The bell rang, and Logan nudged my shoulder, giving me a reassuring smile. “Come on, let’s get to class. High school waits for no one.”
I nodded, though my mind was still swirling with thoughts about Warwick. Despite the comfort of seeing friends and the typical morning chaos around us, I couldn’t shake the feeling of his absence. Warwick and I had been close friends, someone who knew the truth about Logan and me being wolves. He was one of the few people outside of Logan’s pack who understood what we really were. And now… he was gone.
I let out a breath, focusing on the halls as I walked with Logan and Liam to our first class. We entered the room just as the second bell sounded, and Mrs. Hayes, our literature teacher, shot us a look over her glasses. “Welcome, everyone. I trust you’re all prepared for today’s discussion on symbolism in The Great Gatsby?”
I took my seat between Logan and Liam, grateful for the distraction. Mrs. Hayes launched into the lecture, her voice filling the room as she described Gatsby’s infamous green light and what it symbolized. I was half-listening, my gaze drifting to the window, watching students laugh and talk outside in the quad.
“Miss Coleman,” Mrs. Hayes’ voice cut into my thoughts, and I looked up, realizing she was staring right at me. “Would you care to share your thoughts on Gatsby’s obsession with the green light?”
I scrambled to pull my thoughts together, glancing at Logan, who raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. “Uh… I think it represents Gatsby’s hope for a future that might not be as perfect as he imagines. It’s a symbol of his longing but also his disillusionment.”
Mrs. Hayes gave a small nod. “A thoughtful interpretation. Be sure to stay engaged, Audrey. You don’t want to miss anything.”
As the class continued, Logan leaned over, whispering, “I’d say you nailed that. Not bad for being completely zoned out.”
I rolled my eyes, a small smile tugging at my lips. “Thanks, Logan. Real supportive.”
He grinned, and for a moment, it was just… easy. Like old times, before everything had gotten complicated. But when I glanced at Liam, I could see he wasn’t as at ease. He looked tense, clearly feeling out of place with the whispers around him as students noticed his striking resemblance to Logan.
The bell rang, and I turned to Liam as we filed out of the classroom. “You doing okay?”
“Yeah,” he said, managing a smile. “Just… a lot to take in. Everyone keeps looking at me like I’m Logan’s clone.”
Logan chuckled, giving Liam a playful nudge. “Trust me, you’ll get used to it. Just wait until they start mixing up our names.”
Liam shot him a dubious look. “Great. I’m really looking forward to that.”
The day passed in a blur of classes and whispered conversations. Between calculus and chemistry, I did my best to focus on the lectures, but my mind kept drifting back to Warwick. His laugh, his sarcastic humor, the way he could read me like a book-he’d been there through so much. I knew he’d dug into things that made him a target, but I never thought it would end like this.
By lunchtime, the cafeteria was buzzing. Mal waved me over to our usual table, her tray already loaded with fries and what looked like half a sandwich. “There you are! I thought you’d ditched lunch for some secret werewolf meeting or something.”
“Ha-ha,” I said, rolling my eyes as I slid into the seat across from her. Logan and Liam joined us, and Liam looked visibly relieved to sit down, away from the hallway stares.
“So,” Mal said, leaning in conspiratorially. “How are you holding up, Audrey? I know it’s probably… weird with Warwick and everything.”
I forced a smile, though it felt tight. “I’m managing. It’s just… a lot, you know?”
She nodded, her expression softening. “Yeah. But hey, I’m here if you want to talk, or even if you just want to sit in silence and pretend we’re having some deep, meaningful conversation.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Thanks, Mal. I appreciate it.”
Lunch went by in a haze of small talk and inside jokes, which was exactly what I needed. For a while, I let myself relax, laughing with Mal and teasing Liam about all the people staring at him and Logan. It felt almost like things were back to normal.
As the day wore on, though, a strange unease settled over me. There was an undercurrent of tension in the school, whispers that I caught here and there about Warwick’s death. People were speculating, spreading rumors about what might have happened to him. Some said it was a wild animal attack, others thought he’d gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd. No one knew for sure, and that uncertainty made my skin crawl.
After our last class, I walked with Logan and Liam back to the car. Logan noticed my silence and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. “You okay?”
I nodded, but the unease hadn’t left me. “It’s just… this whole thing with Warwick. It feels like there’s more to it. Like we’re missing something.”
Liam looked between us, clearly picking up on the tension. “Maybe we should look into it. See if there’s anything people aren’t talking about openly.”
Logan nodded thoughtfully. “I agree. But let’s be careful. If there really is something bigger at play, we don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.”
We drove home in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. That evening, as the sun set and shadows began to stretch across the yard, I found myself standing by my bedroom window, staring out into the darkening forest.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were on the edge of something dangerous, that Warwick’s death was just the beginning. And as I stood there, a soft rustling caught my ear, faint but unmistakable.
I squinted, my heart pounding as I peered into the shadows just beyond the tree line. For a moment, I thought I saw something-a flash of eyes reflecting in the moonlight, watching, waiting.
A chill crept over me, and I stepped back, closing the curtains tightly. Whatever was out there, lurking in the shadows, was waiting for us to make a move.