- 2 days ago
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00:07my best friend stole my future alpha on bonding day she wore my luna gown he followed half dressed
00:13marked i smiled and gave my blessing because the moment he touched me my grandmother's moonstone
00:18charm shattered she said if it breaks run a catastrophe was averted whoever was closest
00:24got what was meant for me that morning chantelle claimed it was an accident i put on your luna gown
00:30by mistake and ian drank too much he didn't even realize who who he was with chantelle in my torn
00:36gown marks everywhere ian wouldn't look at me my dad kicked him to the floor ian hugged me caitlin i
00:46messed up but we can't ignore what happened please just let us be happy i'd always said no everyone
00:53expected me to explode instead i smiled so go ahead you two can complete the bond today
01:00right here ian breathed out like i'd freed him caitlin hale you're really letting these two
01:07trash wolves get away with this my mother screamed i'd humiliated our family i grabbed both of them
01:14and pulled them away before they lost control they were shaking with rage at the corner of the hallway
01:20i reached inside my dress and took out the moonstone charm my grandma had left me or rather
01:25what was left of it it had split clean in half the second they saw it all the anger drained
01:31from
01:31their faces mom dad grandmom's charm broke
01:39now it was in two pieces in my hand
01:43mom grabbed my wrist and hauled me into the elevator
01:46she stared at the broken moonstone then at me this just happened dad's face went from red to gray
01:52his fingers trembled no way then it broke when ian hugs me
02:01mom and dad exchanged a look panic on their faces hit me harder than anything upstairs
02:05the moonstone charm was no ordinary keepsake
02:10it was meant to intercept one catastrophe for me just one if it broke something catastrophic had
02:15just been diverted
02:15we're moving now hurry
02:18outside my parents kicked for ian's photo scans and took mine
02:21mom told the coordinator
02:23every word every photo every image
02:27nothing with my name could stay
02:28i pulled out my phone and deleted everything of ian
02:31his number his photos his contact info everything we fled the lodge in a panic
02:38that same night my whole family left the city
02:42the reason my whole family panicked that hard was the moonstone charm
02:45my grandma wasn't just an old woman with stories
02:47she was the seer the day she died was a bright winter afternoon
02:51she was sitting in the yard in her rock when she called my name
02:53caitlin
02:54i was eight she took off the moonstone charm
02:57she had worn her whole life and tied it around my neck
03:00she told me to keep it on never take it off
03:02if it ever broke it meant it had just blocked disaster for me
03:05then i had to run immediately away from whoever was closest when it shattered
03:09when the stone breaks it won't be bad luck it'll be ruin
03:12i didn't understand i asked her what kind of ruin
03:15she locked eyes with me and rasped three words
03:18three pines hollow
03:21three pines hollow
03:22just those three words
03:24then she leaned back in the chair
03:26closed her eyes
03:27and passed away peacefully
03:29grandma
03:30her funeral was huge
03:32not just our pack came
03:33important people from six neighboring territories showed up too
03:37that was how much her name still carried
03:39afterward i told my parents everything
03:41what grandma had given me
03:43what she had said
03:44then i asked them what three pines hollow meant
03:46they refused to answer
03:48instead they packed our bags and retreated to the city overnight
03:57years later all those buried memories came rushing back what happened between me ian and chantelle spread all over social
04:05media at first everyone dragged chantelle called her trash for sleeping with her best friend's fiancee but then people found
04:12out i hadn't screamed i hadn't fought i handed over the groom and the entire bonding ceremony without a scene
04:18and suddenly they turned on me now i was the coward i had the
04:21the weak one the rumors got uglier by the hour but i didn't care let them talk
04:28chantelle stole my place in the ceremony now she was standing in the luna's place ian's publicly recognized mate and
04:34she loved every second of it she posted non-stop a diamond ring the size of a robin's egg a
04:40two million dollar mating token ian kneeling to fasten an old family anklet around her ankle closet after closet of
04:47luxury goods every post screamed the same thing she had won and her captions thanked me
