THIS IS A VERY ROUGH DRAFT. THIS IS NOT THE FINAL PRODUCT.  DO NOT EXPECT A FINAL MANUSCRIPT WITHOUT PLOTHOLES, MISTAKES, AND INCONSISTENCIES. 

1.

Growing up in the hollower village, the change of season always incited excitement. Pollen lingered in the air, flowers wove through the vines on the vegetable patches. Sometimes, when the sun was high and the sky was blue, Wilhelm would play his ukulele and kids would dance around the clearing. Spring signalled a new beginning. A clean slate. One year closer to my first hunt.

But things have changed. Spring is different closer to the mountains. The shifter village is still tainted with patches of snow that melt into the dirt and turns a mucky brown. I don't count the days to my next birthday in anticipation for my hunt; I don't steer clear of the forest. Now, I wait for something much more important. Eric gets back tonight.

"Focus, Milena," Bastain says from behind me. "You've been distracted all training."

Mud splatters up my leg as I stomp my foot, twisting to face him. Speckles of brown dot his face, the corner of his shirt torn. With a moments notice, he kicks my legs out from beneath me. I land on the ground with a thud. Rubbing the dirt from my eyes, I push to my feet, ready to attack him again, but from the side, Aliyah claps. "Stop!"

The tension in my muscles releases and I drop my hand, wiping my mouth with the back of my wrist as I turn to face Aliyah. She sits on the tree stump, chin perched in her hand and eyes narrowed in on me. I shift as I wait for her to speak, my breath ragged and beads of sweat gathering at my neck.

"That was better," she says finally. "But not perfect. You still don't have the right form. You're too stiff." Beside me, Bastian snickers. "I don't know what you're laughing about. Milena nearly knocked you right off your feet at the start there."

"Key word—" Bastian turns to smirk at me, "—nearly."

I roll my eyes, dislodging the daggers in the tree Bastian and I were hacking at. "Shall we go again?"

"Tomorrow," Aliyah says. "I'm taking the stage three's out east. They've been nagging me about preparing for their first shifts."

Bastian laughs. "Their first shift? They're 10 years old."

"It's never too early to start preparing." Aliyah looks to me. "Same time tomorrow. In the meantime, work on your form in the mirror, 'cause your hits will be much better once you get that right."

I nod, sliding the daggers into their sheaths and back into the backpack before following Bastian back through the forest. "Aren't you going with her?" I ask.

"Eric's getting back tonight." He holds a branch out of the way for me; the leaves tickle the back of my neck as I pass. "I'm helping Cassia with the monthly report."

A lump forms in my throat. Ahead, the trees thin, giving way to the vast blue sky. I inhale deeply. The air feels clearer away from the village. Amongst the endless rows of trees, everything looks like fresh territory, untainted by distant memories and painful emotions.

"Catch you later, yeah?" Bastian asks as the village comes into view.

"See you tonight." When Eric is back.

He nods and heads towards the castle. I watch him go. The sun glares behind the castle, casting an ominous shadow over the earth before it, tresses of vines winding within the stone. Bastian disappears through the large wooden doors.

I should've gone with him and offered to help; I should make sure there are clean bedsheets and a warm meal for Eric when he gets back. But I head in the opposite direction. Through the gravel streets and past the bar, towards the incline leading to the peak of the village. Tonight, I want to live in ignorance.

The past three months have become a mindless routine. Wake up, go on a run with Aliyah, have lunch, train with Bastian. After training, I spend the afternoon in the library, scanning through the books Elias cherished, trying to teach myself the words as I imagine the way his fingers flick over the pages. I spend most evenings at The Gintrap with Bastian, Aliyah and sometimes Cassia, the jovial music and dancing a mask for the sense of despair that lingers in the village streets.

After my life completely spiralling out of whack, I welcomed the routine. It was easy to pretend for a while—that everything would be okay, that there was still hope, that the routine served a more important purpose. But it soon became tedious, hopeless, and with no positive return.

I brush the dirt from my hands when I reach the top of the hill, settling beside the mound of dirt dug from the grass. It still looks freshly filled, the ground brown compared to the surrounding greenery. There's no gravestone, no memory, nothing but a mound of dirt to commemorate the man who raised me, the man who tucked me into bed, the man I killed. The sting in my chest serves as a reminder. Charles is dead in a hole that was dug for Elias. And as the months roll past, it's getting harder and harder to believe Elias could be alive.

~

"I'm pretty sure Aliyah told you to practice your form, not eat cinnamon buns."

