~SCARLETT.

Stopping at the edge of the dense trees, my pulse raced, adrenaline still coursing through me. I peered past the thick trunks, holding my breath-nothing. No movement. No sign of anyone or anything. Just an unsettling silence that made the hair on my arms stand on end.

I frowned. Something felt off.

"There's nothing," I muttered under my breath, more to myself than to Lily.

She huffed a small, nervous laugh beside me. "Well... that was creepy."

I glanced back at her, unease still ...