Aira sat on the edge of the abandoned classroom, staring at the video Revan had shown her. The figure in the hood. It wasn't just a random stalker. No, this was planned. Coordinated.
"Who is this?" Aira asked, her voice shaky. Her hands clenched the edges of her seat, desperate for an answer.
Revan shook his head. "I don't know. But whoever they are, they've been watching you for a lot longer than we thought."
Aira felt the weight of his words settle deep in her chest. Every part of her screamed to run. To hide. But something inside her refused to back down. She needed to know the truth.
"The email," Aira whispered, suddenly remembering something. "It said... 'You think you know, but you don't.' What if that's not just a warning? What if it's a challenge?"
Revan looked at her, his eyes dark with suspicion. "A challenge? You think they want us to figure it out?"
"Yes," Aira said, nodding. "I think this is all part of some twisted game. And we're the ones they're playing with."
Revan didn't speak for a moment. He seemed lost in thought, his brow furrowed as he processed the new information.
"You're right," he finally said. "This is bigger than just Andrei. Someone is pulling the strings. We need to find out who, before it's too late."
---
The next day at school, everything felt different. The hallways, once so familiar, now seemed cold and hostile. Aira walked through them like a shadow, her every step calculated. She couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her. Someone was always one step ahead.
Andrei had disappeared from the school entirely. No one had seen him since the confrontation in the library. But Aira knew better than to think that meant he was out of the picture. He was still out there, lurking in the shadows, just like the figure in the hood.
But then, just as Aira was lost in thought, a text popped up on her phone.
It was from Revan.
> I've got something. Meet me at the old park after school.
Her heart raced. She had no idea what Revan had found, but she knew it wasn't good.
---
The old park was a place Aira used to visit with her friends when she was younger. It had always been quiet, peaceful even. But now, as she walked toward the rusted swings and broken benches, it felt like a scene from a horror movie.
Revan was already there, standing under the dim light of a lamppost.
"Revan," Aira called, walking toward him. "What's going on?"
He looked at her with a seriousness she had never seen before. "I found the name. The person who's been sending you the messages."
Aira's heart skipped a beat. "Who is it?"
Revan pulled out his phone and showed her a screen. "It's someone from your past, Aira."
The name on the screen made Aira's blood run cold.
Clara.
Her old friend. The one she hadn't spoken to in years.
"Clara?" Aira's voice was barely a whisper. "But… I haven't seen her since we graduated. What does she have to do with this?"
Revan's eyes narrowed. "I don't know. But her name kept popping up in the logs. She's connected to all of this."
Aira felt dizzy. Clara?
The girl who had once been her closest friend. The girl she had trusted. The girl who had disappeared without a trace.
It didn't make sense.
"Clara is behind this?" Aira asked, her mind racing. "But why? Why would she do this?"
Revan shook his head. "We need to dig deeper. There's more to this than we can see. But Aira, we need to be careful. We're dealing with something dangerous."
Aira felt a knot form in her stomach. This was no longer just about a stalker. This was about a conspiracy.
---
That night, Aira couldn't sleep. Her mind was spinning with questions. What had happened to Clara? Why had she disappeared? And why was she involved in this sick game?
She picked up her phone, her fingers trembling as she typed a message to Revan.
> I think we need to find Clara. We need to confront her before this goes any further.
Revan replied almost instantly.
> Be careful. If Clara is behind this, then she's not the same person you remember. And neither is the person who's been pulling the strings.
Aira didn't reply. She didn't need to.
She already knew.
This was just the beginning.
---
The next day, Aira and Revan began their search. They dug through old records, tried to reach Clara's family, but found nothing. It was as if Clara had completely vanished from the world.
But then, Aira got a call.
It was an unknown number. The voice on the other end was distorted, like someone was trying to hide their identity.
> "You think you can stop this, Aira? You don't even know the truth. You don't even know who you're really up against."
The voice hung up before Aira could respond.
---
And that was when she realized.
The game had just escalated.
---