Still on the hill, I turn to look over my shoulder, unsurprised to see Bastian clambering towards me. The sun has begun its descent, dyeing the horizon orange and burning the tips of his hair. I shove the bread in my mouth and pull a face. Bastian laughs. "You're not going to get any stronger eating that stuff."

"Who says I need to get stronger?" I ask.

"Everyone who has seen you train."

He reaches into my backpack and snatches the last one for himself, grinning when I smack his hand away. We settle into silence, both watching the setting sun. Though the villagers here don't hate me anymore, they haven't exactly welcomed me with open arms; their icy exteriors melt away just as slowly as the unbearable winter. Bastian has never held back, he pokes fun at me like we've known each other for years. It makes me feel less alone somehow.

"Eric's back," he says after a few moments.

"And?"

"And nothing."

My stomach doesn't sink with disappointment like it used to. Between Eric and Cassia taking turns with the search party, neither of them have found anything that hints towards Elias' whereabouts.

"Have they been to the mountains yet?" I ask.

"You know, maybe if you asked Cassia yourself, you'd know more," he says. I say nothing, keeping my eyes ahead. "Just a suggestion."

I purse my lips and look away. Everyone, including Cassia, thinks that I hate her. I don't—I won't allow myself. But that doesn't mean forgiving her for what she did is easy. Her actions sting now just as much as they did when she stood crying in front of me in the forest.

Down in the village below, a melancholic horn echoes off the tops of the trees. Bastain and I exchange glances. "Did Eric say anything about a lockdown when you saw him?" I ask.

"No."

We pause. Lockdowns have been more frequent this month. Now and then, if hollowers have been spotted close, the horn will alert the villagers to stay in their homes. But it's always during the day, because hollowers are still scarce during the night. And yet the horn echoes through the dusk air.

"I'm sure it's fine," Bastian says. "We should head back, just in case."

I pick up my backpack, brushing the dirt off my pants, and we head down the hill.

~

The first month after Elias' body went missing, both Cassia and Eric stayed at the castle. The villagers were hectic, Cassia was a mess, and Eric was more moody than usual—nobody knew what to do. Somebody had to keep the village in order, but both Cassia and Eric wanted to look for Elias.

After days of arguing, Eric set out with a search team and returned two weeks later to swap with Cassia, who returned after another two weeks. Despite arguing why I should get to go too, I ended up stuck in the village learning to fight with a group of 10 year olds. As irritating as it was, both Cassia and Eric agreed that my time would be better spend learning how to fight. And when they found something promising, I could help. But after three months of finding virtually nothing, I have more muscle but less hope.

Eric is waiting for us in the foyer of the castle, and despite not seeing us for a month, he doesn't smile. "There you are!" He snaps.

"Nice to see you too, Eric," I say dryly. "My past month has been great, thanks. How about yours?"

He doesn't look amused. "Did you not hear the horn? We're on lockdown."

Lockdowns are part of the routine; an extra precaution we take when we probably don't have to. "We're back now, aren't we?" Bastian says.

"We're on lockdown and the two of you are acting as nonchalant as children," he snaps, running a tired hand down his face. Scratches litter his arms, tired lines mark his face, and smudges of dirt stain his clothes. It's only been one month since I saw him, but he changes each time he returns. His movements become less fluid. You can see the hope seeping out of him like a leaking tap.

"Eric, what's going on?" I ask.

"We think some hollowers followed us back." His voice echoes around the room, eyes meeting mine and flashing red.

"You think... they're here? Now?" I ask. "It's nighttime."

"Maybe they don't have to be afraid of the night anymore."

My eyes snap to his, alert. The hollowers hid from the night their entire lives, afraid of the creatures that ruled the forest when the moon was high. If they're not afraid of the night anymore, it's because they don't have to be. The immortalia sacrificium. Elias' blood.

I open my mouth to voice my concerns, but a scream cuts me off. Short and sharp, it pierces the castle walls, coming from outside. Tension builds in my shoulders. "What was that?" I breathe.

The air stills around us, none of us moving as if we'll trigger the scream again. But then Bastian turns to us, eyes flickering with horror. "Which direction did you come from?"

Eric frowns. "What?"

"The direction. Where are the hollowers coming from?"

"The east."

My blood runs cold when Bastian's eyes meet mine, the realisation hitting like a tidal wave. "Aliyah."

~

DISCUSSION:

1. since it's been a while, comment here any questions about the first book you can't remember and I will answer them to remind you :)

2. what do you think has happened Aliyah?

3. introduce yourself! I'm Grace :)