Chapter 13: Smoke and Mirrors
1009 Words
The whispers had changed.
It wasn’t just about the video anymore.
Now it was about why.
Why Lexi? Why Jace? Why now?
Lexi felt it in the way people looked at her—like she was a puzzle missing a few pieces. And maybe she was. Because she had questions too.
Questions no one had answers to.
Until the envelope arrived.
No name. No return address. Just her name scribbled in ink.
Inside?
A photo.
Old. Blurry.
But unmistakable.
A younger Jace. Standing in front of a burned-down cabin.
Next to him?
A girl with a scar down her cheek.
And behind them… spray-painted across the charred wall: She deserved it.
Lexi’s stomach turned.
What the hell was this?
She turned it over.
There was a note taped to the back.
"Ask him about Ember Hollow. About what he buried there."
Her phone buzzed.
Blocked Number: Smoke always leads to fire.
Lexi froze.
This wasn’t just about her anymore.
This was about Jace.
And whatever he’d done before she ever walked into his life.
---
Jace, that evening
Jace sat on the bleachers, the field empty, twilight settling in.
Lexi appeared quietly, photo clenched in her hand.
He looked up, surprised but glad.
“Didn’t expect you.”
She sat beside him, eyes searching his.
“I got this today.”
She handed him the photo.
Jace stared at it for a long time.
His jaw locked. His fists clenched.
Lexi whispered, “What happened in Ember Hollow?”
Silence stretched between them.
Then, finally—
“I was fifteen. And I made a mistake I’ve been trying to outrun ever since.”
Lexi blinked, heart racing. “What kind of mistake?”
Jace looked at her.
Haunted.
Gutted.
And whispered, “The kind that gets someone killed.”
Lexi didn’t move.
Didn’t blink.
Didn’t even breathe.
The weight of Jace’s confession hung between them like smoke—heavy, choking, and impossible to ignore.
Her voice was barely a whisper. “Did you…?”
“No,” Jace said quickly. Too quickly. “Not directly.”
Lexi turned to face him. “Then who?”
He shook his head. “It’s not that simple.”
She looked down at the photo again. “Who’s the girl?”
Jace stared at the field like it held all the answers.
“She was my best friend’s sister. We used to hang out at Ember Hollow—just a bunch of us being reckless. The fire… it wasn’t supposed to happen. But it did. And after that night… she was gone.”
Lexi’s heart clenched. “And the writing on the wall?”
His jaw flexed. “That showed up days later. No one ever figured out who put it there. But everyone blamed me. Said I knew more than I let on.”
Lexi hesitated. “Did you?”
Jace didn’t answer right away. Then—
“I knew she was scared. That night. She told me something wasn’t right. I told her to ignore it.” He finally looked at her. “She didn’t make it out.”
The silence that followed was filled with ghosts.
Lexi reached for his hand. Slowly. Hesitantly.
But she took it.
He looked at her like he didn’t expect her to.
Like he didn’t think he deserved it.
“I don’t care about your past,” she said. “But I care if it’s going to destroy your future.”
Jace pulled her closer, their foreheads touching, his voice low and hoarse.
“I don’t want you involved in this.”
Lexi’s breath hitched. “Too late.”
And then—
He kissed her.
This one was different.
It wasn’t just heat or chemistry.
It was desperation. Apology. Hope.
Lexi melted into it, her arms around his neck, grounding him when his world kept threatening to spin out.
When they pulled back, her lips swollen and her heart thundering, she whispered:
“Then we find out who sent that picture. Together.”
The Mysterious Texter/watcher
From across the parking lot, someone stood in the shadows, camera in hand.
Watching them.
Recording.
The file uploaded instantly.
A private server. A locked folder.
Labeled:
Phase 2 – Initiated
NEXT DAY
Lexi didn’t know anything was wrong—until she stepped into homeroom the next morning.
The room fell silent.
Her stomach flipped.
Jace hadn’t walked in yet. Madison wasn’t there. Neither was Mia.
She moved slowly to her seat, acutely aware of the stares. And then—
She saw it.
On her desk. A printout. Folded, but not sealed.
Her name scribbled across the top in thick black ink.
She opened it.
And froze.
It was a screenshot—of a police file. Sealed. Confidential.
Subject: Callahan, Jace
Incident: Arson Suspected — Under Investigation
Status: Witness statements sealed pending further inquiry
Her fingers went numb.
There was more.
Another image.
A picture of Jace, handcuffed, much younger—his eyes hollow, his shirt singed with soot.
“Lexi?” Madison’s voice came from behind her, confused, breathless.
Lexi turned the page around.
Madison’s expression collapsed. “Oh my god.”
Mia snatched it from her. “Who the hell…?”
But Lexi’s brain was spinning.
Someone had access to sealed files.
Someone had printed this.
Someone wanted everyone to know.
The classroom door opened.
Jace walked in.
Saw Lexi.
Saw the paper in Mia’s hand.
His expression didn’t flicker.
Didn’t change.
He just turned… and walked out.
Lexi stood up. “Jace—”
But he was already gone.
---
Meanwhile:
Savannah sat in the back of her limo, twisting her hair around her finger.
Her voice was calm. “I didn’t send it.”
The voice on the other end of the phone was distorted. Robotic.
“But you were happy to see it, weren’t you?”
Savannah’s smile faded. “Who are you?”
No answer.
Just static. Then—
“You’re not the queen of this game, Savannah.”
Click.
Savannah stared at her phone.
For the first time…
She felt real fear.
- Writer
