Aira could feel her pulse racing as she stared at the name. Andrei. The one person she had never paid attention to. The quiet student, who rarely spoke, who always hung back. But now, he was more than just a name. He was the missing piece in the puzzle that had been driving her crazy.
Her hands shook as she held the yearbook, flipping through the pages until she found his face. Dark eyes, soft smile, the typical quiet guy. But what stood out most was the line under his picture. "No social media presence. Very private."
Private. He was too private.
Aira felt a chill run down her spine. Was he stalking her? Or was he just another pawn in this game?
---
The next morning, Aira couldn't wait to confront him. She wasn't sure how she would do it—whether to just ask him outright or to observe him from a distance. But she couldn't shake the feeling that the clock was ticking. Time was running out, and the game was getting more dangerous.
She found him in the library. Alone. Reading a book, as usual.
Aira walked up, her steps quiet but deliberate.
"Andrei," she said, her voice steady but her heart pounding.
He looked up, surprised. "Aira, hey. What's up?"
She forced a smile, her mind racing. "I need to talk to you about something. Something important."
He closed the book and put it aside, his expression unreadable. "Sure, what's going on?"
Aira sat down, her gaze not leaving his. "I know you've been following me."
His face went pale. His hands clenched at his sides, but he didn't say anything. He didn't move.
"You've been in my room, Andrei. I saw the photo."
He flinched. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he said, "I wasn't stalking you. I—I just wanted to know more. I needed to—"
"Needed to what?" Aira cut him off. "Why?"
He opened his mouth, but no words came out. His eyes flickered to the door, like he was looking for an escape.
"I didn't want it to go this far. I just—I thought you'd understand. I thought you'd see."
Aira was confused. "See what? What are you talking about?"
Andrei looked at her, then quickly looked away. "You don't remember me, do you? From last year?"
Aira frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"You don't remember, but I do," Andrei whispered. "You hurt me."
---
Aira froze. Hurt him?
She didn't even know who he was. How could she have hurt him?
"I don't understand," she said, her voice barely audible.
"I was there," Andrei said, his voice cracking. "When you—you—" He stopped himself, shaking his head. "Forget it. Just… forget it."
But Aira couldn't forget it. She couldn't forget the look in his eyes. The desperation. The madness.
She stood up, her mind racing.
"Don't come near me again, Andrei. Ever."
And she left, her heart pounding in her chest.
---
Later that night, Aira couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. The encounter with Andrei had left her with more questions than answers.
But one thing was clear. Andrei wasn't the only one hiding secrets.
---
As Aira sat in her room, the same old fear crept in. She grabbed her phone and texted Revan.
> "I think I've uncovered something. Andrei… he's involved. But I don't know how."
There was no reply. Not immediately.
Aira glanced at the clock. It was getting late. She couldn't afford to wait any longer.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed.
It was a message from Revan.
> Meet me at the old building after school tomorrow. It's urgent.
Her heart skipped a beat. What was going on? What was Revan about to reveal?
---
The next day, Aira met Revan at the old building, a place no one ever really visited. It was dark, dusty, and abandoned—a perfect spot for secrets.
"Revan, what's going on?" she asked, her voice shaky.
He looked at her with a seriousness she'd never seen before. "Aira… I think we've both been played. By someone much closer than we realize."
Aira's stomach dropped.
And then, Revan pulled out a new piece of evidence.
It was a screenshot—of an anonymous email.
It had been sent to Aira's school address, but the subject line made her blood run cold.
> You think you know, but you don't.
Attached: a video.
It was from the same night Aira had received the first photo of herself.
But this time… Aira saw someone new.
A figure in a hood.
In the shadows. Watching.
Not Andrei. Not Revan.
But someone else.
Someone they didn't know.
---
The game was getting darker. And Aira had no idea who she could trust anymore.
---