Page 3 of Begin Again

And I am watching.

I am watching way too hard.

Beside me, Valkyrie huffs, nudging my leg like she’s in on some secret I’m not.

I have a feeling she knew exactly what she was doing when she tackled Theo.

As I turn back toward home, cheeks still warm, pulse a little too fast, I can’t help but smile.

Shadow Grove is already proving to be full of surprises.

2

Theo

What the hell just happened?

I turn around to watch Selene disappear down the trail, Valkyrie trotting beside her. I’m left standing here feeling a little dazed.

Today is officially the weirdest day of my life. One second, I’m hiking to clear my head after my uncle’s funeral, angry at how picturesque the day is, and the next, I am flat on my back in the dirt, courtesy of a Doberman who has a thing for shiny objects. Then there’s her owner—Selene. She’s a woman you don’t just meet on a random hiking trail. The type of woman who looks like she should be the mystery in a noir film, all golden hair and the bluest, sharpest, knowing eyes.

I rub the back of my neck, exhaling sharply. Did I cross into another dimension, or am I still reeling from the emotional backlash of the week?

For the first time in a while, things don’t seem quite as heavy. Maybe it’s the fresh air or the strange whirlwind that knocked me off my feet.

I squint up at the impossibly blue sky. Its perfect postcard-worthy hue taunts me. It shouldn’t look like this today. I try to ignore the chirping of the birds in the trees. Oblivious little things, carrying on with their lives like the world hasn’t changed. The day you lay a loved one to rest is supposed to be a mournful affair, isn’t it? Gray skies. Thunder rumbling in the distance. Air thick with the weight of loss.

But no.

Today looks like it belongs on the cover of a travel magazine, with taglines about ‘Escaping to the Great Outdoors’ or ‘The Healing Power of Nature.’ The bright sun filters through the canopy of leaves, casting playful patterns on the ground around me. The universe is mocking my attempt at grief and reflection. My boots crunch against the dirt as I start walking again, shaking my head, and trying to clear my mind of her. But no matter how many steps I take, my mind circles back to her.

Selene.

There was something about her presence—like she belonged to this world but didn’t trust it enough to settle. The easy smile she flashed before leaving felt like an invitation into a depth I know better than to chase.

And yet, here I am, still thinking about her.

Sighing, I run a hand through my hair.

Focus. Selene isn’t why I came out here.

Things were a little rough for me after my parents died.

Okay, a little rough is an understatement. I was only nine, and an angry orphan who had to move in with my aunt and her new husband. At the time I had only met Aubrey and Gabe a few times, so going from a loving home with active and attentive parents to a new area of town and people I barely knew? Yeah. It didn’t go well.

She isn’t my blood relative, but she is my aunt in the way she grew up best friends with my dad. When she was seventeen she married my dad’s twin, George, but he died before I was born. A few years later she met Gabe, her total opposite, they just… worked.

I, on the other hand, did not work. I acted out. Got in fights. Talked back to my teachers. Picked every hill to die on, just because I could.

One day Gabe was called to the school. I don’t remember what I did—probably something stupid—but I remember what happened after.

Without saying a word, he walked me out of the school, marched me out to his old beat-up truck, opened the door, and gave me one look. Just one. The kind that saidget inwithout needing to say a word. Then, he turned on some classic country—old-school Johnny Cash—and we drove.

We drove straight out to this trail.

He didn’t ask me what happened. Didn’t lecture me. Didn’t scold me. He just parked, grabbed a tumbler from his truck cooler, and started walking.

And I, a kid who was still testing every boundary I could find, had no choice but to follow.