04:53thanks caitlin and thanks to the version of me who was brave enough to chase love
05:00she said this time she was getting both money and love i looked at their fake happiness and laughed she
05:05had no idea what she had taken from me she took everything public bragging about stealing my ceremony like it
05:10was a bold love story
05:12overnight she gained half a million followers comments cheered for her then people found out my family had moved they
05:18called us cowards and losers i could take the insults aimed at me but when they mocked my parents i
05:24snapped i wrote in chantelle's comments say what you want about me but leave my family out of it and
05:29stop using me for clout
05:31chantelle never replied she just liked every comment that trashed me i shook my head the moon goddess sees
05:38everything we moved half a territory away mom suggested a nearby city but dad insisted on going hundreds of miles
05:47so we went that night i finally asked my parents what grandma meant by ruin their faces were stiff mom
05:53dad when grandma said ruin what exactly did she mean
06:01maybe it's time we tell her dad hesitated you tell her ruin how
06:08i asked what kind of ruin like a wildfire or a landslide do you remember three pines hollow
06:16yeah grandma said it right before she died mom's expression turned uneasy
06:20she explained that three pines hollow was a settlement just beyond our old pack lands
06:24hundreds of hundreds of people lived there then one night every single person was found hanging the warmth
06:30at the table died instantly i was stunned all this time i thought grandma had meant a natural disaster a
06:38flood an earthquake
06:39i never imagined something so twisted my parents both looked uneasy they answered together
06:44that place was under a curse we finished dinner but the shock stayed with me
06:48no wonder grandma had given me that moonstone right before she died that little stone had blocked something huge
06:54something monstrous grandma hadn't just read fate for others she had seen mine too
07:00just thinking about three pines hollow made my neck prickle hundreds of people hanging overnight that wasn't just tragedy
07:06that was a nightmare but one question kept digging at me
07:10why hadn't the charm broken earlier
07:12why only after ian and chantelle crossed that line together
07:16i was still sitting there half in awe of how terrifyingly sharp she had been
07:21when my phone rang an unknown number
07:23katelyn
07:25are you okay
07:27katelyn
07:28are you okay
07:29it was ian's smooth voice
07:30i hung up immediately and blocked the number
07:33not after that night
07:34after that i stopped answering every unknown call
07:38i was terrified
07:40meanwhile chantelle kept showing off online like she had won the world
07:44luxury cars
07:46designer watches
07:47gold
07:48silver
07:49late that night
07:50chantelle went live
07:51she was dressed to kill
07:53full glam
07:54pale fur
07:55pack crest jewelry
07:56lounging on a couch inside the alpha estate
07:59like she'd been born there
08:00people flooded in
08:02praising her looks
08:03she played the part perfectly
08:05she said she was bored
08:06and wanted to spend time with everyone
08:08then she showed off a few designer bags
08:10and then
08:11because of the comments
08:13she brought me up again
08:15some girls are just not cut out for it
08:17even if you spoon feed them
08:19they still can't swallow it
08:20she laughed and claimed
08:21i'd never truly treated her like a best friend
08:24she called it classic insecure friend behavior
08:27then she leaned back and smiled wider
08:29she said i was probably hiding somewhere
08:31that my family ran the same night she and ian bonded
08:34her whole family ran away that night
08:37afraid that i would come back as the alpha's wife to take revenge
08:41lie after lie
08:44listening to her rewrite everything i kept thinking
08:47how the hell had i ever been this blind
08:50but while she was busy smearing me people in the live stream started noticing something strange
08:55wait
08:55did her closet just move
08:57did anybody else see that
08:59why does it look like something's in there
09:01Chantel
09:02check behind you
09:06at first she didn't notice the comments
09:08then the chat moved so fast
09:10the whole screen seemed to scream at her to turn around
09:12and i saw it too
09:14the closet behind her was cracked open
09:16just a sliver
09:17in that narrow gap there appeared to be an eye
09:20you people are so sick
09:23you love trying to freak me out
09:25she insisted no one else was in the estate that night
