Secrets of Silverwood

ELENA'S POV

The air in the room thickened the moment I saw him again—the man from the woods. His presence on the porch made the small kitchen seem colder, as though the chill of the forest had followed him here. My grandmother stood stiffly in the doorway, her hand gripping the edge of the door like it might help her steady herself.

"Elena Carter." The man said again, his voice calm yet weighted. He stood tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair that caught the light in uneven streaks. His piercing green eyes fixed on me, and I felt like he could see straight through me, down to my very thoughts.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.

He didn't even flinch. "My name is Lucas."

"That doesn't answer my question." I said, stepping closer to the doorway. "Why were you in the woods last night? And why are you here now?"

Lucas's gaze shifted to my grandmother, who hadn't said a word. Her face was pale, her lips pressed into a tight line. It was the first time I had seen her look genuinely afraid.

"Mrs. Carter," Lucas said, addressing her formally. "May I come in?"

"No." She said quickly, her voice trembling. What was getting her so scared all of a sudden?

He nodded as if he had expected her response, then turned his attention back to me. "Elena, there's something you need to know. Something very important."

"I don't even know you." I reminded him, crossing my arms. "And you show up at my grandmother's house uninvited, acting like you're part of my life. Start explaining, or I'll call the sheriff."

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, he seemed to weigh his words carefully. "The woods aren't safe," he said finally. "Not for you, not for anyone. You shouldn't have come back to Silverwood. It was a bad decision."

"Why not?" I demanded, my frustration growing with each passing second.

"Elena, stop." My grandmother interjected, her voice sharp. "Don't talk to him."

Her sudden outburst startled me. I turned to her, searching her face for answers. "Grandma, what's going on? Do you know him?"

She didn't answer, but the way she avoided my gaze told me everything I needed to know.

"Mrs. Carter," Lucas said, his tone softening. "You know why I'm here. You can't protect her forever."

"I don't need protection!" I snapped, stepping fully into the doorway now. "What is this about? Someone needs to start talking."

Lucas's green eyes locked onto mine. "It's about you, Elena. And the truth about this town."

My grandmother grabbed my arm, pulling me back inside the house. "That's enough," she said, her voice trembling. "Elena, go upstairs."

"I'm not a child." I said, wrenching my arm free. "I'm not going anywhere until someone tells me what's going on."

Lucas didn't move from his spot on the porch, but I could see the tension in his shoulders. He looked like a predator on the verge of pouncing, though his voice remained calm. "Elena, I know this is confusing, but you're in danger. You need to trust me."

"I don't even know you." I said again, the words trembling on my lips. Why was I supposed to trust a complete stranger?

"I know," he said softly. "But I know you. I've known you your entire life."

The weight of his words hit me like a punch to the gut. "What?"

"It's true." He said. "Your parents...they knew me. They trusted me. They wanted me to protect you."

"That's enough!" My grandmother shouted, her voice cracking. "You don't get to come here and dredge up the past. You don't get to fill her head with half-truths and lies."

Lucas held her gaze for a long moment before stepping back from the doorway. "I'm not the one lying." He said quietly.

He turned and walked away, disappearing into the trees that bordered the yard. I stared after him, my heart pounding.

"What the hell just happened?" I asked, turning to my grandmother.

She shut the door and leaned against it, her shoulders sagging. "I told you not to talk to him."

"That's not an answer!" I said, my frustration boiling over. "You've been acting strange ever since I got here, and now some random guy shows up saying my parents knew him? What's going on, Grandma?"

She didn't look at me. Instead, she walked into the living room and sank into her favorite armchair. "It's complicated, Elena."

"Un-complicate it then." I said, following her. "I deserve to know the truth."

She sighed, rubbing her temples. "There are things about this town, about your family, that I've kept from you for your own good."

"That's not your decision to make," I said, my voice was softer now. "I'm an adult. I can handle the truth."

She looked up at me, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. "Your parents...they were trying to protect you. They wanted to leave Silverwood because they knew the dangers here. They trusted Lucas to help them, but it was too late."

"Too late for what?" I asked, sitting down across from her.

"There are creatures in these woods." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Dangerous, ancient things that don't belong in this world. They've been here for as long as Silverwood has existed, and they're the reason your parents died."

I stared at her, my mind reeling. "You're telling me my parents didn't die in a car accident?"

She shook her head slowly. "No. That's just the story I told you to keep you safe. The truth is...they were killed by something in the woods."

My chest tightened, and for a moment, I couldn't breathe. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Because I didn't want you to come back here." she said. "I didn't want you to get caught up in this."

"Caught up in what?" I demanded, getting even more frustrated.

She hesitated, her hands trembling in her lap. "There's something about you, Elena. Something they want."

Before I could respond, a loud howl echoed through the air, cutting through the room like a knife. My blood ran cold.

"What was that?" I whispered.

My grandmother's face was pale, her hands gripping the armrests of her chair. "They've found you." She said, her voice barely audible.

"Who?" I asked, my heart was racing at this point.

She stood up and grabbed my arm. "We need to leave. Now."