll blend in faster than you think. Just follow Logan’s lead and act like you’ve always belonged.”
Logan gave a casual shrug. “And if anyone asks too many questions, just keep it vague. People love a good mystery. ‘Long-lost cousin’ will keep them guessing for weeks.”
We finished breakfast and piled into Logan’s car, laughing and talking like any other group of friends on a school morning.
As we arrived at school, I could already feel the familiar buzz of energy in the halls. Students were chatting in groups, teachers greeted us with polite nods, and everyone seemed absorbed in their usual routines. It was comforting, in a way, to see how little had changed.
Logan strolled confidently by my side, Liam trailing a step behind us, taking everything in. People glanced our way, curious about the new face, but most just gave us the usual looks-friendly for the most part, though a few looked more interested in sizing us up.
We reached my locker, and I leaned against it, smiling at Logan. “You know, most of these people already think they know everything about us. They’ve been watching us since we got here.”
Logan grinned, his eyes sparking with mischief. “True. It’s not like we’re introducing anything new. They’re still talking about our dating news or rumor.”
Just as Logan and I shared a laugh, I heard someone shout my name. I turned to see Mal sprinting down the hallway, her eyes wide with excitement and relief. She practically threw herself at me, wrapping me in a tight hug.
“Oh my God, Audrey! Where have you been?” she exclaimed, pulling back to look me over. “People started speculating you were dead, and Logan too! I was this close to putting out a search party.”
I laughed, feeling a rush of warmth at seeing her so genuinely happy to see me. “I know, it’s been… a lot. But I’m here, alive and well.”
Mal let out a dramatic sigh of relief, then glanced to her left and froze, her eyes widening even further. She stared at Liam, then at Logan, and then back at Liam, her jaw practically dropping. “Wait… am I dreaming? Because I swear I’m seeing two Logans.”
Liam chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck, while Logan just smirked, crossing his arms. “Nope, not a dream. This is Liam-my cousin.”
Mal’s eyes flicked back and forth between the two, processing the resemblance. “But… he looks exactly like you! This is insane.”
Logan shrugged, glancing at Liam with a mischievous grin. “I know. We could probably switch places, and no one would notice.”
Liam shot him a look but played along. “Maybe. I’d just have to work on my ‘Logan attitude,'” he teased, giving a small smirk.
Mal shook her head in disbelief, still eyeing the two of them. “This is going to drive the whole school crazy,” she said, a grin forming. “People love a good mystery. You’re about to be the school’s hottest gossip all over again, Audrey. And Liam, you’ve just earned yourself a spot in high school legend.”
Liam looked at me, a little sheepish but clearly amused. “Guess I’m officially part of the ‘weird’ club now.”
“Welcome to the family,” I teased, patting his shoulder.
My smile faltered as I looked at Mal. “Hey, by the way, where’s Tanya? And… Warwick?”
At the mention of Tanya’s name, Mal’s expression darkened, and she shook her head. “Tanya… let’s not even talk about her. She’s been acting strange, keeping her distance from everyone.”
A chill crept up my spine. “And Warwick?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, sensing something was wrong.
Mal’s gaze dropped to the floor, and she took a deep breath, hesitating before she spoke. “Warwick… he’s… gone, Audrey. He died.”
I stared at her, the words sinking in like a lead weight. “What? How?”
“It happened while you were gone,” Mal murmured, her voice heavy with sorrow. “No one knows the details, but there were rumors. Some said it was an accident… others think it might have been something else. But no one’s talking about it openly.”
I looked over at Logan, who had gone completely still, his face unreadable.
Mal leaned in close, glancing around to make sure no one else was listening, her voice dropping to a barely audible whisper. “Between you and me… I don’t think it was just an accident. I think it was a wolf,” Mal said.
A shiver ran down my spine as I took in her words. “A wolf?” I repeated, almost in disbelief. “What did Warwick get himself into?”
Mal’s eyes darted around nervously before meeting mine. “I don’t know, Audrey. But he was… involved in something. There were whispers that he’d been hanging around strange people, asking questions about things he shouldn’t. Maybe he was getting too close to something dangerous.”
Logan shifted beside me, his jaw clenched, eyes dark. “Did anyone see what happened?” he asked quietly, his voice carrying a hard edge.
Mal shook her head. “No one saw anything-or at least, no one’s admitting they did. It’s like everyone’s too scared to talk about it. All I know is that they found his body in the woods, and whatever happened to him… it wasn’t pretty.”