09:27then as if to prove a point
09:28she walked over to the closet in her heels
09:31grabbed the handle
09:32and yanked it open
09:33a man in black leather tumbled out upside down
09:36and hit the floor
09:37expensive jewelry
09:38there's something in here
09:40don't let it touch me
09:41then he looked up
09:42not at Chantel
09:43but past her
09:44at something behind her
09:45he let out a raw broken scream
09:47dropped to his knees
09:49and started prostrating himself
09:51slamming his forehead into the floor
09:52until blood pooled
09:54Chantel froze for half a second
09:56then clutched her chest
09:57and screamed for help
09:58everything turned chaotic
09:59someone hit the phone
10:00the live stream crashed sideways
10:02after that i couldn't see what happened
10:04then i thought of what my mom had told me
10:06about three pines hollow
10:07and a sick feeling twisted in my stomach
10:09maybe this was the beginning of that ruin
10:11because i knew one thing for sure
10:12there was something old and wrong
10:14inside the alpha state now
10:19the break-in at the alpha state blew up online
10:23ian rushed back to calm Chantel
10:25i had been watching the live stream too
10:27but exited as soon as ian appeared
10:29that ruin was getting closer
10:30i wanted nothing tying me to him
10:33my phone lit up
10:35sophie my college roommate messaged me
10:37she knew Chantel too
10:39sophie said she heard what Chantel did
10:41and told me not to be upset
10:43i wasn't heartbroken anymore
10:44so i just thanked her
10:46i turned sophie down flat
10:48then she asked if i wanted payback
10:50that made me pause
10:52sophie and Chantel had always been close
10:54did i hate Chantel?
10:56yes
10:57but go near her?
10:59no
10:59she was sleeping beside ian
11:01standing in my place
11:02i turned sophie down flat
11:04she kept pushing
11:05trying too hard
11:06i got annoyed and muted her
11:10mom
11:11dad
11:13what is all this?
11:15are we stocking up for the apocalypse?
11:17cut back on those doom day novels
11:18but this time
11:20it's not that different
11:22we just don't know how long it's gonna last
11:24for the next month
11:25staying alive matters more
11:27i had to take time off work or quit
11:28staying alive mattered more
11:30and one more thing
11:33you're not watching those either
11:35they cut off every way the thing could touch us
11:37dad also told me to stop watching Chantel's live streams
11:44i blocked her account
11:47dad sat on the balcony smoking staring at red clouds
11:53this time somebody's done for
11:58we shut ourselves in
12:00didn't go out once
12:01my parents talk about three pines hollow was still vague
12:04but if hundreds of people really hang themselves in one night
12:07what else could it be?
12:09meanwhile Chantel and ian lived better than ever
12:12luxury stores
12:13yachts
12:14everything
12:15so the three of us shut ourselves in
12:19didn't go out
12:20not once
12:23until the middle of that month
12:24the haunting took hold at the alpha estate
12:27even with Chantel blocked i heard about it
12:29one night Chantel woke to crying
12:31it got louder
12:32sharper
12:33like a blade scraping through dark
12:35she realized it came from her balcony
12:37on the fourth floor
12:38no one should have gotten there unseen
12:41she looked over
12:42a woman in a white dress
12:43long black hair
12:45curled upside
12:46Chantel screamed
12:48servants came running
12:49balcony door locked
12:50nothing outside
12:52no one
12:53Chantel can you just wind you?
12:55ian's family said Chantel imagined it
12:57until the second thing
13:00ian's younger brother sleepwalked
13:03that night he dreamed of a girl in white by the pool
13:05he tapped her shoulder
13:08she laughed
13:09high pitched and sharp
13:10the sound echoed through the whole estate
13:12when he snapped out of his arm
13:15then something dragged him into the pool
13:17two fingers jammed into his eye sockets
13:20he screamed
13:21guard safe
13:25one incident?
13:26coincidence
13:27two in a row?
13:28no chance
13:29two incidents in a row?
13:31no chance
13:32Chantel told it all on live stream
13:34what happens in the pack stays in the pack
13:36we don't air any pack
13:38and stays will plagues
13:40we days go air dirty laundry on the web
13:42after i listened to one creator break the whole thing down
13:45a chill crawled right up my spine
13:48a chill crawled up my spine
13:51just looking at it made me grateful all over again for how far ahead grandma had seen
13:57this was just the beginning
13:58worse than three pines hollow?
14:00i didn't want to imagine
14:05yeah, what is it?
