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Ava knew nothing about magic or what she herself was capable of.

If only they had helped her, trained her, she’d be more prepared.

But now here she was, alone, scrambling for answers she wasn’t sure she wanted any more.

She was settling into a life here with Eleanor and Henry, and now she was supposed to go help some world she had never heard of?

She opened her eyes and glared at Luna, still fast asleep.

“Fine,” she said out loud. “I’ll look for the fucking map.”

Luna perked up and looked at her, staring as if she understood what Ava had said. She continued to scowl across the room at her cat. “Is that what I need to do? Find the map?”

Luna huffed and set her head back down and Ava rolled her eyes.

She glanced at the microwave and saw it was well past one in the morning.

Finishing her water, she set the glass in the sink and trudged upstairs leaving Luna asleep on the couch.

Thunder rumbled in the distance as the pitter patter of rain tapped on the bathroom windows.

A cold front was arriving in preparation for the transition into winter.

She washed her face and changed into her soft sage green pajamas.

The storm rolled closer, gaining momentum as the wind blew the leaves on the trees and the thunder increased its volume.

Flashes of lightning illuminated the dark hallway through the windows of the bedrooms across from hers, throwing eerie shadows along the walls.

As she walked back to her bedroom, a deafening clap of thunder sounded, followed by complete darkness. Ava cursed as she stubbed her toe on the corner of her bed frame in the pitch-black room.

Using the flashlight app on her phone she looked around her room, locating the light switch on the wall. She flicked it on and off, willing the lights to return.

Nothing.

Her power was truly out.

This was the worst storm Ava could remember, concern growing as deafening thunder clapped repeatedly, barely any down time in between crashes.

She made her way toward the stairs to check on Luna, phone in one hand while her other felt along the wall to orient herself.

The almost constant lightning created disconcerting shadows along the walls and the floor like a sinister dance of tree branches enveloping the staircase.

About halfway down, a glimmer caught her eye. There was water glistening on the floor in the entryway. Assuming she had a leaky window, she rushed down the stairs, preparing to grab towels from the linen closet.

When she reached the water, she froze. It was sitting in individual puddles leading toward the living room, almost like… footprints. Those were footprints.

Thunder crashed again, this time causing her to jump.

The muddy footprints were leading further into her house. Scanning the hallway, the sounds of heavy rain and wind increased, and her attention was turned to the front door. It was open.

Someone was in her house.

She tried to call Henry or the police, but she had no service. Even the emergency bypass function didn’t work.

Heart racing, she tiptoed to the kitchen to grab a knife, scanning everywhere in case someone jumped out. She wasn’t sure where Luna was, her spot on the couch now empty, but she hoped the cat had not been harmed.

The footprints made their way toward the kitchen and living room but veered to the office and Ava sprinted the last few steps to the knife block on the counter.

She stood in the kitchen, her trembling hand gripping the knife, unsure what to do.

She could sneak back outside and get in her car and drive away, but her car keys were in the office, and she didn’t want to follow the footprints.

Even if she managed to get her keys, the rain was coming down so heavily she was worried the road could be washed out and she would then be stuck outside in the storm with the risk of a flash flood whisking her away.

She could hide upstairs until morning and hope whoever had entered would leave without issues.

Maybe it was someone passing by looking for shelter from the storm.

As she stood there, frozen, a bright flash of lightning illuminated the house. In the office doorway was a shadowed figure, chillingly still.

The creature from the woods. And it was looking straight at her.

Ava could sense the power emanating from the monster as it assessed her, tilting its head like it was preparing for a hunt.

She gripped the knife harder, hoping her shaking hands didn’t betray her, and backed away toward the hallway, her breaths coming in rapid bursts. She needed to get away. Now.

Another flash of lightning. It was closer, standing only about thirty feet away. She increased her pace of retreat when the creature dashed forward, claws elongating as it closed in.

Ava turned and sprinted down the hallway, willing to take her chances outside.

She risked a glance over her shoulder. It was gaining on her with its arms outstretched, claws ready for shredding. It was still cloaked in shadow, and she couldn’t see much other than its enormous height and pointed teeth.

Almost there. Just a little further. Hurry, Ava.

She pushed herself hard, pleading with her legs to go faster. She was a few feet from the threshold of the front door when she slipped in the mud. Tumbling down, she tried to regain her footing to no avail. Arms flailing, she reached out to grasp onto something but failed to keep herself upright.

She went down as if in slow motion when a sharp pain struck her forehead.

The world slipped away and there was nothing.