Stella's POV

Look out for the <>!

"So champ, want to go cross-country skiing with Bec and I?" dad asked on a Saturday afternoon.

I put my phone down and shrugged, knowing I had nothing else going on. Alice had been unusually quiet today, which meant I had more time than normal on my hands. "Sure."

"Great!" Bec cheered as she walked into the family room. "Get ready. The sun will set in the next hour, and we want to leave soon."

I smiled at her enthusiasm as I got up from the couch I sat on. I welcomed the activity to go out with them and tried to be ask quick as possible to change into something warmer.

Before long, dad, Bec, and I were strapping our boots in the parking lot of the trailhead. I leaned against the car for support as I got into my ski gear. Since the trail was on the edge of town, the parking lot was nearly empty, telling us the trail would be empty as well. That was always a good sign, since we all liked the privacy of taking the path alone.

"How about we take the long route this time?" Bec asked as she strapped on her ski boots, then slipped on her mittens.

Dad looked at me for an answer, knowing that I was normally pickier about the trails we went on.

"Sure. That's fine. Do you think we will get back in time before the sun sets?" I asked as I looked at the lowering sun in the sky.

"I think we will get back right in time if we keep a solid speed," Bec said as she inched closer to the trailhead, getting antsy about going.

"Ok. I'll take your word on it," I said to them as I put on my boots slowly. A headache started to form in the back of my head, lightly thudding against my skull, distracting me from the true task at hand.

"Are you alright?" dad asked as he noticed me wince.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why don't you get a head start? I'll catch up to you," I said as I adjusted a boot that I snapped in too tight.

"Are you sure?" Bec asked as she looked at the trail, then the time on her phone, already wanting to leave.

I nodded with a smile, knowing that I would just slow them down if this headache continued. I knew the path they wanted to take. It took a loop so I could just go the opposite way and meet up with them as they made their way back to the car. "I'm sure."

"Ok, we will see you on the path," dad said as he started on the path and Bec followed.

I watched as they pushed into a tree line just as snow started to fall around me. Knowing that I couldn't waste much time, I quickly finished getting ready, then started on the same path they went down.

<>

As I pushed into the tree line, the snow came down harder, blocking my vision. Between the snow and the raging headache, I found it hard to stay on the path. I took turns through the trees, believing I was on the trail, but after pushing forward for a few minutes, I realized I was far from the path that I was familiar with.

With the sun setting, panic filled me. I looked around for the path however it was now lost in the fresh snow. Before long, it would be completely dark, and I did not know where I was. I had thrown myself into a mess and I needed to get out.

Pushing the snow from my eyes, I broke through a tree line, hoping to see better. I hoped that in the empty field I would at least see the road that I could walk to. I rubbed my eyes as the snow slowed down. I took another step into the field, stopped as I heard a branch snap. "Bec? Dad?" I shouted, hoping to hear them call out to me.

I turned around and squinted as I saw something move in the tree line. "Dad?" I called out, hoping he would come out and guide me to the car.

However, what came into view wasn't my dad. In the dark of the woods, I saw Darklings move like shadows, not noticing me. It had been almost two months since I last saw one. The sight caused my skin to burn as if Darkling poison was affecting me all over again. Darklings were here. That meant the gate was open. If it was open, maybe I could get there and speak to Gray.

My heart raced as I watched them attack an elk. The beast cried out in pain as the Darklings teared into it with their teeth. Unable to move, I watched as they continued to eat. I didn't understand why they hadn't noticed me, but I didn't question it. They were powerful, dangerous, and I needed to protect myself from them. Gray wouldn't be here to protect me this time if they attacked me. I would have to deal with the beasts myself.

Their blackened skin contrasted with the freshly fallen snow. They were like inked letters in a white newspaper.

I heard another twig snap, which caused me to turn back to the field. There, in the middle of the snowy ground, was Graywick. He talked to someone wearing a black cloak, hiding their face as the Darklings circled them. Their conversations were too muted for me to hear, which caused curiosity to fill me like an overflowing pot of water.

