25, sisters again

Pugsley was missing.

He was nowhere to be found, and Ari's chest burned with panic. Ever since she'd heard he'd vanished, her thoughts wouldn't stop racing. The boy she liked was gone and that was enough to send her sprinting through Nevermore's corridors, changing into the first comfortable clothes she could grab, and bolting straight toward the woods.

"Ari! Wait for me, please!" Gia's voice echoed behind her.

"Ari!"

"I have to find him." Ari said.

"You can't do that if you don't know who took him." Gia told her.

"I know who took him. It was sl- Isaac." She replied as she turned back to walking.

"Ari! Please! It's almost midnight. Let's continue looking in the morning." Liam told her. "You won't be able to see anything in the dark."

"Ari!" Liam called, his footsteps pounding against the dirt as he tried to keep up.

"I have to find him," Ari shouted over her shoulder, her voice sharp with determination.

Gia finally caught up enough to tug on her sleeve. "You can't just go running into the woods at midnight without a plan. You don't even know who took him!"

"Yes, I do," Ari snapped, spinning to face them, her eyes flashing. "It was Sl-" She stopped herself, swallowing hard. "...Isaac."

Gia and Liam exchanged a look, but Ari didn't give them time to argue. She turned back, storming deeper into the trees.

"Ari!" Liam jogged forward, grabbing her arm. "Listen to me. It's almost midnight. You won't be able to see anything in the dark, and if Isaac really did take him, then you're walking straight into danger unprepared. We'll be more useful in the morning when we can actually see what we're doing."

Ari yanked her arm free, her breath trembling. "What if there isn't a morning for him? What if he needs me right now?"

Gia stepped closer, her usual dramatic energy gone, replaced with quiet sincerity. "We're not saying don't go after him. We're saying don't get yourself killed in the process. Please. Just... think for a second."

The forest loomed around them, branches swaying like reaching hands, the shadows swallowing every bit of moonlight. Ari's pulse thundered in her ears. She wanted to keep running. She wanted to tear the whole forest apart until she found him.

But Liam's words stuck, heavy and stubborn. What if she was running blind? What if Isaac wanted her to come charging in like this?

Ari clenched her fists, fighting the war inside her chest.

Ari froze in place, chest heaving, eyes burning with frustration and fear. She turned back toward her friends, her lips trembling as if she were about to argue again but before she could, Gia stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around her.

"It's okay," Gia whispered, pulling her close. "We'll find him. I promise. But not like this. Not in the dark when we can't even see what's ahead."

Ari's shoulders sagged against her, all the fight draining out as her hands slowly clutched Gia's sweater. She didn't want to stop. Every bone in her body screamed to run, to do something, but Gia's steady grip anchored her.

Liam placed a hand on Ari's shoulder, grounding her even more. "You're not alone in this. We're in it together, okay? First thing tomorrow, we go after him."

"Okay," Ari whispered, her voice small. "Tomorrow."

Gia squeezed her tighter. "Tomorrow."

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The sunlight streamed weakly through the dorm window, cutting across Ari's bed as she yanked on her boots. Her desk was cluttered with maps of the woods, a flashlight, and a notebook with Pugsley's name scribbled across the cover in frantic handwriting. She tied her laces in jerky, impatient motions, her thoughts already in the forest.

The door creaked, and Enid slipped inside. She looked... different. Not her usual sparkling, bubbly self. Her shoulders were stiff, her eyes shadowed, as if she hadn't slept at all.

"Hey," Enid said softly, leaning against the doorframe. "You good?"

Ari glanced up, startled. "Good? My friend is missing, and I wasted a whole night doing nothing. So no, Enid, I'm not good."

Enid crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her sweater. She looked like she wanted to say something more but held back. "You're not alone in this, Ari. You've got people backing you up."

Ari gave her a sharp look. "Backing me up? Gia and Liam were the only ones out there with me. Where were you?"

Enid's lips pressed into a thin line. She opened her mouth, then shut it again.

Ari threw her hands up. "See? You don't get it. You don't know what it feels like to have someone disappear and not know if they're even alive."

That made Enid flinch. Her glittering confidence cracked for a second, replaced by something raw, almost fearful. "Actually... I do," she said quietly.

Ari froze, brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

Enid hesitated, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood. She couldn't tell Ari-not yet. Not about the Alpha. Not about the cage waiting for her tonight. Not about the fact that if she transformed under the full moon, she might never come back.

Instead, she forced a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I just mean... I'm not going to let you go through this alone. Whatever happens tonight, I've got you."

Ari sighed, brushing her hair back. "Tonight might be the night I finally wolf out, Enid. What if I lose control? What if something happens to Gia or Liam or me while we're out there looking for Pugsley?"

Enid's heart dropped into her stomach. She wanted to scream the truth. But instead, she reached for Ari's hand, squeezing it firmly. "I'll make sure nothing happens to you. That's what sisters are for."

Ari searched her face, still suspicious, but softened just a little. "I love you." She said with a big smile on her face as Enid pulled in hug.

They were finally sisters again.

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A/N

The love I have for the Sinclair sisters 🥲🥲

new chapter !!!

Which sadly is short but hey it's a new chapter!!!

I still haven't watched episode 8 fully

Can you tell how lazy I am.

The truth is I don't want to watch it bc then I will have to write it. And I am just the laziest person alive.