14:11i sat on the sofa
14:12sipping red wine to calm my nerves
14:14silently grateful for grandma's foresight all those years ago
14:17then my phone rang
14:18yeah, what is it?
14:20you heard about what's happening at Chantel's place, right?
14:23Caitlin, what do you think?
14:25do you think somebody's taking revenge on her?
14:27what are you trying to say?
14:27that i did it?
14:28because i didn't
14:29no, no, i'm not saying that
14:30i just mean
14:30maybe this is karma
14:32Caitlin, i heard your grandma used to be this famous seer
14:34that anyone in your family still know the old boarding rules?
14:37no
14:38sophie was Chantel's go-between
14:39maybe even her spy
14:40they could keep dreaming
14:41sophie called
14:42about Chantel
14:44at dinner i told my parents
14:46your grandma saw this too
14:47dad said grandma saw this too
14:49i nearly choked
14:52oh my god
14:53grandma was unreal
14:54this ruin can't be avoided
14:56the moonstone only intercepted it for you once
14:58only once
14:59as for everyone else
15:00they'll have to depend on their own fate
15:02as for that backstabbing friend of yours
15:04if they really want a chance
15:05have somebody tell them to go south of the city
15:07blackwood ridge
15:08there's an old rights keeper
15:09that can do anything
15:10that depends on what kind of debt has found their line
15:13my dad really was too soft-hearted
15:15honestly
15:16i had never planned to save Chantel
15:18but once he said it
15:19i nodded
15:20then all i passed his message to sophie word for word
15:23and told her reflay it to ian's family
15:26they moved fast
15:27really fast
15:30go to blackwood ridge
15:31right away
15:37ian's family moved fast
15:38they sent people to blackwood ridge
15:40and brought the old rights keeper back that same night
15:44we stayed holed up at home like cowards
15:47we had just moved into a new apartment
15:49every time we went out we wore masks and avoided neighbors
15:52we couldn't be recognized or tied back to ian's line
15:55so far nobody knew we were the family mocked online
15:57my parents followed grandma's rules
16:00stay quiet
16:01stay hidden
16:02at first i thought Chantel might dodge this thing
16:04but we were wrong
16:06dead wrong
16:08someone in ian's family died
16:10the first one to go was ian's father
16:15it happened on the night of his 70th birthday
16:18he drowned
16:19the marks around the bathroom showed he had fought back hard
16:22and there were scratches all over his face
16:24either the alpha patriarch forced his own face into the toilet and drowned himself
16:27or something from inside the toilet reached up grabbed him and held him there until he died
16:31a birthday turned into a funeral
16:33ian's whole family fell into panic
16:35that doesn't make sense
16:36by the old rules your grandma followed
16:39even if the rights keeper couldn't stop the ruin
16:41he should have at least been able to slow it down
16:43but it's barely been any time
16:45and someone's already dead
16:47maybe this is just the debt coming due
16:50or maybe
16:51maybe they never found the keeper at all
16:53Caitlin
16:54call and ask
16:55and remember
16:56do not tell them where we are
16:58i nodded and called Sophie
17:03hey Caitlin what's up
17:05that old rights keeper i told you about
17:07did you pass the message on or not
17:08huh
17:10well um
17:11Caitlin
17:12where are you guys right now
17:14the second she said that
17:15my whole family went on alert
17:17don't worry about where i am
17:18answer my question first
17:20i did tell them about the keeper
17:21but
17:23Chantel told me
17:23that keeper broke from fright
17:25what
17:27start over tell me exactly what happened
17:30we went to the ridge temple
17:31and when we found him
17:36from what Sophie told me
17:38Chantel went straight to ian with the message
17:39the very next day ian sent people up to blackwood ridge to find the old rules keeper
17:43and that same night
17:45they brought him back to the estate
17:46the man was gaunt
17:48skeletal
17:49in faded robes
17:50he walked the ground slowly
17:51listening to something under the walls
17:53then he told them the truth
17:55something old
17:56the truth is buried deep within these walls
17:59and it is far more terrible than you can imagine
18:02the family came out and moved out
18:04leaving him to ward the house
18:08he covered it in paper wards
18:10painted sigils
18:11burned bitter herbs
18:13the place felt like a coffin
18:18guards heard nothing all night
18:20at dawn the family rushed back
18:22everything looked the same
18:24but the keeper was gone
18:26they searched
18:27old gentleman
18:30ian found him in the underground cellar
18:32curled up against dry storage bags
18:34the flower had turned black
18:35the keeper's eyes twitched wildly
18:37he kept muttering
18:39forgive me
18:40don't come back
18:41and gouged out both his own eyes
18:48grandma's moonstone hadn't saved me
18:51it had cut me out of a blood debt
18:54Caitlin, do you know any other way to stop this?
