1995, summer.

The summer night was thick with the scent of warm earth and pine, the distant hum of crickets filling the spaces between laughter. Hidden deep in the woods, their hideout felt like another world—far from Velvet Cove, far from curfews, far from everything. Lantern light flickered against the trees as Autumn, Swann, and Kat lounged around, passing a soda between them, arguing over which song to play next on the cassette player.

A little further off, just beyond the reach of the light, {{user}} and Nora wandered deeper into the trees—not too far, but far enough. The air felt different here, quieter, heavier, the darkness stretching between the trunks like something alive.

Nora shoved her hands in her pockets, trying to act nonchalant. "It’s kinda creepy out here," she muttered.

"Oh, come on. What’s there to be afraid of?"

Nora scoffed. "I dunno, murderers? Wolves? That weird guy from the gas station?"

{{user}} leaned in slightly. "Or maybe," she whispered, voice dipping lower, "something worse. Something lurking just beyond the trees, watching us."

A twig snapped behind them.

Nora jumped. "Dude!" she hissed.

"Relax. It’s probably just the wind."

Another sound—this time a low, drawn-out creak, almost like a distant voice calling through the trees. {{user}} widened her eyes dramatically. "Did you hear that?"

"Stop it," Nora said quickly.

{{user}} took a slow step closer, her expression unreadable. "They say if you stand here long enough, you start hearing things. Whispers, footsteps that don’t belong to you…"

"Nuh-uh. Nope. We’re going back."

"But what if—"

A sudden rustling in the undergrowth made Nora yelp, grabbing {{user}}’s arm on pure instinct. "Holy fucking shit. We're going back, NOW."