300 Days With The Alpha Beta Triplets

Third Person Pov:

After a few minutes, Hazel sat up in bed as sweat clung to her skin while she stared blankly at the dark room. The thoughts of what had happened earlier still swirled through her mind, and Riley's comforting presence next to her did little to soothe the icy knot of fear and dread settling deep in her stomach. Something about the nightmare didn't feel right-it felt far too vivid, and too real to be just a dream. Her parents' faces and the accusations in their voices couldn't be figments of her imagination, and the witch in her refused to let it go.

"No," she whispered in a shaky breath.

Riley's hand rubbed soothing circles on her back. "Hazel, it was just a nightmare. It's okay-"

He tried to convince her with a sleepy voice, but Hazel shook her head sharply, pushing the covers off her body as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

"It wasn't just a nightmare, Riley," she said firmly, trying to steady her voice. Her parents had never come to her, and now that they had, she couldn't let it go. "It felt real. Too real."

He sighed, watching her get up, so he sat up a bit, reaching for the nightstand to turn on the lamp. "You're probably shaken from the stress today, and your mind's just playing tricks. We have been talking about my parents too, and you might just miss-"

"No," she cut him off, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "You didn't hear them. My parents... they were talking to me. Accusing me. I saw them." She turned to face him, and fear crossed his heart, seeing her eyes wide and desperate. "This isn't normal, Riley."

Riley sat up straight, concern deepening on his face. "Hazel, you're safe here. There's nothing-"

"I need my spell book," she muttered, ignoring his words as she made her way to his walk-in closet where her bag was. Her heart pounded as she yanked the closet door open, digging through her things.

Riley groaned, getting out of bed. Then he followed her.

"Hazel, come on, this is just a bad dream. You're going to make yourself even more anxious-"

"I don't care!" she snapped, pulling out the spell book.

"I need to know if it was really them. I need to be sure."

Riley groaned softly but stepped back, running a hand through his hair. "And how exactly are you going to do that? Summon their spirits?" His tone was almost teasing, but Hazel didn't find any humor in the situation.

"Yes," she said quietly, flipping through the pages of the book with trembling fingers.

Riley's face dropped as he realized she wasn't joking.

"Wait, Hazel, no. You don't even know what you're doing. This is dangerous, and Halle isn't here. Let's go back to bed, and tomorrow we can-"

"I'm not crazy, Riley!" Hazel shot back, her voice rising in frustration as she continued searching for the right spell.

"I felt them. I know it was real, and the spirits around are probably trying to convince you it isn't real, so stand back!"

She expected him to step away, but he stepped forward, placing a hand on her arm.

"It's okay, and I am here with you," he said to her, then she took a deep breath.

He wasn't trying to encourage her. He thought keeping her calm would snap her out of it, but Hazel had already found the page she was looking for.

She pulled her arm away from his grip with her eyes scanning the texts.

"I have to know," she murmured under her breath, causing Riley to grab her arm.

He was scared she would mess with something she wasn't supposed to.

"If you trust me, then let me go, Riley," she said softly, looking into his eyes as tears shimmered in hers under the dimly lit room.

Riley hesitated before letting go of her. He made his way toward the switch by the door as she stepped toward the center of the room. As soon as the lights flickered on, her eyes focused on the spell, and she tried to keep her voice steady as she began to chant the words.

Although they were two in the room, and he was supposed to be the man, Riley found his heart racing as he watched her recite the spell with no trace of fear in her eyes. She was determined. Suddenly, the air in the room grew heavier, and Riley felt a chill up his spine as goosebumps sprouted on his skin.

He wanted to tell her to stop, but it was too late. Hazel uttered the final word, and the breeze that had swept across the room ceased. For a moment, nothing happened. Riley opened his mouth, but before he could speak, a low creak echoed from the corner of the room.

Both of them froze, their eyes darting to the source of the sound. The small table near the window shifted slightly, and the vase on top of it wobbled as if an unseen force had pushed it.

Riley's breath hitched, and Hazel's pulse pounded in her ears as they stared at the table.

"I told you they were here," Hazel said, looking at Riley, then she tried to make her way to the table with Riley following close behind, but before they could get there, the windows in the room flew open, and a strong wind took them by surprise, pushing them backward and smashing their heads into a wall.

**

Bella couldn't sleep the entire night because she feared her dreams, so she stayed up, but around four in the morning, her eyes finally shut. Shortly, she stirred in her bed, her brows furrowing as a soft voice echoed through the haze of sleep.

At first, it seemed distant, like a whisper carried on the wind, but as she slowly sat up in the bed, she could hear it. "Bella..."

Her eyelids fluttered open, her heart thumping heavily in her chest as she blinked, looking around the dimly lit room. She strained her ears to listen. The voice sounded closer this time, and she could tell she wasn't dreaming.

"Bella..."

She tried to resist, but she found herself losing control over her body. Soon she swung her legs over the side of the bed, then she stood, her feet sinking into the cool dorm room floor. Her heart beat faster, her pulse thrumming in her ears as she followed the sound.

The room was dim, bathed in the soft glow of moonlight seeping through the cracks in the curtains, and everywhere was quiet. She moved cautiously, her bare feet padding against the cold tiles as she walked past her desk cluttered with notebooks and papers.

"Bella..."

The voice beckoned again, and this time it was louder. Bella's breath hitched in her throat as she recognized the voice. It was Bonnie. Her best friend, whom she shouldn't be speaking with because they were in different worlds.

Her pulse raced, but her legs moved of their own accord, carrying her closer to the closet. With each step, the room seemed to grow colder, and Bella fought to stop moving, but she lost total control.

Bonnie's voice continued to call, pulling Bella forward like a moth to a flame. She barely registered the fact that she had reached Hazel's reading table near the window. There she found a wooden stake, and her fingers curled around the jagged piece of wood. Where it had come from was a mystery, but not as much as the fact that she was about to end her own life.

"Bella, come..."

Bella's breath came in shallow bursts, her hand trembling as she held the stake.

"No!" she screamed, shaking her head, but her grip tightened, and her hands lifted the piece of wood, pressing the tip against her chest.

"It will be better this way, Bella. For you, and for me. For us," Bonnie said, and Bella found herself no longer struggling as a strange calm settled over her, like a fog dulling her senses.

"Come with me..." Bonnie's voice whispered.

She lifted the splintered wood higher, ready to press it into her skin.

But just as she was about to drive it forward, a pair of strong arms grabbed her from behind, yanking her backward with force. Bella gasped, her grip loosening as the wood slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.

"Bella, stop!" Finn's voice rang out, his arms locking around her. His breath was ragged, and he cursed himself silently for not believing her earlier.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

She blinked, the fog lifting from her mind as reality snapped back into place. Her chest rose and fell in shallow gasps. Bonnie's voice was gone, and the coldness that had filled the room seemed to vanish as Finn's warmth enveloped her.

"I... I don't know," Bella whispered, her voice cracked as she clutched at his shirt.

"I heard Bonnie. She was calling me."

With Finn's face still pale with shock, his grip on her tightened as he glanced down at the broken wood on the floor. His gaze flickered back to her, and for the first time, Bella saw the fear in his eyes.

"I believe you," Finn whispered. "Something's not right, Bella."

Tears welled in Bella's eyes as she buried her face in his chest. They were in danger, but this time they didn't know who was responsible...