18:57dad motioned me to hang up
18:58i don't know
18:59i said i didn't know and ended the call
19:01we have to go
19:02right now
19:04we can't stay here either
19:07we're leaving the province
19:23we left the province in a panic
19:25didn't even take our supplies
19:29we bought plane tickets and got out
19:34by the time
19:35by the time Chantel found our home address
19:36all she could do was curse us out
19:38to stay alive
19:39we headed straight for the countryside
19:41and checked into a hunting lodge
19:45good thing we ran fast
19:47they started calling me like lunatics
19:49hundreds of numbers
19:52but i had set my phone to auto reject
19:57this time
19:57the one who died was Ian's younger brother
20:01found hanged
20:01a deep ligature mark around his neck
20:05but police never found a rope
20:08no cord, no belt, no murder weapon
20:11now Chantel was truly terrified
20:13Ian's family scattered
20:15some fled overseas
20:16some begged the PAC council for protection
20:19everyone tried to get away from Ian's bloodline
20:21Chantel and Ian brought in more warders
20:23more rights workers, day and night
20:25dad just said it was useless
20:27back then even hundreds of people together
20:29at Three Pines Hollow didn't survive
20:31what happened at Three Pines Hollow was bizarre
20:34grandma overseen total destruction
20:36she went there and asked if they had done something
20:38unforgivable
20:41easy old woman
20:42get out
20:42they denied everything and chased her away
20:45calling her a mad woman
20:59that same night a child vanished from Three Pines Hollow
21:02the whole village searched
21:04they found him trapped inside a dense black thorn thicket
21:06the branches were covered in vicious spikes
21:09and black thorn never grows alone
21:11the whole village searched
21:11it forms a living cage
21:13the boy's cries came from the center
21:15they had to chop the whole thing down
21:17when they pulled him free
21:18he was out of his mind
21:20please
21:23a few days later
21:24the villagers begged grandma for help
21:27i cannot
21:29save you
21:39a few days after that
21:41the whole village was found hanged in their own homes
21:43no murder weapon
21:44no rope
21:45nothing
21:46overnight
21:47wiped out
21:48later
21:49grandma learned something
21:50done
22:02water
22:04give me water
22:06go away
22:07the people of Three Pines Hollow
22:09had ruined a woman
22:10who was only passing through
22:12she came asking for our water
22:14that was a lot of people who took the village to visit the sun wanting to force her to go
22:18to the view
22:20the whole village helped to track her
22:23they locked her in an abandoned barn
22:25the starved her
22:26broke her
22:27after the week the sun bought her food
22:29he found her hanging
22:30dead
22:32rotting
22:32her white dress swaying in the dark
22:34her neck stretched too long
22:36by then she was no longer in her right mind
22:38whatever they did
22:40had broken her before death
22:41i thought
22:43Three Pines Hollow
22:44was wiped out by hanging
22:46Ian's brother was hanged too
22:48could this be the same thing?
22:50my parents hated my guesses
22:51don't go down that rabbit hole
22:53if your grandmother's charm hadn't
22:57blocked this for you
22:58the people dying right now wouldn't just be them
23:07a chill went through me
23:09if grandma hadn't left me the moonstone
23:12and if Fanyad Hin, Shantin hadn't stolen Ian
23:15i would be the one trapped in that estate
23:19Shantin had become my stand-in
23:21then the one who ran farthest died
23:24Ian's uncle overseer
23:25hanged
23:26i noticed a pattern
23:28the farther they ran
23:29the faster the debt found them
23:31like something unseen was warning
23:34don't leave the estate
23:42could this be karma for stealing someone else's alpha?
