CHAPTER FOUR
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Chapter Four
Aurelia pushed the front door open and stepped into the quiet house. The familiar scent of cinnamon and fresh muffins still lingered in the air, even though Grandma wasn’t home. The silence felt odd. Grandma had gone for one of her old girls’ sleepovers with her childhood friends and wouldn’t be back until the next day. That meant Aurelia had the house to herself for the night.
She tossed her backpack onto the couch, kicked off her shoes, and headed straight for the kitchen. The muffins were sitting on the table, just like her grandma had promised. Without wasting time, she grabbed two and munched on them like she hadn’t eaten all day. She didn’t realize how hungry she was until now.
As she ate, her phone buzzed on the table. She picked it up and smiled when she saw it was Clara.
“I think I love Caelum lol 😩❤️” — Clara had texted.
Aurelia snorted and rolled her eyes.
“Crushing already? He ain’t even that attractive 😒” she replied.
A second later, another message popped up.
“LOL shut up 😂 you’re just blind.”
Aurelia giggled. Clara was dramatic and funny as always. She had a way of making everything sound like a soap opera, and honestly, it was entertaining.
But Aurelia didn’t feel the same way. Caelum had walked in, yes, and everyone had acted like a movie star just entered the building. But to her, there was something strange about him—something she couldn’t quite name. Still, she hadn’t really thought much about it. At least not yet.
She dropped the conversation and went up to her small study room. It was a cozy space, painted pale blue with a desk near the window. She opened her books and started doing her assignments. English was easy. Biology wasn’t bad. Math was terrible. But she got through them all.
By 8 p.m., she was downstairs again, fixing herself a simple dinner—bread, eggs, and tea. She wasn’t in the mood for anything heavy. The silence in the house was louder now, and even the ticking clock in the living room felt exaggerated.
She scrolled through TikTok for a while, laughed at a few videos, ignored a few class group chats, then finally plugged in her phone and climbed into bed.
She stretched her arms above her head and let out a sigh. As she lay back, her fingers brushed against her necklace.
The amulet.
It was warm. No—hot.
She blinked and sat up.
"What the...?"
She touched it again.
This time, it burned.
"Agh!" she gasped, yanking her hand away.
The amulet was glowing—no, pulsing. Like a heartbeat. A steady, bright golden light flashing against her skin. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
“What’s happening?” she whispered. Her voice trembled. “Why is it doing this?”
She tried to lift it over her head, but the chain wouldn’t budge. It was like it had locked itself in place.
“Come off!” she hissed, struggling, but the more she tugged, the tighter it felt. Like it was fighting back.
Then—everything changed.
The room faded.
Her vision blurred.
And suddenly she was standing in the middle of a dark forest. The trees were tall—ancient, almost. The sky was gray. The air was thick. And then—screaming. Heavy footsteps. Shadows.
She turned around.
Something was chasing her.
Creatures. Tall, glowing eyes. Running. Growling. Their sharp claws digging into the dirt as they chased her through the forest.
“No!” she screamed. “What is this? What is happening?”
She ran. Her feet thudded against the ground. Branches scratched her arms. Her chest pounded. She screamed again.
And just like that—
She opened her eyes.
She was back in her room.
Her heart was racing.
She was sweating.
The amulet had stopped glowing.
Silence.
Aurelia sat up in bed, her hands shaking. The room looked normal again. Her bedsheets were tangled. Her phone was still charging. The window was closed.
She touched the amulet. It was cool now. Just like it always had been.
“What... was that?” she whispered.
It was almost morning. Her alarm hadn’t gone off yet, but she already knew she wouldn’t be going to school. Not after whatever that was.
She stayed in bed, staring at the ceiling, waiting for Grandma to come back. Every sound from outside made her heart race. She hugged her pillow and didn’t move.
At exactly 10 a.m., the front door creaked open.
“Aurelia?” Grandma’s voice rang through the house.
Aurelia bolted up and ran downstairs.
“Grandma!” she said, voice shaky.
Her grandma stopped in her tracks when she saw her. “Why aren’t you in school? What happened?”
“I... I don’t know. I was going to go but—something happened.”
“What do you mean something happened?” Grandma asked, stepping closer.
Aurelia hesitated, then slowly lifted her necklace.
“It started glowing. Last night. It was burning hot. I couldn’t take it off. I—I saw things. Like a dream. But I was awake. It felt real. Grandma, it was scary.”
Her grandmother’s face changed. A look she’d never seen The only time the necklace beams with light is when the luminari beings hv descended on Earth.
It wasn’t shock.
It was something else.
Concern? Fear?
“I thought this wouldn’t happen so soon,” Grandma muttered under her breath.
“What?” Aurelia asked, confused. “What wouldn’t happen? What’s going on?”
Her grandma forced a small smile. “Maybe you just had a nightmare. Stress can cause strange dreams, you know. You’re growing up. College life. New experiences.”
“No, Grandma. This wasn’t a dream.”
Grandma didn’t answer. She just gently took Aurelia’s hand and led her back to the couch.
“Listen, sweetheart,” she said softly, “you don’t need to worry. Just... don’t get too close to people. At least for now.”
“What?” Aurelia frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?”
Grandma looked away. “Just trust me, okay?”
There was silence.
Aurelia stared at her grandma, a million questions in her mind. But none of them made sense.
Why was the amulet reacting now?
What were those creatures?
What was this all about?
And why did she feel like Grandma knew more than she was saying?
But for now, Aurelia didn’t ask. She just nodded and leaned into her grandmother’s hug, feeling both safe and more confused than ever.
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