The Memory Lurking in the Dark
830 Words
Liora sat on a dusty crate in the tunnel, elbows on her knees, staring at the notebook like it might suddenly start talking.
“The leader of the Shadows?” she whispered. “Why would I see that? Why would I even be near them?”
Jace raised his hand. “I have a theory.”
Arin groaned. “Please no.”
Jace continued anyway. “Maybe you’re secretly a chosen one. Or a lost princess. Or maybe—”
Nova dropped her tablet lightly on his head. “Stop.”
Xaden ignored the others. He stepped closer to Liora.
“Think,” he said quietly. “That night you saw them. Did you see anyone’s face? Even briefly?”
Liora squeezed her eyes shut.
She tried to remember the chase.
The shadows.
The running feet.
The heavy breathing.
The feeling like someone was right behind her—
A flash.
A memory flickered.
She frowned. “I… remember someone turning when they ran past me. Just their face for a second.”
Arin’s eyes widened. “Was it handsome or scary?”
“It was a blur!”
Jace nodded wisely. “Terrifying handsome blur. Classic villain trait.”
Xaden leaned in a little. “Try again.”
Liora took a deep breath and pushed her mind back.
The hallway.
The echoing footsteps.
The split second where a figure turned—
a face half-hidden in light—
She gasped.
“I saw eyes.”
Nova scribbled something down. “Good. Describe the eyes.”
Liora’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“Cold. Too calm. Like… like the person wasn’t scared of anything. Not even getting caught.”
Arin shivered. “Yep. Definitely villain eyes.”
Xaden’s expression shifted, tension creeping into his jaw. “Anything else?”
Liora hesitated.
The memory sharpened — painfully.
“There was a scar,” she whispered. “Across the left cheek.”
Nova froze.
Arin froze.
Jace froze, mid-snack-bite.
Xaden’s eyes widened—just barely, but enough.
“…A scar?” he repeated.
Liora nodded slowly. “Yes. Thin. Faded. But definitely there.”
Xaden backed up a step, his face pale.
Nova looked between them. “What? What does that mean?”
Arin snapped his fingers. “Oh no. No way. Don’t tell me—”
Xaden’s voice cut through the tunnel, low and horrified:
“The leader of the Shadows has a scar across his left cheek.”
Silence.
Then Jace whispered:
“So… uh… does your brother have a scar?”
The group looked at Xaden.
His jaw tightened into a blade.
“My brother,” he said quietly, “has one.”
Liora’s stomach dropped. “Xaden… are you saying—?”
He closed his eyes for a moment.
When he opened them again, they were sharp, burning, full of a pain he’d never shown before.
“Xylan is not just part of the Shadows,” he said.
Everyone leaned in.
“He’s their leader.”
Arin screamed. “NOPE. NO. I REFUSE. I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR A FAMILY DRAMA CRIME WAR.”
Jace hugged Arin. “We’re gonna die in the tunnels. I knew it. I should’ve rewritten my will.”
Nova looked stunned. “If Xylan is the leader… then he’s the one who Emil was hiding from.”
“And the one who wants Liora,” Xaden finished tensely.
Liora felt cold all over.
“But… why? Why me?”
Xaden didn’t answer.
Because he didn’t know.
But then Nova’s tablet beeped loudly.
New data.
A location marker flashed on her screen.
Arin leaned over. “What is that?”
Nova’s eyes widened dramatically. “It’s Emil Dane’s tracker signal.”
Jace gasped. “WAIT HE HAS A TRACKER?!”
Nova nodded. “School policy — high-level academic scholarship students have optional location trackers for safety. Emil volunteered.”
Arin blinked. “Nerd.”
Nova zoomed in.
The blinking dot was in the lower tunnels.
And it was moving.
“Guys,” she whispered. “He’s alive.”
Liora’s heart leapt.
But Nova didn’t look relieved.
She looked terrified.
“Because he’s running.”
Jace swallowed. “Running from… what?”
Nova zoomed out.
The screen refreshed.
Another dot appeared behind Emil’s.
A red one.
Labeled with a symbol.
The crescent-shadow mark.
Xaden’s eyes hardened.
“He’s running,” he said, “because the Shadows found him.”
Liora stood up fast.
“Then we’re going after him.”
Arin jumped back. “WHAT?! Girl, no! We’re not trained! We don’t have weapons! Jace only has snacks!”
Jace lifted a granola bar. “It’s a sharp snack.”
Nova packed her tablet. “She’s right. Emil won’t survive if we don’t.”
Xaden nodded once. “We move now.”
Liora tightened her grip on the notebook.
Her fear melted into determination.
“We’re going to save him.”
She didn’t notice the shadow watching them from behind the tunnel corner.
Listening.
Smiling.
- Writer
