The clock struck 9:45 on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. Excitement bubbled as Haul Academy students piled onto the buses, ready for a scenic trip to the hills and forests outside town.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, a welcome change after the recent chaos involving a supernatural entity, a shattered mirror, and Mr. Harl's coma.
Rossie, Michael, Ethan, Becky, and Angela sat together near the front of a bus. The tension from the hospital and the storekeep's room still hung in the air, barely concealed.
Rossie felt uneasy, a faint pulse coming from the moonflower in her satchel.
The ride went smoothly until one bus started sputtering and eventually stopped near a dense forest.
The driver cursed as he got out to check the engine. Students spilled out, chatting and stretching.
Rossie frowned, sensing something wrong as the forest shadows seemed to deepen.
"Something feels off," she muttered, clutching her satchel.
Suddenly, a guttural roar shattered the calm. The ground trembled as wolves with glowing red eyes and matted fur burst from the trees.
Panic erupted as they lunged at the students, claws and teeth bared.
Screams filled the air as the excursion turned into chaos.
"Get back!" Rossie yelled, swinging her satchel at a wolf, the moonflower's light flaring. Michael darted to Angela's side, shielding her from a snapping wolf, taking a blow to his arm.
"Stay behind me!" he shouted, his focus solely on Angela.
Ethan grabbed Becky's hand as a wolf charged. "Hold on!" he cried, pulling her behind a bus tire, protecting her as he kicked at the creature. Becky clung to him, fumbling for the Vine Codex.
"These aren't normal - they're influenced by something!" she cried.
Rossie fought bravely, using a branch to fend off the wolves, but they were overwhelmed. A wolf clawed her leg, and she stumbled.
"Eli! I need you - now!" she cried.
A swirl of golden mist appeared, and Eli, the Gardener, materialized.
"The wild ones bow to the garden's will!" he thundered, raising his luminescent bloom. A wave of golden light struck the wolves, who howled and retreated into the forest.
Rossie sank to her knees, her leg throbbing. Michael rushed to her, guilt in his eyes.
"Rossie, are you okay?" he asked, helping her up. Ethan pulled Becky close, relieved. "We're alive - thanks to you," he said to Rossie.
Eli approached, his voice gentle. "The forest holds a taint, child - perhaps a fragment of the entity's reach.
Rest now, but beware its echoes." He faded into the mist, leaving the group to deal with the shaken students and the broken bus, the excursion ruined by a supernatural encounter.
But...rossie , you fought extraordinarily today. Ethan said. We're proud of you.
I wish that someday, you meet someone who really cherish you and know your worth
....Michael felt those words were indirectly criticizing him but he uttered not a word.....
•••••••••♪••••••••••••••
6:30 PM... on a warm Tuesday evening.
The auditorium at Haul Academy was buzzing with a tense, uneasy energy. Parents had gathered for the monthly Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meeting, but tonight's atmosphere was far from the usual polite discussions about grades and upcoming events.
Instead, whispers and worried glances filled the room as everyone tried to make sense of the strange events that had unfolded earlier that day.
The day had started like any other, but the school excursion had quickly turned into a nightmare.
The bus had broken down deep in the forest, leaving the students stranded. Then came the terrifying encounter with wild animals - wolves, or something like them - that had left several kids shaken and bruised.
Rumors of glowing eyes and strange shadows had spread like wildfire, and now the parents were desperate for answers.
The auditorium was packed. Parents sat shoulder to shoulder, their faces etched with concern and frustration. Teachers and staff, including the principal, took their places at the front, trying to maintain a calm demeanor despite the growing tension.
Near the back, Rossie, Michael, Ethan, Becky, and Angela lingered quietly. They were still nursing their bruises and the emotional weight of what had happened in the forest.
Rossie's father, Detective James Carter, stood among the crowd, his police uniform making him stand out. His eyes scanned the room, alert and serious.
The principal finally cleared his throat, hoping to bring order to the chaos.
"Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming on such short notice. We're here to address your concerns and ensure the safety of our students - "
Before he could finish, a sharp voice cut through the room.
Mrs. Patel, a stern-looking mother of two, stood up, her face flushed with anger. "Safety? My daughter came back with claw marks on her arms! She's been talking about wolves with glowing eyes lurking near the forest.
What kind of school lets something like this happen? And don't even get me started on the black water and the shadows - my son says the garden's cursed!"
Her words sparked a wave of murmurs and nods across the room. More parents stood, their voices rising in frustration.
Mr. Daniels, a burly man with a deep frown, waved a crumpled newspaper clipping. "The town's falling apart - crops are failing, kids are getting sick, and it all points back to this place!
My boy told me a teacher's in a coma, and no one's explaining why!"
Detective James Carter stepped forward, his badge catching the light. His voice was calm but firm.
"I've been looking into these reports myself. Strange lights, animal attacks, and now this excursion incident. My daughter Rossie was involved, and I want to know what's really going on here."
Rossie shrank back slightly, clutching her satchel tightly. Inside, the moonflower she'd picked earlier pulsed faintly, almost as if it were alive. She exchanged a quick glance with Michael, who looked just as uneasy.
Ethan clenched his fists, the memory of the wolves still fresh and frightening. Becky nervously flipped through her notebook, and Angela crossed her arms, her usual confident bravado noticeably subdued.
The principal tried to regain control.
"We're investigating the bus breakdown as a mechanical failure, and the animals were likely provoked by the students. As for the other incidents, they're isolated events -...
"
"Isolated?" Mrs. Patel interrupted sharply. "My daughter says students are hearing voices and seeing things no one else can explain! This school has turned into a nightmare, and you're doing nothing!"
Other parents nodded vigorously, their complaints growing louder. They spoke of the garden's odd behavior, the strange rumors about the hospital, and the eerie atmosphere that seemed to settle over the school like a dark cloud.
James turned sharply to the principal, his detective instincts kicking in.
"I've seen enough strange cases to know when something's off. If this is beyond the ordinary, I need to know. Rossie, come here."
His tone brooked no argument. Rossie hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest as all eyes turned toward her. Slowly, she stepped forward, feeling the weight of the room's gaze.
"Dad, it's complicated," she whispered, barely audible. "The school's… different. We're trying to handle it."
James's jaw tightened. "Handle it? Rossie, you promised you'd call me if anything happened. If there's danger, I'm not going to let it slide. We're going to get to the bottom of this—together."
His protective stance quieted the room for a moment, but the parents' outrage simmered just beneath the surface. Their demands for answers and action echoed through the hall as the meeting quickly devolved into a heated debate.
The principal raised his hands, desperate to calm the crowd.
"We'll form a committee to investigate thoroughly. Please, let's remain calm and work together."
But the air remained charged, thick with bitterness and fear. The school's hidden supernatural strife was no longer a secret, and James's presence added a new layer of scrutiny to Rossie and her friends' secret battle.
As the meeting adjourned, whispers followed Rossie and her friends out of the auditorium.
The fight to protect their school and their town was only just beginning.