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CHAPTER THREE

 ❪  gatekeeper  ❫

HORIZON HOLLOWS

aurelia nixon's point of view

September 2022

4:04 am

It was raining.

The clock blinked on my bedside table, casting neon blue light in the pitch dark. Crickets chirped from somewhere in the distance— hopefully from outside and not in this room.

The sound of heavy drops splattering against the pavement echoed through the empty roads, a rhythmic tapping that felt out of place in the silence of the night. My roommates; Hannah, Madeline and Ana, were still asleep. Though, I noticed Ana tossing and turning a while ago.

The bunk beds were creaky, emitting sharp noises that stretched through the silence. But it wasn't the only source of sound: the heater would let out its own rumbles once in a while, clearly not working since the room was freezing.

Or maybe it was just me.

From my window, I could see the start of the forest in the distance, a wide path lined with tall trembling trees. A rugged gate, dusty with vines coiling around the rusted bars. Its metal bars looked centuries old, their once-white paint now flaking to reveal dark decay.

A short figure stalked towards the gate, back facing me. I sat up further, the pastel pink blanket rustling on my lap at the swift movement. 

Squinting through the rain-smeared glass, I catch flickers of red and the glint of gold in the figure's clothing—like embroidery catching the streetlamp's glow. Whoever it was moved slowly, deliberately, almost as if they knew they were being watched.

I leaned closer to the window, breath fogging up the glass. The figure reached the gate and stopped. For a moment, they simply stood there, head tilted slightly, as if listening for something beyond the trees.

Then, without warning, the gate creaked open. 

Not from a push. Not from a pull. 

It opened on its own.

My fingers tightened around the blanket. I glanced back at my room. Still quiet. The hum of the heater, the occasional shifting of Madeline's blanket. No one else saw it.

Turning back to the window, the figure was gone.

But the gate... it was still open.

I hesitated, logic and curiosity battling somewhere in my head. The rain blurred the edges of everything now, smearing the landscape into watercolors—but something in the air felt wrong. Heavier.

A sharp breath brushed against the back of my neck. I tensed immediately, freezing in place before I willed myself to turn.

Hannah.

Startled, I let go of the breath I was holding, whispering in a quiet yell, "You scared me!"

Hannah was wide awake, curls slightly disheveled. She shifts past me, "Sorry. What were you looking at?"

"I thought someone was at the forest gate." I shuffle uncomfortably when we glanced back and the gates were firmly closed— as if they were the whole time.

No trace of the person.

Pulling away from my bed slowly, I rub my eyes after noticing, "Where's Maddie and Ana?"

Hannah dragged her gaze away from the window reluctantly to answer my question. When we both turned, both beds were empty.

Urgent whispers lead us out the room. Down the corridor, I see Ms Wren and a tall blonde man talking. Their body language was closed off, both hunched in together, which would've looked oddly suspicious if they weren't just conversing. 

Ms Wren's eyes fall onto Hannah who stood a bit in front of me, straightening swiftly "Oh! You're up early." she forced a chuckle.

Hannah didn't reply. Neither did I, except with an awkward nod.

She clutched onto the man's shoulder, he seemed to be in his early thirties. "This is Oliver, he was the head councillor of this camp fifteen years ago!"

Oh.

She paused, eyes flickering past me, before smiling again "Goodmorning."

I barely turn as Alexa steps into view, yawning while she closed the door to her room behind her; her roommates still asleep. She mumbled a greeting to the teacher but froze after seeing Oliver.

"What?" Hannah asks.

Ms. Wren jumped in, "You've met Oliver before, sweetie?"

"Oliver?" Alexa repeats his name like a sour taste, frowning as the mentioned man subtly took a step back.

"Yes, he worked here before and I was thinking he could help us around with a few things. Since he knows this place better," Ms. Wren explained brightly.

"I think Oliver's station was by the forest gate, wasn't it?" Our teacher asked, glancing at him for confirmation. He nodded without a word,

Without a response, the redhead pulls Hannah aside while I following closely.

"Okay. what's going on, you're acting all weird—" Hannah started only to get interrupted.

"I know the guy and his name is not Oliver." 

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