Anya could not sleep that night when she left Alaric's house.
The air felt wrong, too heavy, too still, like the world was holding its breath. She lay awake staring at the ceiling when a sound cut through the silence.
A howl.
It came from the forest behind the Stone house.
It was low, raw and full of pain.
Her heart clenched so tightly it hurt to breathe.
She sat up in bed, fingers curling into the blanket as another howl followed, longer this time, shaking, as if something was being torn apart. Goosebumps rose along her arms. She had never heard anything like it before.
And yet it felt familiar.
"Alaric…" she whispered without knowing why.
The sound made her chest ache. Fear crept in, sharp and cold, telling her something terrible was happening. She almost got out of bed, almost ran toward the forest, but her legs would not move.
The howling went on deep into the night.
By morning, the forest was silent.
So was he.
Anya waited for him all day.
She waited at the usual corner where he walked her home. She waited by her phone, checking it so often her fingers hurt. When evening came and there was still no sign of him, unease settled in her stomach like a stone.
The next day, she finally heard the truth.
"The Stone family left last night," someone said casually. "Packed up and returned to Central City."
Anya froze.
Left?
Just like that?
She ran home, heart pounding, and stood in her room staring at the wall where his jacket used to hang when he visited, at the chair he always sat in, at the window he used to lean against when teasing her.
He was gone.
There was no goodbye.
That night, she broke.
She curled up on her bed, clutching a pillow to her chest as the dam finally gave way. The memory replayed over and over in her mind, his expression that day, the way his eyes looked when she nodded and told him she wanted space.
For his sake.
Her chest tightened until she could not breathe.
"I didn't mean it like that…" she whispered into the dark.
Tears soaked into the pillow as guilt crushed her from every side.
She remembered the pain in his eyes. The way he had asked if she really wanted him to stay away. How she had nodded because she thought it was the right thing to do.
"I forced you to leave, didn't I?" she sobbed.
She pressed her face into her hands, shaking.
"I thought… I thought I was helping you. I thought if you focused on your life, you would be happier."
Her voice broke completely.
"I didn't know you would disappear."
Anya could not sleep that night.
The air felt wrong, too heavy, too still, like the world was holding its breath. She lay awake staring at the ceiling when a sound cut through the silence.
A howl.
It came from the forest behind the Stone house.
Low.
Raw.
Full of pain.
Her heart clenched so tightly it hurt to breathe.
She sat up in bed, fingers curling into the blanket as another howl followed, longer this time, shaking, as if something was being torn apart. Goosebumps rose along her arms. She had never heard anything like it before.
And yet it felt familiar.
"Alaric…" she whispered without knowing why.
The sound made her chest ache. Fear crept in, sharp and cold, telling her something terrible was happening. She almost got out of bed, almost ran toward the forest, but her legs would not move.
The howling went on deep into the night.
By morning, the forest was silent.
So was he.
Anya waited for him all day.
She waited at the usual corner where he walked her home. She waited by her phone, checking it so often her fingers hurt. When evening came and there was still no sign of him, unease settled in her stomach like a stone.
The next day, she finally heard the truth.
"The Stone family left last night," someone said casually. "Packed up and returned to Central City."
Anya froze.
Left?
Just like that?
She ran home, heart pounding, and stood in her room staring at the wall where his jacket used to hang when he visited, at the chair he always sat in, at the window he used to lean against when teasing her.
He was gone.
No goodbye.
No explanation.
No Alaric.
That night, she broke.
She curled up on her bed, clutching a pillow to her chest as the dam finally gave way. The memory replayed over and over in her mind, his expression that day, the way his eyes looked when she nodded and told him she wanted space.
For his sake.
Her chest tightened until she could not breathe.
"I didn't mean it like that…" she whispered into the dark.
Tears soaked into the pillow as guilt crushed her from every side.
She remembered the pain in his eyes. The way he had asked if she really wanted him to stay away. How she had nodded because she thought it was the right thing to do.
"I forced you to leave, didn't I?" she sobbed.
She pressed her face into her hands, shaking.
"I thought… I thought I was helping you. I thought if you focused on your life, you would be happier."
Her voice broke completely.
"I didn't know you would disappear."
The forest outside her window stood silent and dark, offering no answers. But deep inside her chest, something ached, something hollow and raw, like a part of her had been torn away.
That night, Anya realized the truth she could not yet name.
She had not just lost a boy who mattered to her.
She had lost something bound to her soul.
*****
Margaret noticed something was wrong the moment she stepped into Anya's room.
Her daughter sat curled up on the bed, knees drawn to her chest, eyes fixed on nothing. The curtains were half drawn, letting in only a thin strip of afternoon light. It felt dim, quiet, wrong.
Margaret sat beside her and gently brushed a hand through Anya's hair.
"Sweetheart," she said softly. "You have barely spoken all day. Are you feeling unwell?"
Anya shook her head but did not look up.
"I'm fine, Mum."
Margaret did not believe her. She never did when Anya said it like that.
"Did something happen at school?" she asked carefully. "Or with Alaric?"
At the sound of his name, Anya's fingers tightened around the fabric of her sleeve.
"He's gone," she said quietly.
Margaret froze. "Gone?"
Before Anya could answer, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway. The smell of alcohol reached the room before the man himself appeared in the doorway.
Her father, Benjamin Holloway, stood there, eyes bloodshot but clearer than usual, a half empty bottle hanging loosely from his hand. He laughed, sharp and bitter.
"Gone is right," he said. "Finally."
Margaret turned sharply. "What are you talking about?"
"The Stone family," he snapped, stumbling a step forward. "Good that they packed up and left Westbridge. Take their arrogance and that cursed boy with them."
Anya's head snapped up. "Stop," she said, her voice shaking.
Her father ignored her.
"I have had enough of them acting like they own this place," he continued, anger spilling out of him. "Always talking like they are kings and queens. Like the rest of us are dirt under their shoes."
"That is enough," Margaret said firmly, standing between him and Anya.
But he was already ranting, his words slurred yet cruelly clear.
"And that boy," he sneered. "Always staring at me like he wanted to tear my throat out. Walking around like he was some kind of threat. I am glad he is gone. Glad I do not have to see those eyes watching me anymore."
Anya's chest felt tight, like something was crushing her from the inside.
"He never threatened you," she said, her voice small but fierce. "He never did anything to you."
Her father scoffed. "You are blind if you think that. He thought he was better than us. Better than me."
Margaret's hands clenched into fists.
"Get out," she said coldly. "Go sleep it off. You have said enough."
He stared at her for a moment, then laughed again and turned away, his footsteps unsteady as he disappeared down the hall.
Silence filled the room.
Anya's shoulders began to shake.
Margaret sat down beside her again and pulled her into her arms. Anya broke completely then, tears soaking into her mother's shoulder.
"I didn't know he would leave," Anya sobbed. "I didn't want him gone."
Margaret held her tighter, her own eyes stinging.
"I know," she whispered. "I know, my love."
But even as her mother held her, Anya felt it clearly.
Whatever had left Westbridge with the Stone family had taken a part of her with it.