1
Ethan tapped his pencil against the side of his desk, drumming out a complex rhythm. He sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day, eyes flicking to the clock above the doorframe. Two more minutes. The teacher’s voice droned on, painfully monotone. He was talking about some project that was due next week. Ethan wasn’t listening. He’d already finished it.
Ethan continued to drum against his desk, his eyes glued to the old clock face, watching the seconds tick by. One minute. Come on. Thirty seconds. Hurry up.
BRRRRING!
Ethan shot out of his seat, nearly tripping over backpacks—and people.
“Watch it, dude,” someone muttered as he stumbled past.
But Ethan didn’t slow down. He was already halfway to the hallway, dodging lockers and traffic like a professional escape artist. Freedom was just a few feet away.
He reached his locker, spun the dial like he’d rehearsed it a thousand times, and yanked the door open. It groaned in protest. The thing was older than half the teachers.
He grabbed his stuff—mostly just a battered notebook, his copy of The Warrior’s Fate, and a half-eaten granola bar from who-knows-when—and slammed the door shut.
The hallway buzzed with the usual end-of-day chaos: slamming lockers, shouted plans, someone already blasting music from their phone. Ethan ducked through it all, making a beeline for his favorite hiding spot—the back corner of the library.
A quiet place. A safe place. A place where the world fell away and stories took over.
And today, like always, he needed that escape.
Ethan slid into the far corner of the library, where the chairs were soft and the fluorescent lights forgot to reach. He dropped his bag, curled into the cushions, and cracked openThe Warrior’s Fate. The cover was worn, the pages dog-eared. A comfort book. A portal.
He flipped past the notes he’d scribbled in the margins—The sword is definitely enchanted. Kaelin’s going to betray him, I KNOW it—and landed on the chapter he’d been dying to reread all day.
Chapter Thirteen – The Forest of Teeth
Kaelin crouched low in the underbrush, her knuckles bloodied and breath coming fast.
“Oof, not even five words in and she’s already bleeding. Classic Kaelin.”
Moonlight filtered through the jagged canopy above, turning the leaves into shards of silver. Somewhere in the distance, a howl broke through the silence.
She didn’t flinch.
Not this time.
Ethan grinned. “You tell that werewolf to sit down."
The blade in her hand—chipped, rusted, and twice stolen—held steady. Her heartbeat didn’t.
“Girl, get a better sword. Please. I am begging you.”
“Come on,” she whispered.
Ethan whispered it with her. “Come on...”
Branches cracked. Something moved.
Kaelin lunged.
The trees exploded into motion as she tackled the beast mid-pounce. Fur, fangs, and claws collided with steel and rage. They rolled through the dirt, locked in a blur of fury, until Kaelin landed on top—her blade buried deep.
Ethan clutched the book, his knuckles white. He knew how it ended. He’d read it three times. Didn’t matter.
“YES!” he hissed, punching the air. “Take that, you flea-bitten lizard-dog!”
The librarian shot him a look. Ethan cleared his throat and sank a little deeper into the chair.
The creature stilled. Then vanished into mist.
Kaelin sat back, panting. Her hands trembled. Her knees stung. But she was alive. And the forest had one less monster in it.
For now.
Ethan let out a slow breath, likehe had just survived the fight.
“You’re so cool,” he whispered.
He traced a finger along the page like it was holy. Kaelin was everything he wasn’t—brave, strong, fearless. She faced down monsters with nothing but a blade and pure willpower. Meanwhile, he nearly had a panic attack during group presentations.
Still, he couldn’t help but feel connected to her. Like she got him, somehow. Like the words on the page had been written just for him.
He flipped the page, eyes gleaming.
Next chapter. Let’s go.
