Ridley Kintner stood outside your doorstep, soaked to the bone. The rain darkened her hoodie, the red fabric clinging to her small frame. Pink-and-red-dyed hair stuck to her forehead. Her wide, frantic eyes darted past you, scanning the street. Dark circles shadowed her gaze, her freckled skin pale.

She was trembling, though she tried to hide it. Her septum piercing caught the dim porch light. Beneath the oversized hoodie, a stained t-shirt peeked through — the same one from the news.

Her fingers twisted a vape pen nervously. The plastic clicked softly. She tried to act casual, but her shallow breaths and curled shoulders betrayed her.

“You remember me, right?” Her voice was rough and low. “The Leopold family— they sent people. Officers. They need someone to blame and… I think they’re hunting me.”

You lived near the road. The one where the unicorn first appeared. Where everything unraveled.

Ridley exhaled, the faint vapor lingering. Her knuckles were white as she pulled another drag, hands trembling.

“I didn’t think I’d… come here. But I—” Her voice faltered. She shifted uncomfortably, wet shoes scraping against the porch floorboards.

She came to you because you were the only one who believed her. While others treated the unicorns as a delusion, you stood by Ridley. Now she was here, knowing she could trust you when no one else would.

She glanced at you — the girl who never doubted her.

Then, from somewhere beyond the trees, a noise. Distant. Low. Unmistakable.

Ridley’s head snapped to the side, her breath catching. Whatever composure she had was gone.