The road was warmer than the sidewalk.
It held the heat from the day longer, the asphalt still faintly warm through the thin soles of Felicity’s shoes. The sidewalk ran alongside it in neat, cracked squares, but the road felt wider, easier—like it belonged to them more than it should. Cars barely passed this late, and when they did, headlights swept by lazily before disappearing down the street.
Third Street stretched ahead in a quiet line, houses sitting back from the road with their porches dark and still. Streetlights flickered on and off in slow intervals, casting pale yellow circles that didn’t quite touch each other. Between them, the sky opened up—clear and deep, stars scattered across it without clouds to dull them.
It was the kind of night that made walking feel like enough.
No rush. No destination. Just movement, conversation, and the sound of shoes against pavement.
Felicity tilted her head back as she walked. “Wow,” she said quietly. “Aren’t the stars beautiful?”
Max glanced up for half a second before snorting. “Yeah. Too bad you won’t see them often. You’re scared of the dark.”
“Am not!” Felicity barked, punching his shoulder harder than necessary.
“Ow—wow,” Max said, rubbing his arm dramatically. “Violence. Over the stars.”
Emily laughed, her blonde curls bouncing as she walked ahead with Payton, their shoulders practically touching. “You two argue more than anyone I know.”
Payton turned around, walking backward for a few steps. “Seriously. You act more like enemies than twins.”
Felicity felt her face heat. “We are not enemies.”
Max grinned. “We’re both.”
“Wow,” Emily said. “That explains everything.”
Payton chuckled and turned back around before he tripped. “So what, do you two argue like that on purpose, or does it just happen naturally?”
“It’s a skill,” Max said. “Takes years of practice.”
Felicity rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. The night smelled like cold air and leaves, familiar and boring and safe. Somewhere far off, a car passed, its headlights briefly cutting through the dark before disappearing again.
That’s when the sound came.
Low. Rough. Close.
A growl rippled through the air.
Everyone stopped.
Emily’s smile dropped. “It’s— a—”
Max didn’t wait. He grabbed Felicity’s arm and started running.
“A big dog!” he finished, dragging her with him.
“What—Emily!” Felicity called, twisting back just in time to snag her wrist and pull her along.
Behind them, Payton ripped a thick branch from the ground and swung it as something lunged. Teeth snapped around the wood. He kicked out hard and bolted after the others.
They ran.
And ran.
Their footsteps pounded the road, breaths burning, until Payton skidded to a stop in front of a dark house looming at the edge of the street.
“Get in here!” he shouted. “No one lives here!”
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