Stella's POV

On the other side of my bedroom door, I heard voices of Bec and my father, but I was too tired to hear what was being said. It wasn't until I heard the mention of Gray's name that forced me to pay more attention. I wanted to be a part of that conversation. I wanted to know why Bec was talking about Gray.

"And he wanted to see her. I turned him away, but he looked so sad about it. Do you think I did the right thing?" she asked.

My heart pounded at the thought that Gray was here. I wondered if he was still close by. I couldn't miss my chance with him. With the little energy I had, I stood up from my bed and instantly black spots appeared in my vision until I couldn't see anything.

When I woke up, I was standing in front of the gate, wearing nothing but a track suit and socks. An icy wind whipped my face, causing tears to well in my eyes. I blinked them away as I tried to figure out how I got here. One moment I was in my bedroom and the next I was here. How did I slip by my parents?

I shivered as I looked around myself. In the snow's silence, I heard my name being called.

I jumped at the sound of it. My eyes scanned the space, trying to find the source of the sound. "Show yourself!" I commanded. I braced myself for the shadow monster, but was unsure if I would find it.

"Hello, my dear, Stella," Graywick said from behind me.

I turned to face him as he towered over me. He was the first connection I had with Churchwell in months. He was here talking to me, and I was desperate for answers. I didn't know how I got here, and I hoped he could tell me. "What is happening to me?" I begged as tears ran down my face. "I don't feel like I'm in control anymore."

He smiled as he walked around me. "You are interesting. I have been watching you for a few weeks now."

"Then tell me what is going on."

He shook his head as he looked behind me with a frown. "We will be in touch," he said, then vanished into smoke.

I swore loudly as I looked around myself, trying to find him again. "Graywick! Come here!" I demanded, hoping he would show his face.

"Graywick!" I screamed as I dropped to my knees. "What is happening to me?" I didn't care if the snow melted through my pants. I was already wet and cold. He was here and acknowledged that something was wrong, but he didn't stay to give me answers. Instead, he left me here, still confused how I got here.

Tears ran down my face as fear took over. I felt like I was running out of time. If he wouldn't come back, I would find my own answers. Determination filled me as I wiped my nose. I would go to Churchwell myself and get the answers I needed with no one's help. I stood up from the ground and brushed myself off.

<>

"Stella?" Gray's voice rang out behind me.

My breath caught in my throat as I questioned whether or not he was actually behind me. For so long, I dreamt of his voice, so this seemed a little too good to be true. A part of me feared that the shadow monster was behind me, using his voice as a trap. Fear held me still as I waited for the next move.

"Stella, is that you?" he asked again.

He sounded so real. I couldn't deny that voice. I wiped the tears from my eyes, then turned to face Gray standing next to Else. "Gray?" I just prayed that I wasn't imagining this. "Are you really there?"

He nodded as he took steps towards me in disbelief. "I'm really here."

"I didn't think I would see you again," I whimpered.

When Gray didn't respond to my texts, I was angry. I thought it was because he wasn't interested in me anymore. But as I stared into his eyes in this moment, I realized he missed me just as much as I missed him.

We stared at each other for a moment as if neither of us believed we were seeing the other. Finally, I couldn't help myself. I reached out and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him close. I buried my face in his shoulder and breathed in his scent.

I dreamed of this moment, and I didn't want to miss it. I didn't want to regret not reaching out for him. He needed to know that I still cared about him.

"I missed you so much," I mumbled. I soaked in his heat. I didn't want to let him go.

"Me too," he said as he held me tighter for a moment, then let go to stare at me longer.

He looked tired, but more fit than the last time I saw him. I wondered what he was doing in Churchwell to help him form his defined arms. "Are you ok? How have you been?"

"I'm ok. But how are you?"

I glanced at Else and knew that it was not the time to unload my concerns. For now, I would have to hold them to myself. "I'm ok. How is Churchwell?"

"Churchwell is—"

"Grayson, we don't have time for this," Else said, cutting him off with a frown.

Once again Else let her presence known as she stood beside the open gate. If I could shoot daggers with my eyes, I would have done it towards Else. Gray and I hadn't seen each other in a long time. We at least deserved a few moments of privacy.

Gray frowned as he let go of my hands. "I have to go."

