Chapter 4

Three days had passed so quickly, I could hardly believe it. High school was turning out to be survivable, and living with Daniel was slowly becoming less awkward. My friendship with Bryan had also grown closer, and I was grateful for that. He was easy to talk to, and I found comfort in his presence. But everyone at school had made up their minds that Bryan was my boyfriend. The rumors didn’t bother me, and Bryan didn’t seem to care either. We actually laughed about it.

Still, my mind kept drifting back to the strange incident at school a few days ago. The dark shadow ,the feeling of someone watching me—it all felt like a weird dream. I mentioned it to Bryan again, and he brushed it off, saying it was just anxiety. "Sometimes, when you're scared, your mind can play tricks on you," he’d said. That explanation felt logical, and after a little research online, I convinced myself it was just that—an illusion. But deep down, something still didn’t sit right with me.

I tried not to think about it, just like I tried not to think about my mom. Yet, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop missing her. It felt like part of me was left behind in Canada, buried under layers of snow. The more I tried to ignore it, the heavier the grief weighed on me. And then there was the day we left—the day her behavior made no sense at all. I still didn’t understand it, and not knowing why was the hardest part.

But I kept going. Pretending like it never happened was the only thing keeping me together.

It was a gloomy Saturday morning. The sky was thick with heavy, gray clouds that looked like they were about to burst. I loved it. The cold, the dim light, the way the clouds blocked out the sun. The weather here in Zimbabwe was usually blistering, the kind that made my skin feel like it was roasting under the sun’s relentless rays. Days like today, when the world felt hushed under the weight of the clouds, were a rare blessing.

I was still lying in bed, feeling lazy, staring blankly at the ceiling. The knock on the door startled me.

“Come in!” I called out, knowing it was Daniel.

He walked in, a smug look plastered on his face. “Good morning, Prisca. Still enjoying your sleep, I see,” he said, teasing me, knowing full well it was already late.

I sat up, rolling my eyes. “I was just about to get out of bed, but you’ve ruined the moment.”

He laughed softly and then, as if he’d been waiting for it, delivered the bad news. “Oh, and by the way, Sarah isn’t coming today. Her son’s sick. So, I thought you might help by cleaning out the basement.”

I groaned internally. The basement was the last place I wanted to be. I hated how cluttered and dusty it was. “Sure, Dad. I’d love to clean your dungeon,” I muttered sarcastically.

Daniel smiled, clearly enjoying my reluctance. “I knew you’d be thrilled,” he said, leaving the room. I could hear the satisfaction in his voice.

After finally dragging myself out of bed and finishing my breakfast, Bryan arrived at the door, as he usually did on weekends. “I should’ve known it was you,” I said, smirking as I let him in.

Bryan grinned, brushing his scruffy blond hair out of his face. “Well, I do have that habit of showing up unannounced. So, what’s on today’s agenda?”

“Cleaning out the basement,” I said with a wicked smile. “And after that, we can go grab pizza.”

He shot me a horrified look. “Cleaning? We? Nope, count me out of that,” he protested, raising his hands as if surrendering.

“Oh, come on, it won’t be that bad. Just a bit of dust and cobwebs,” I coaxed, knowing full well how dreadful it was going to be.

The basement was worse than I remembered. Dust clung to everything, and the stale air made it feel like we were stepping into a forgotten tomb. “Welcome to the dungeon,” I said sarcastically as we descended into the dim, musty room.

Bryan grimaced, picking up a dust-covered book from a pile in the corner. “Optimism fading fast,” he muttered, swiping at the grime.

I laughed, but just as I was about to make a witty comment, Bryan dropped the book. Several pages fluttered out, one of them catching my eye.

“What’s this?” I said, kneeling next to him as he picked up the pages. They were old, yellowed with age, and written in a shaky, almost frantic script.

Bryan unfolded one of the pages. “Looks like a letter,” he said, glancing at me. Then he began to read aloud.

“Dear Lena,

I am happy to write to you, though I fear this may be my last letter. The Hellhounds are closing in. They’ve destroyed the protectors, and I fear they’ll find you next. You must run. They’ve discovered that your daughter will bear the next protector. You must protect her, protect Daniel, for he will bring forth the savior, the one who will burn evil to ashes. I love you, my sister. Do not come for me—I am already lost. With love, Elizabeth McHawl.”

I stared at Bryan, my heart pounding. “Daniel McHawl,” Bryan whispered. “That’s… your father.”

The air in the basement suddenly felt too thick, too suffocating. My hands were shaking. “What does this even mean?” I said, almost to myself. “Hellhounds? Protectors? This sounds insane.”

Bryan tried to stay calm, though I could see the confusion in his eyes. “Maybe it’s just some old story… I mean, it could be fiction, right? But…” He trailed off, knowing neither of us believed that.

“We can’t let Daniel know about this,” I said firmly. “Promise me.”

Bryan nodded. “I won’t say a word. This stays between us.”

Just then, we heard a loud bang from upstairs. We scrambled out of the basement and into the kitchen, where Daniel was talking to an older man, both of them inspecting the new kitchen cupboards. Daniel barely glanced at us. “Just replacing these old cupboards,” he said casually, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

Bryan and I exchanged a look, the letter still fresh in our minds. “We’ll, uh, finish cleaning the basement,” I said quickly, trying to act normal.

After hours of cleaning, we finally left for pizza. But as we sat in the restaurant, I couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that something was about to happen. A group of seniors from our school walked in, but one guy, in particular, caught my attention. He was tall, dark-haired, and impossibly striking, like something out of a dream.

I couldn’t look away, and it was as if he felt my gaze. His eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, everything else faded. There was something about him, something that called to me, pulling me in, as if I was meant to know him, meant to be drawn into whatever dark secret surrounded his world.

“Prisca?” Bryan’s voice broke through my thoughts, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the dark-haired stranger. Something deep inside told me that my life had just taken a turn I wasn’t ready for.

And whatever it was, I couldn’t stop it.