Samantha

The pendant felt warm against my skin as I climbed into bed. The weight a constant reminder of the impossible conversation I had in the woods. I had it tucked carefully beneath my nightshirt, the silver crescent moon hidden from view but impossible to forget.

Mom and Dad were already home when I returned, the both of them in the kitchen preparing a late dinner. I had braced myself for questions, for concerns about where I had been, for Mom's inevitable lecture about safety and the ...