Mara stood at the edge of the dock, her fingers curling around the rusted railing as the salt-kissed wind tugged at her sleeves. The sea stretched endless ahead, its surface shimmering under the late afternoon sun, but she didn’t look…
Mara’s boots sank into the mud as she stepped off the bus, the scent of pine resin and damp earth thick in the air. The town of Black Hollow clung to the valley like a shadow, its buildings hunched against…
The first time Lila touched the gears, the air hummed like a trapped bird. She’d found them buried beneath the floorboards of her late grandfather’s workshop, hidden beneath layers of dust and decades of silence. The brass casing was cold…
Lila’s fingers brushed the edge of the journal, its leather cover cracked and stiff with salt. She pulled it from the hollow beneath the dock, where the tide had left it like a gift or a warning. The air smelled…
The salt air bit sharp against Mia’s cheeks as she pulled her jacket tighter, the hem flapping like a wounded bird. The dock creaked beneath her boots, a sound so familiar it felt like a heartbeat. She’d spent every summer…
Maya’s fingers brushed against the brittle edge of the journal as she pulled it from the attic box, its leather cover cracked like old skin. The air reeked of dust and mildew, but beneath that, something sharper—a metallic tang she…
Mara’s boots sank into the wet sand as she trudged past the rusted gates of the abandoned pier. The air reeked of brine and decay, a scent that clung to her like a second skin. She hadn’t meant to come…
The first time Lira saw the cracks, she thought they were shadows. But when the wind howled through the trees and the sky split open like a wound, she knew something was wrong. The air tasted of iron, and the…
The sun beat down on the cracked earth, and the air smelled of dust and desperation. Elias Voss wiped his brow with a frayed handkerchief, his knuckles raw from days of digging. The camp sprawled before him—tents sagging under the…
Mara’s boots sank into the mud as she pushed through the thicket, the air thick with the tang of pine resin and damp earth. The note had been folded twice, its edges frayed, tucked beneath a rock at the edge…
The salt-kissed air bit at Elara’s cheeks as she climbed the lighthouse stairs, her boots echoing against the rusted metal. The storm had blown itself out hours ago, leaving the coast in a brittle stillness. She’d come to clear out…
The salt-kissed air bit at Clara’s cheeks as she trudged through the tide-puddled dock, her boots squelching with each step. The journal had been hidden beneath a loose plank, its leather cover cracked and brittle. She pried it free, fingers…
Mara’s boots crunched over frozen gravel as she pulled her jacket tighter, the wind slicing through the thin fabric. Jax jogged to catch up, his breath visible in the pale afternoon air. “You sure about this?” he asked, glancing at…
The salt air stung Lila’s cheeks as she dug her fingers into the rusted railing of the abandoned lighthouse. Waves crashed against the rocks below, their roar a constant companion since the day the town had sealed the lower levels.…
Mara traced the symbol’s edges with her thumb, the grooves still wet from the storm. The tree had been there for decades, its bark thick and knotted, but the carving—this jagged spiral—was new. She glanced over her shoulder, half-expecting to…