Peter looked conflicted. “But you shouldn’t have to worry about me magically appearing in your bed. Not to mention I had this crazy realistic dream and—”
“I had the same dream,” I blurted, and his eyes flared.
“How do you know it was the same dream?”
So, I guess we were having the conversation now then. I steeled myself to speak candidly, my voice hushed, “Did we kiss in your dream?”
Peter stilled with a look of realisation on his face. “Darya—"
“Peter, just listen, okay,” I cut him off, touching his hand as I stepped close. “If it were anyone else, I would definitely be freaked, but it was you, so …” I trailed off, hoping he caught my meaning.
He frowned, his dark eyebrows giving his features a broody effect. “What does that mean?”
I flushed so hard I was certain people on other continents could feel the heat. “Don’t make me spell it out for you,” I whispered, unable to meet his gaze.
Before he could respond, someone rounded the corner. It was Sophia. “Oh, there you are! I’ve been looking all over for you. Are you coming?” She paused then, glancing between the two of us. “Am I interrupting something?”
Peter cast me a glance, and I was almost certain I saw longing in his eyes. I understand, he said in my mind before turning to Sophia. “You’re not interrupting. Let’s go.” He paused, then looked to me one final time, his eyes full of things I couldn’t decipher. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Darya.”
“See you tomorrow,” I said, standing in the same spot as I watched them leave. I didn’t know how to feel right then. I basically confessed my feelings to Peter, and I had no idea how he felt. But he had kissed me first in real life before we dream kissed, so it wasn’t like he didn’t feel something for me.
The buzz of my phone broke me from my internal meanderings. I pulled it from my pocket and answered, “Hello?”
“Darya, where are you?” My dad replied urgently.
“I’m just leaving the gym. I’ll be with you in a minute.”
“No, don’t come outside. Go to Principal Wolf’s office. I’ll meet you there.”
“Okay, but why—” He hung up before I could finish the question. What the hell was going on? I hurried to the principal’s office, and there were several members of the Guard standing outside in their dark uniforms. I nodded to one guy who looked like he was in charge. He nodded back and let me enter the office. Inside, I found my parents, alongside more members of the Guard. Rita, Mr Roe, and Principal Wolf were also present.
As soon as my mother saw me, she hurried to my side. “You’re going to meet him in the woods,” she said, and I blinked.
“I’m going to what?”
“We responded to the note,” Rita explained. “The Guard is going to take up strategic positions so that they can close in on Vasilios when he appears.”
“So, I’m going into the woods to meet him alone?” I asked. I wasn’t afraid exactly, but I was wary. It seemed too easy that Vasilios would come to meet me and leave himself so exposed.
“We won’t be far away,” Dad reassured. “If he so much as makes a single move to harm you, I’ll be there in seconds.”
I swallowed thickly, nervous but determined. I wanted to take this guy down just as much as my parents and everybody else did. The fact that he’d come into St. Bastian’s, located my locker, and left me a note was just plain creepy. He obviously knew far more about my life than I cared for, which meant putting him behind bars was a top priority.
“Okay, when am I meeting him?”
“In just under an hour. The Guard is surrounding the forest as we speak,” Mum replied.
And that was how I found myself walking alone through the densely forested area behind St. Bastian’s. It was pitch black out, so my night vision came in handy. I’d been sceptical about the Guard’s ability to remain hidden, but as I traversed the woods, I felt entirely, and frighteningly, alone. I didn’t sense a single presence or hear a sound to indicate people nearby were watching me. It put me at ease how well they managed to stay hidden because if I couldn’t sense them, then perhaps Vasilios wouldn’t either. If he did happen to figure out this was a trap, then the worst that could happen would be for him to flee and get away.
I entered a small clearing and waited. Minutes ticked by. A cold breeze tickled the back of my neck. A feeling of unease crept in as I wondered if he would show up at all. Then, just as I started to lose hope, I saw something. A pair of unnatural yellow eyes flickered at me in the distance, and I startled. Then, a figure appeared.