23:47if i apologize now is it too late?
23:50she blocked my number
23:52she wronged you
23:55the cheating was my fault
23:57my family's being punished now
24:01can you please save me?
24:02i just shook my head
24:04cheating had only redirected the disaster
24:06there was something older underneath it all
24:08then Ian had a dream
24:10the strange girl took his hand
24:12and said she would show him somewhere beautiful
24:14she told him to lift the stone pressing on him
24:17he obeyed
24:18then to put his hand here and pass through the waterfall
24:21he did
24:22then to climb the mountain
24:24he did!
24:25then to cross a stream
24:26she stepped over first and waved
24:28Ian said okay and was about to follow
24:37the girl's face twisted
24:38she snarled
24:39you're awake!
24:41Chantelle dragged Ian back from the rooftop edge
24:43below was a ten-story drop
24:45one more step and he would have been dead
24:48the whole thing was caught on livestream
24:50Ian finally understood
24:52lift the stone
24:54meant
24:55throw off the blanket
24:57pass through the waterfall
24:58don't go over!
24:59meant
24:59unlock the door
25:00climb the mountain
25:03meant
25:03take the stairs
25:04cross the stream
25:07meant
25:07jump
25:11i heard about it
25:13it scared me numb
25:15this ruin could not be avoided
25:18Chantelle had told Ian about my grandmother
25:20so now they were hunting for us
25:23more deaths from overseas
25:24the farthest runners died fastest
25:28Chantelle
25:28the first to see the woman
25:29stayed closest to the estate
25:31and was still alive
25:32i told my parents
25:33dad said maybe it was a warning not to run
25:37i asked if staying closer
25:38meant better odds
25:39they didn't answer
25:40i thought for a long time
25:42then had Sophie pass along what i observed
25:46that same night
25:47Ian and Chantelle moved back into the estate
25:49more than half a year passed
25:51Ian's family was wrecked
25:53yet somehow Ian and Chantelle were still alive
25:56people said they had escaped the curse
25:58they kept living in the mansion
26:00covered in the dead keepers' centers
26:02then new updates came
26:04both had completely broken down
26:06their minds were gone
26:07they couldn't clean
26:08couldn't function
26:09barely recognized day from night
26:11the estate became a nightmare
26:13trash
26:14rotting food
26:15rats
26:15roaches
26:16it looked like a giant grave
26:18i thought the disaster was finally over
26:21then dad told me something that stopped me cold
26:26Ian had been the child trapped in the blackthward thicket at three pines hollow
26:34his parents sent him to a hospital in another province
26:36that was why he survived
26:38he eventually came back to himself
26:40but forgot his childhood
26:41then he was adopted by a good family
26:43Ian's father's line
26:45grandma had seen it
26:46on the night three pines hollow fell
26:49one person probably slipped through
26:51Ian's age matched that boy
26:53the death had never ended
26:54it had changed houses
26:56changed names
26:56waited
26:58but i still told myself none of it had anything to do with me anymore
27:02then something new happened
27:03many people online said they had all dreamed of the same woman in white
27:07every one of them had watched Chantelle's live streams
27:09i finally understood what grandma meant by ruin
27:12the live stream hadn't just shown the horror
27:15it had carried it
27:16it turned every viewer into a witness
27:19and witnessing opened the door
27:27when three pines hollow fell
27:29she had not harmed any innocent outsider
27:32she still knew who she wanted
27:33but now strangers who only watched through a screen were dreaming of her
27:37her restraint was gone
27:39the ruin was still spreading
27:42i scrolled through comments
27:43people seeing her on balconies by lakes
27:46faceless
27:50i closed the app
27:51outside
27:52autumn wind
27:53acorns falling
27:54everything looked peaceful
27:56too peaceful
27:56the net was tightening around thousands of eyes
28:02after dinner i helped mom clear dishes
28:04she could tell i was still thinking about it
28:07i asked if that thing could travel through live streams
28:10through watching how many people would die
28:13mom turned on the faucet
28:14with water running
28:16she said grandma once said that woman
28:18when alive
28:19hated being falsely accused
28:21three pines hollow said she was sleeping around
