Sarah tilted her head, intrigued. "A crescent, huh?"
Jake nodded. "Yeah… silver, kinda old looking. She said it was important—never told me why though."
Sarah's gaze lingered on him a second too long. Then she looked away, brushing her fingers over her wolf pendant.
Could it be? No… It can't be a coincidence.
Jake studied her. "You okay?"
"Yeah," she forced a smile. "Just… thinking."
He leaned forward a bit. "You sure there's nothing else you remember? About your past?"
Sarah stood, walking to the window, gently pulling the curtain. Her reflection stared back at her in the glass.
"I've had a hard life, Jake. A confusing one. I don't always know what I am. But I've learned to survive."
Jake rose too, unsure. "You're… stronger than you think."
She turned, locking eyes with him.
"And you're more special than you know." He continued.
A pause. Tension hung thick in the air.
Then she smirked. "Where'd you hear that from?"
Jake laughed. "I can't even remember."
Their laughter faded just as quickly as it came.
Jake picked up the tray. "Guess I'll be heading out."
He made it to the door, pulled it open.
"Thanks," Sarah said softly. "I really needed to hear that."
Jake didn't turn around. Just raised his hand in a peace sign. "Anytime."
He stepped out, leaving Sarah alone with her thoughts… and the questions still hanging in the air.
That man, she thought with a slow smile tugging at her lips, he's no wolf… not yet.
Meaning, I might've just invited trouble into this house... Damn, I'm so stupid. I need to act fast.
Hunter and Huntress... they must be the ones sent after me. But after last night, I'm not so sure anymore.
"Think, Sarah... THINK!" she muttered, pacing back and forth across the room, her fingers tugging at her hair in frustration.
"I need some air," she muttered.
She grabbed a loose shirt, tossed it on, slipped out of her skirt, and pulled on a pair of joggers. Quick. Quiet. Ready to move.
As she paced down the stairs, she paused midway, her eyes scanning the room.
There he was — Jake — sitting on the couch, elbows on his knees, head bowed low like the weight of the world was resting on his shoulders.
"Hey!" she called out, voice firm but calm.
His head snapped up, startled. Eyes met hers — tired, distant, like he hadn't slept at all.
"Why the long face?... Is it your mum?" Sarah asked, tilting her head slightly, reading his expression.
Jake shook his head and leaned back. "Nah, it's nothing."
She raised a brow but didn't push. Instead of heading for the door like she planned, she walked over and sat beside him.
"You can talk to me, y'know?" she said softly. "I might surprise you."
He looked at her, then let out a heavy sigh.
"Back in high school, I had this girlfriend... Well, it was more of a one-sided relationship. I was never really into her, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings, so I just… played along," he said, voice low with guilt.
"Ooh, sounds juicy," Sarah teased, a sly grin spreading across her face.
Jake gave her a tired smile and continued, "Well, she also had a friend… who was obsessed with me."
"Mmm, Mr. Blackwell's got the ladies, I see," Sarah teased, nudging him playfully with her elbow, her grin widening.
Jake chuckled, shaking his head. "I guess so… but it wasn't fun, trust me. That friend? She was obsessed with me — like, full-on stalker vibes. She did everything she could to make me hers."
He paused, then added, "There was this one time — I was in the boys' changing room, alone, just in my underwear… and she barged in."
"Wait— the stalker?" Sarah asked, now fully invested.
Jake nodded. "Yeah. She locked the door behind her too. I froze — had no idea what to do. She walked right up to me, saying we were meant to be together… tried to touch me."
Sarah blinked, stunned. "No way… What did you do?"
"Well, I pushed past her and tried to make a run for it, but she had the keys clutched in her arms. She stood up and just kept rambling about how we were meant to be, and how the other girl didn't really love me. I tried to reason with her, but she wasn't listening—she could only hear herself."
"She told me that if I kissed her just once, she'd be satisfied and leave me alone. Seemed like a fair deal, but I just couldn't do it. She moved closer, wrapped her hands around my shoulders, whispering that I could touch her anywhere I wanted. I only held onto her waist—nothing more."
"Then…" Sarah pressed on.
"She pressed her lips to mine, but just before they met, I pulled back and told her I wasn't going to do it. She didn't listen—she just went for it, stealing my first kiss. She knew exactly what she was doing."
"After that, the rumors blew up. Emily took Silent Killer's first kiss… something that was meant for Jocelyn."
Sarah chuckled. "Wait—you had your first kiss in high school? And Emily's the stalker, Jocelyn's the ex, but… who's Silent Killer?"
"Try to keep up," he said, face planting into his hands.
"I'm Silent Killer."
"Why though?" she asked, genuinely curious.
"Doesn't matter," he shrugged.
"Oh, sorry—Mr. Silent Killer," she scoffed softly.
Jake rolled his eyes. "Back to the story. Jocelyn got really pissed and stopped talking to me. Emily held her end of the bargain, but it didn't feel right. I was stuck in the middle, the one everyone blamed."
"Long story short, things got better. Jocelyn and I got back together. But Emily? She wasn't done. Somehow, she got me in the same changing room situation again—only this time, she was dead set on getting her way with me."
He flushed, embarrassed.
"Damn, that's messed up," Sarah said, a hint of irritation creeping into her voice.