The Girl in the Woods

Chapter 1

Rain fell softly on the city that night. Streetlights shimmered in puddles, and every passing car left a trail of silver water behind.

Seventeen-year-old Thalric Gray walked alone across the bridge, his hands deep in his hoodie pockets and his backpack hanging low on one shoulder.

He wasn’t afraid of the dark—he just liked when the world was quiet. The rain made everything gentler, hiding the noise of people, hiding the weight of school, hiding the loneliness that had followed him for years.

The bridge lights flickered once, then steadied again. Far below, the river moved like black glass, silent and endless.

Thalric stopped for a moment to watch the water. His breath came out in a faint mist. Behind him, the city hummed—neon signs, bus engines, laughter from a nearby bar—but here, halfway across, the sound faded. It almost felt like another world.

Then he heard footsteps.

Soft, careful steps. Someone was coming from the far end of the bridge.

He turned quickly. A girl was walking toward him. She wore a dark coat that brushed her knees and boots that barely made a sound on the wet ground. Her hair clung to her face in damp waves, and when she looked up, the streetlight caught her eyes—gray, almost silver.

“Sorry,” she said quietly. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

“You didn’t,” he said, even though she had.

She smiled a little. “That’s good. Most people get nervous when they see someone walking alone at night.”

Thalric gave a weak laugh. “Guess I’m not most people.”

She tilted her head as if studying him. “No. You’re not.”

He frowned. “Do I… know you?”

“Not yet.”

Before he could ask what that meant, she glanced toward the woods on the other side of the bridge. The trees stood like shadows in the mist, the edges fading into darkness.

“You shouldn’t go in there,” he said without thinking. “It’s dangerous at night.”

“That’s why I go,” she whispered.

Something about the way she said it made the hair on his arms stand. The wind brushed past them, carrying the smell of wet leaves.

Then she looked straight at him. “You should head home, Thalric Gray.”

He froze. “Wait—how do you know my—”

But she was already walking away, her figure dissolving into the fog.

He stood there for a long time, heart racing. Then he checked his phone—9:23 p.m. He had stayed too long.

---

That night, sleep refused to come. He kept seeing her face behind his eyelids—those eyes that seemed to glow, the way she’d said his name.

Maybe she went to his school? Maybe she saw his ID somewhere?

None of the guesses made sense.

He tossed and turned until past midnight. When he finally drifted off, his dream was filled with moonlight and running—through trees, through rain, through something that felt alive and watching.

When he woke, his heart was pounding, and there was a faint, burning mark on his wrist. It faded before he could see what it was.

---

Morning looked normal again.

His mother was in the kitchen talking loudly on the phone. The smell of toast filled the air.

“Thalric, you’re late!” she said, hanging up. “You stayed at that library again, didn’t you?”

He mumbled, “Yeah,” grabbed a slice of bread, and left before she could ask more.

The sky was cloudy, the kind of gray that promised more rain.

---

At school, the halls buzzed with chatter and footsteps. Thalric slipped quietly to his seat in the back of the classroom, pulling out his notes.

He liked mornings like this—simple, predictable. But that peace lasted only five minutes.

The door opened. The teacher looked up. “Ah, you must be the new student. Come in.”

Thalric’s hand froze halfway through writing.

The girl from the bridge stepped inside.

She was wearing the same calm expression, as if she’d expected this. Her gray eyes swept across the room, pausing on him for just a heartbeat before she turned to the teacher.

“Class, this is Veluna Vale,” the teacher said. “She just transferred here. Be kind, alright?”

Veluna gave a small nod. The teacher pointed. “You can sit by the window.”

That was the empty seat two rows from Thalric.

For the rest of the lesson, he could feel her presence like a quiet hum in the air. She didn’t take notes. She didn’t fidget. She just watched the world outside the window, lost somewhere else entirely.

When the bell rang, she glanced back at him. Their eyes met for a second. Then she smiled faintly—as if to say yes, it’s me—and walked out.

---

By lunch, everyone was talking about the new girl.

“She came from another city.”

“I heard she doesn’t talk much.”

“Her eyes are weird but kinda pretty.”

Thalric ignored most of it, but curiosity kept nagging him. He found her sitting alone by the window in the cafeteria, untouched food in front of her.

He hesitated, then walked over. “Hey.”

She looked up, expression unreadable. “Hey.”

“Uh, you probably don’t remember, but we—”

“Met on the bridge,” she finished softly. “I remember.”

He blinked. “Right. You kinda disappeared after that.”

“I had to.”

“Because?”

Veluna looked at him for a long time before saying, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try me.”

Her lips curved slightly. “Not here.”

Before he could ask what she meant, she stood up and left.

---

Evening came faster than usual. The rain returned, heavier this time. Thalric walked home alone again, thoughts spinning.

Halfway across the bridge, he stopped.

The woods on the far side were darker than ever, but something pulled him toward them—a strange, deep tug inside his chest, like a heartbeat that wasn’t his own.

He stepped off the road and followed the narrow path. Rain dripped from the branches, soaking his hair.

After a few minutes, he saw a faint light ahead—a soft glow like moonlight through fog.

Veluna stood in a small clearing, her coat gone, her hair loose and wet. She turned when she heard him.

“You came.”

“I had to know,” he said, breathing hard. “Who are you?”

Her eyes caught the light. “Someone who shouldn’t be here.”

“That doesn’t explain anything.”

She took a step closer. “You wouldn’t believe me if I said you’re not supposed to be here either.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Thalric…” She hesitated, looking at the sky. The clouds were breaking apart, revealing the full moon. “You’re changing.”

He frowned. “Changing how?”

She reached for his wrist. The moment her fingers touched his skin, heat rushed through his veins. A symbol—two curved lines forming a crescent—glowed faintly before fading again.

He stumbled back. “What did you do?”

“It’s not me,” she said quickly. “It’s the moon. It’s your blood waking up.”

“Blood? What are you saying?”

A low, distant howl echoed through the forest. It wasn’t a dog. It was deeper, ancient. The ground seemed to tremble under his feet.

Veluna’s expression turned sharp. “It’s coming.”

“What is?”

She didn’t answer. She just grabbed his hand and pulled him along the path. They ran, branches whipping against their arms.

“Veluna!” he shouted. “What’s happening?”

“Keep running!”

Behind them, something moved through the trees—fast, heavy, breathing loud. The sound made his chest tighten.

They burst out of the woods onto the bridge. The city lights looked too bright, almost unreal.

Veluna stopped, turning back toward the darkness. Rain plastered her hair to her face.

“Thalric,” she said breathlessly, “if you start to feel the pull, don’t fight it. Fighting makes it worse.”

“The pull? What pull?”

“You’ll know when it happens.”

Lightning flashed. For a second, her eyes glowed silver again, brighter than before.

Then she was gone—like she had melted into the rain.

Thalric stood alone on the bridge, drenched, shaking. The night was silent except for the rain and his heartbeat.

He looked down at his wrist. The faint mark glimmered there again, soft but alive, as if pulsing with the rhythm of his heart.

Another howl echoed far away, and something inside him stirred in answer.

He didn’t know it yet, but that night was the beginning—the first crack in the world he thought he understood.

The moon shone through the clouds, pale and watching.

And Thalric Gray realized that whatever had started in the woods… wasn’t finished with him.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***