28:24but she was only passing through asking for water
28:26i froze
28:29she wasn't already like that
28:32mom shook her head
28:34they terrorized her until she broke
28:35they locked her in the shed
28:37by the third day she broke
28:40by the fifth she hated herself
28:41i asked what she was wearing
28:43mom shut off the faucet
28:46a white dress
28:48almost white
28:49that night i couldn't sleep
28:50i held the broken moonstone
28:52grandma had worn it for 99 years
28:55i had worn it for less than 10
28:56it blocked one disaster
28:58then it broke
28:59for the first time i regretted not asking grandma one more question
29:03what was that woman's name
29:05that night i dreamed of grandma
29:06she sat in her rocking chair
29:08the yellow dog lay at her feet
29:10i crouched by her knees
29:12she called my name
29:15i asked what happened to the woman from three pines hollow
29:18grandma didn't answer
29:19she touched my head and said
29:21you just live well
29:29i woke up with a damp pillow
29:34next morning dad said he was going to town for supplies
29:37i went with him
29:40on the way he told me mom wanted to take me back home for a visit
29:43not now after things settle
29:46grandma's grave needed fresh soil
29:47also before she died she left a box under her bed
29:50they never touched it
29:51mom thought it was meant for me
29:53i didn't ask anything else
29:55in town dad bought oranges
29:57i stayed in the truck
29:58then my phone buzzed
30:00Sophie
30:01we hadn't talked in a long time
30:03she asked if i had heard about ian and chantelle
30:06i typed
30:07yeah
30:09she sent a long message
30:11two nights ago during a shift change
30:13ian climbed onto a third floor balcony saying
30:16once i cross the stream i'll be home
30:18an orderly grabbed him but couldn't hold him
30:20he jumped
30:21he didn't die but both legs were broken
30:25Chantelle was completely gone
30:26she didn't recognize anyone
30:28every day she hugged ian's suit jacket repeating
30:33it wasn't me
30:34i wasn't the one who locked you up
30:38don't come for me
30:40Sophie's last message
30:42if i hadn't given her that ceremony would the one in the hospital be me
30:46i locked the screen
30:48outside dad looked old
30:49half his hair had gone white
30:51since grandma's warning
30:53if the charm breaks leave immediately
30:55they had spent their lives running
30:57from hometown to city to another province
31:00to this little town beyond any pack land
31:03they had done nothing wrong
31:05grandma saw it coming
31:07they believed her and used everything to keep me alive
31:10ian died with the first snow of winter
31:13Sophie sent the news
31:15post-op infection
31:16multiple organ failure
31:18Chantelle was sent back to her family
31:20still the same
31:21if not controlled she hit people and screamed
31:24no one dared live in the estate now
31:26listed for sale for six months
31:28no buyers
31:29people said you could hear crying from inside at night
31:32i deleted the screenshot
31:34winter came
31:35the oak tree was bare
31:37this little town was quiet
31:39no one knew we had escaped such a large disaster
31:42the hashtag about the woman in white was scrubbed from trending
31:45not because it ended
31:47but because it was too strange and dangerous
31:49under the silence
31:51the dreams still happened
31:52five springs passed
31:53people forgot
31:55only we were still alive
31:57hiding like survivors on stolen time
32:00eventually we stepped out
32:01the air felt clean
32:02i was tired
32:04not from surviving one terrible thing
32:06but from half a life tied to prophecy
32:08i wanted to see the ocean
32:11my parents nodded
32:12i took a train east
32:13the ocean opened up
32:15waves rolled in, endless
32:16the wind was wet and salty
32:18i stood at the shore
32:20my whole life i had lived inside prophecy
32:23dragged by invisible ropes
32:25what was on the other side of the sea?
32:27the waves answered nothing
32:29maybe the other side was just another sea
32:32and the far shore
32:32every chained person longs for is not a place
32:35it is learning to live with the water already inside you
32:39under the open moon
32:40with no bond and no pack
32:42i let out a slow breath
32:44for the first time in five years
32:46i was not waiting for the next prophecy
32:48let's see
32:48let's see
32:48let's see
32:49i'm talking about some of the stars
32:49let's see
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