An Astronomer's Guide to Falling Angels

Chapter 23

In the dense, dark woods of Camp Yarrow, Oda led the way with her flashlight held high, its beam cutting through the night. Her excitement was palpable, her voice buzzing with energy as she recounted every ghost story and urban legend she'd ever heard about the forest.

"And then, of course, there's the old legend of the Yarrow Beast," Oda said, grinning wickedly. "Half-wolf, half-man, and it prowls these woods looking for campers to devour. They say you can hear it howl before it strikes..."

Lukas, who was walking uncomfortably close to Louis, rolled his eyes. "You know that's all made-up, right?"

Louis, her usually calm demeanour hiding a hint of nervousness, glanced at Oda warily. "Ghosts and creatures like that don't exist. But there are things we should be cautious of—like wild animals or, you know, actual humans."

Oda scoffed. "Where's your sense of adventure, Louis? We're here to find ghosts, not dodge squirrels."

Louis sighed but kept walking, her flashlight scanning the trees for any sign of movement. She wasn't buying into the ghost stories, but her concern was real enough. There were plenty of dangers in the woods that didn't involve supernatural creatures. Yet, despite her better judgment, she'd come along to make sure her friends didn't get into too much trouble.

Lukas, on the other hand, was less than thrilled about being in the woods at night. His usual sass was replaced by a mix of anxiety and agitation, which only heightened every time Oda made a sudden move or spun around to snap a picture of seemingly nothing.

"Would you stop that?" Lukas hissed when Oda whipped out her phone for another photo. "You're going to make me think we're actually going to find something!"

"Isn't that the point?" Oda grinned, clearly unfazed by Lukas' nerves. She held her phone out, snapping another picture of the trees, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Imagine if we caught something real. Like, an actual ghost or a..."

She stopped mid-sentence, her grin fading as a strange sound echoed through the trees. It was faint at first—a low, eerie noise—but then it became clearer. Laughter. It was distant but unsettling, carried on the wind like a whisper in the dark.

Lukas screamed, stumbling back towards Louis. "What was that?!"

Oda's eyes lit up, her grin returning in full force. "Oh, this just got interesting!"

Louis, on the other hand, frowned deeply, her concern growing. Ghosts might not be real, but that sound certainly was. "It could be someone else from camp messing with us," she said, her voice level but cautious. "Or worse..."

"Or it could be the Yarrow Beast," Oda said with dramatic flair, waggling her eyebrows at Lukas, who looked like he was about to pass out. "Only one way to find out."

Despite her excitement, Oda seemed more energized than frightened by the noise, and she pressed on, her flashlight sweeping across the trees as she marched further into the woods. Lukas followed reluctantly, his nerves on high alert, while Louis trailed behind, her eyes darting around for any real danger that might be lurking.

The laughter echoed again, this time closer, sending a shiver down all their spines. They couldn't see it, but somewhere in the darkness, Phillip and his goons were watching them, amused by their reaction.

Meanwhile, by the lake, things were far more intimate. Arty and Astor lay tangled on the picnic blanket under the stars, the cool night air brushing against their skin. Astor was lying atop the blanket, his chest rising and falling as he looked up at Arty, who loomed over him, her lips still tingling from their last kiss.

His hands were wrapped around the back of her neck, his fingers lightly grazing her skin, while her own hands roamed gently over his body, teasingly brushing over his waist and shoulders. Astor whimpered softly when Arty leaned in to deepen their kiss, her lips melding perfectly with his. Every kiss felt electric, like a spark igniting between them, and the more they touched, the harder it became to stay grounded.