Unable to stop myself, stepped forward, wanting to hear what was being said. The snow crunched beneath my feet and instantly, their conversation stopped as they looked around. Fear caused me to hold my breath as I watched them scan over me as if I was invisible to them.

Their lack of action towards me gave me the confidence to take another step closer. Snow crunched again as I moved. However, they did not stop talking this time.

"Thank you for the information," Graywick said with a nod as the hooded figured turned into an enormous bird and flew away.

Now alone, Graywick snapped his fingers. In a matter of seconds, the Darklings that attacked the elk were on his heals. They growled as they waited for his next command, like dogs to a master. He waved his hand as the gate to Churchwell appeared in front of him. He opened the door to the gate, and the Darklings ran in.

Just before he followed the beasts to the other realm, he turned to me, finally acknowledging I was there. In silence, he smiled at me.

I stared back at him. There was something in his eye that told me he wouldn't hurt me, at least not yet. There was something he was holding back from me, but he was hinting it with his eyes. In this moment, I didn't care how dangerous he had been or the lives he ended. Seeing him gave me a connection to Churchwell and Gray, something I longed for. It reminded me that Churchwell and Gray were still out there. 

He took a step closer to the gate which made me realize that if I said nothing, I would lose my chance. If Gray wasn't going to answer my questions, maybe he would. "Hey, don't go!" I shouted to him.

He shook his head as his smile grew then silently, he walked into the gate, shutting the door behind him.

As quickly as the gate appeared, it was now gone with no trace of it around. Disappointment flooded through me as I knew I missed my chance. 

"Stella! There you are!" dad's voice rang out from behind me as the setting sun instantly turned into darkness.

His voice caused me to jump and let out a small scream.

"Stella, it's just me," dad said with concern.

I spun around to look at him from head to toe. He was really here, but it wasn't safe for him. My eyes scanned the area to make sure there were no Darklings in sight. He shouldn't be here. Graywick might not attack me, but my dad was another story. This concern caused my heart to thud with such force that I was sure he would hear it.

"What did you see?" he asked as he looked behind me.

I shook my head as I looked at where the gate used to be. There was nothing there anymore. Instead, it was just an empty space with no proof that anything was here. I looked to see where the Darklings attacked the Elk and not even the carcass of the animal remained. The lack of proof caused my anxiety to skyrocket and my breath to hitch.

"What is it, Stella?"

I took a deep breath to calm myself down. Dad didn't understand the dangers I just witnessed and he wouldn't understand. "You just caught me by surprise."

Dad frowned, not believing my words. He looked around us, then sighed. "Is your phone dead?"

I shook my head as I pulled it out to show him it wasn't. However, I realized I had missed four calls from dad within the last 30 minutes. "No. But you called."

"We were getting worried."

"I'm sorry. I never realized..." I didn't think I was out for this long. I didn't realize that I had missed his calls. That wasn't like me. I always caught his calls. Time must have escaped me.

He nodded. "Clearly. We need to get back to the car. The snow isn't stopping."

"Ok," I said as I blinked the snow from my eyes.

As we trudged through the snow, I noticed I veered far off the original trail.

"I know you are normally good at answering the phone, but please don't pull that stunt again," dad said as we got onto the path towards the car.

"I promise. I just got distracted."

"I could tell."

By the time we got to the car, Bec was waiting within the warm interior, looking at her phone. She looked up as I stepped inside.

"Where did you go off to?" Bec asked calmly. She was less nervous about the situation than my father was, which caused me to relax a little more.

"The snow took me off the path. I got lost." I said as I strapped my boots off, freeing my now frozen feet.

"Yeah, the snow is crazy, isn't it? It wasn't supposed to snow, but it was some freak pop up," Bec said as dad backed out of the parking spot and drove off.

"Yeah. It is," I said as I trained my eyes on the outside, trying to find any Darklings out there. My mind flashed back to watching Graywick go through the gate. However, the gate that Gray opened was nowhere near the place that Graywick opened it. I wondered how he was able to do that. I also wondered where the dead elk went to. There wasn't even any blood in the snow. It made me wonder if it was actually there or if I just imagined it.