665: CHASED, WEAVING THROUGH

ARIEL'S POV I fell silent, my heart beating really fast as I listened for whatever had caught Luke's attention. At first, all I could hear was the sound of the breeze rustling through the trees. But then, I heard it too - the unmistakable sound of footsteps crunching through the underbrush. "Someone's coming," Luke whispered urgently. "We need to hide." Before I could respond, he grabbed my hand and pulled me deeper into the woods. We ran as quietly as we could, ducking under branches and weaving around trees. After a few minutes, Luke stopped abruptly and pulled me behind a large bush. We crouched down, trying to make ourselves as small as possible. "Do you think they saw us?" I whispered. Luke shook his head. "I don't think so," he replied. "But we need to be quiet." We fell silent again, listening intently for any sign of the people pursuing us. I could hear my heart beating in my ears, and I was sure that whoever was out there would be able to hear it, too. After what felt