They Came In Hoodies

Chapter 27: Who Wrote This

Look out for the <>!

Ok guys, announcement time... I recently got a publishing deal for my story Invincible Invisible (You can read the first two chapters on Wattpad still)!!!! Anyhow, I'm so excited! But because of this exciting time, I haven't had a lot of time to write within this past week. I am hopeful to keep up the twice a week cadence but I can't promise anything. 

Enjoy this chapter and please have patience with me as I wear multiple hats at once. 

Stella's POV

I wiped some sweat from my forehead with a frown as I started to seriously think about taking my sweater off. Even with the sun going down behind me, it was still warm, like a late summer day and my jeans and thick sweater were wearing me down. I didn't know how long I had been walking but it felt like too long.

As the minutes ticked by, I realized how much of a stupid idea this was. Going through that gate expecting to find Gray so easily was probably the stupidest idea I have ever come up with. How could I have been so stupid to think that I would save him? And why did he think I could do it? He could have asked anyone but me? Why?

That one question gave me at least a little more strength to continue on, as I was reminded that Gray probably only trusted me. With a sigh, I sat down on a log with a heavy sigh. In the silence of my thoughts, I realized the birds had stopped chirping and most bug sounds had gone away. The setting sun has brought some kind of deep silence to fall on the land, which caused my hair to stand up on end. The silence felt like it was closing on me. With fear filling my veins, I looked around myself, feeling as if something was about to come out of the shadows in attack.

The image of the Darkling popped into my mind like an unwanted surprise. Convinced that was what was in the shadows, I got up from my seat and started running. I knew I needed to seek refuge for the night, but I did not know where to find it. The gate was far from me and I was confident that I wouldn't be able to get back to it even if I tried.

I pushed forward into the woods, hoping to find something. However, the sinking feeling in my chest continued to grow that there was something coming after me. My legs pushed faster and with more power than ever before as I heard a branch snap behind me. Whatever was coming after was fast, but I had to be faster. Fear coursed through my veins but I couldn't look back, I couldn't stop because if I stopped, they would get me.

"Stella! Wait!" Gray's voice called out to me.

His voice caused my heart to stop, making me freeze in mid-leap which caused me to trip on a branch, knocking me over onto the soft ground. I spun around to see Gray running up to me through a set of trees. Relief washed over me like a hot shower knowing that he was here and I wasn't alone anymore.

"Stella, are you ok?" Gray asked as he ran up to me with concern this in his voice.

I looked up at him as I tried to make sense of this all. The note said he was in trouble, but he looked completely fine. His T-shirt fit around his chest a little more snuggly than the last time I saw him telling me he worked out a lot recently. There was a hint of a bruise healing on the side of his jaw, making me wonder if his foster mother gave that to him.

Without wasting time on asking me a question, he moved onto another question. "What are you doing here?" Gray asked as he offered his hand for me to take.

I took it without question and brought him into a hug, feeling comforted by the simple act. He was ok; I was ok and now we could go back to Jackson. He hugged me back as if he needed it just as much as I did. For a moment, we held onto each other, not wanting to let go. In his arms, I realized that all of this was worth it, that stepping through the gate was needed because of the way he held onto me.