I shook my head, not wanting him to leave. I grabbed his hands again in an attempt to keep him here. We had only said a few words. I had so many questions still. I wanted him here. "Don't," I begged.

He looked Else then back towards me. "I have to."

Tears welled in my eyes again.

"But I'll be back soon. I promise."

"You do?"

"I do." He kissed my cheek, then let go of my hands. He walked through the gate, but turned to me to give one last look. He gave a small smile, which I returned, then he closed the gate behind him, leaving me alone in the field.

I sniffled as I tried to calm myself. I saw Gray. He was in front of me and, for a moment; we had shared a few words. I wanted more, though. That wasn't enough. Already I wanted to know when he would come next.

That wasn't enough for me. I still had so much to say to him. Unable to help myself, I opened the gate, but Churchwell didn't appear. It caused a frown to form on my face. He was really gone, and I wasn't sure when he would come back. For a moment, fear held me. My headaches, my blackouts, they were all getting worse. I feared it was because of the Darkling poison but I didn't have the chance to ask him. What if he came, and it was already too late?

Once again, I realized I couldn't rely on anyone. If I wanted answers, I would have to find them myself because it seemed like everyone else was busy.

My first step would be to get back to Churchwell.

Knowing that I could not get there today, I turned on my heels and walked towards the bike path. I needed to return home before my parents realized I wasn't in my room.

With each step I took towards home, the sharp pain in my feet turned numb. My socks were soaked, but walking through the snow made it worse. Home was a few miles away and as the pain slowly grew, I wondered how I would get home.

To make matters worse, a headache formed just as the sun started to set.

Breaking me from my path was a growl that echoed in the distance. Almost immediately following that sound, a Darkling jumped over my head and bounded down the road.

It paid no attention to me as at leapt and attacked another Darkling.

I screamed as I stumbled to the ground as I watched them fight, tearing into each other's flesh. I had never seen them fight each other before and the gruesome sight caused me to feel sick to my stomach.

Black blood littered the ground as one Darkling gave one final cry before clasping to the ground.

The victorious Darkling, which was the one that jumped over me, cried out, then looked around, locking eyes with me. It stared at me for a moment before screeching and coming towards me.

My breath hitched as I scrambled to my feet. With no way to defend myself, I knew that I was done for. With my hands held high, I tried to look as large as possible. "Stay back," I warned.

Instantly, the breast stopped. Silently, it stared at me, as if waiting for my next command.

Unsure what it was doing, I frowned. "Sit," I commanded it.

On command, it sat down in the snow, making the snow around it black.

Darklings were viscous. They killed without a second thought, so why was the one listening to me? And if one was listening to me, how many others were? "Go away. Leave me," I shouted.

It gave a small growl, then got up and walked off into the woods.

I watched it retreat until I couldn't see it anymore. With my heart racing in my chest, I let out a shaky breath. I was close enough to smell its smokey sent and lived to tell the tale. In fact, I did more than live. I was in control of the whole thing.

Breaking me out of my thoughts was the sound of screeching car tires and a blaring horn.

I looked up to see a car pull off to the side of the road as another car swerved around it.

"Stella! There you are!" dad said to me as he jumped out of the car. "You gave us a panic attack."

"I'm sorry," I mumbled as my mind drifted elsewhere. The Darkling was the only thing on my mind.

He held my shoulders and looked at me from head to toe. "Why are you dressed like this? It's freezing. And where are your shoes?"

Silently tears ran down my face as I struggled to come up with a way to cover this.

"That's it. We need to take you back to the hospital for more tests."

"I saw Gray," I spat out as I got into the car.

"Oh."

Slowly, the lie formed in my head, and I spat out the words as they came to me. "I heard Bec talking about him, and I had to find him for myself. I think I ran in a hurry, and I forgot my shoes."

"That's not normal Stella. Who forgets shoes as they leave the house? Do you understand how concerning that is?"

"I just didn't want to waste any time. I heard he was leaving, and I didn't want to miss my chance."

He frowned. "That's not normal."

My mind went from the Darkling encounter to Gray. I didn't even have time to ask him about my note that I left on his bed a few days ago. "I wondered if he got my note," I mentioned under my breath, trying to change the subject.

"That is the least of my concerns right now, Stella."

"Dad, calm down. I'm ok. I should have texted you about it, and I'm sorry."

"Don't let it happen again."

"I promise."