The Fourth Name
1615 Words
Chapter 22
The Fourth Name
Nadia couldn't look away from the screen.
The photograph remained frozen.
Four people.
Her mother.
Elena.
Her father.
And the fourth person.
Nadia knew that face.
She had seen it before.
Not in a photograph.
Not in an old file.
In her own life.
Her voice barely came out.
“Mrs. Carter…”
Adrian turned toward her.
“You're sure?”
Nadia nodded slowly.
“She was my school counselor.”
Her father looked at the screen.
His expression changed.
“No.”
Nadia looked at him.
“You know her.”
He didn't answer.
“Dad.”
He finally whispered,
“Her name isn't Carter.”
Nadia's heart dropped.
“What?”
“That was the name she used at Westbridge.”
Adrian stepped closer.
“Then what's her real name?”
Nadia's father stared at the photograph.
“Rebecca Rivers.”
Silence.
Nadia's face went blank.
“Rivers?”
Adrian looked at her.
“Elena's surname.”
Her father nodded.
“Rebecca was Elena's cousin.”
Nadia stared at the screen.
“So she was family too?”
“Yes.”
“Then why was she pretending to be my counselor?”
Her father looked at her.
“To watch you.”
Nadia took a step backward.
“Like Layla?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“She was supposed to protect you.”
Nadia shook her head.
“She was the fourth person.”
Her father didn't respond.
The projector suddenly went black.
Then the speaker came alive.
Rebecca's voice filled the room.
“You finally found me.”
Nadia looked around.
“Where are you?”
“Not where you think.”
Adrian stepped toward the speaker.
“Why are you doing this?”
Rebecca laughed softly.
“You still don't understand, Adrian.”
“Then explain it.”
“You were a child when this began.”
Adrian's jaw tightened.
“I was old enough to remember.”
“Were you?”
Silence.
Rebecca continued.
“You remember Elena disappearing. You remember Nadia being there. You remember being blamed.”
Adrian stared at the speaker.
“But you don't remember who opened the door.”
Nadia looked at him.
Adrian's expression changed.
“What are you talking about?”
Rebecca didn't answer him.
Instead, she spoke directly to Nadia.
“Your mother left you three things.”
Nadia looked down at the silver necklace.
“The key.”
“Correct.”
“The necklace.”
“Correct.”
“What is the third?”
A pause.
“Your memory.”
Nadia frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means your mother didn't erase everything.”
Nadia's heart began beating faster.
“She hid something inside your memories.”
Adrian looked at Nadia.
“How?”
Rebecca's voice became quieter.
“Because Elena knew the files could be destroyed.”
Nadia touched her head.
“So she put the information in me?”
“Not information.”
Rebecca paused.
“A memory.”
Nadia closed her eyes.
Immediately, images appeared.
A hallway.
A red door.
Elena holding her hand.
Her mother crying.
A young Adrian standing beside them.
And Rebecca.
But there was someone else.
A man standing behind Rebecca.
Nadia opened her eyes.
“There was another person.”
Rebecca went silent.
“Who?”
No answer.
Nadia stepped toward the speaker.
“I saw him.”
Still nothing.
“Rebecca!”
The speaker crackled.
Then Rebecca said,
“You weren't supposed to remember him yet.”
Adrian looked at Nadia.
“What did you see?”
“A man.”
“What did he look like?”
“I don't know.”
Nadia closed her eyes again.
“I couldn't see his face.”
Rebecca interrupted.
“That's because your mother made sure you couldn't.”
Nadia's eyes opened.
“Why?”
“Because he was the person she feared most.”
Her father suddenly stepped toward the speaker.
“Rebecca, stop.”
“You've had your chance to tell her.”
“She doesn't need to know everything tonight.”
“She deserves the truth.”
Nadia turned toward her father.
“You don't get to decide that anymore.”
He stopped.
Nadia looked at him.
“Tell me.”
He sighed.
“Your mother discovered the organization wasn't just operating inside Westbridge.”
“What do you mean?”
“It had connections outside the school.”
“To where?”
“Banks. Companies. Private institutions.”
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
“So Westbridge was only one part of it.”
“Yes.”
Nadia looked at the photograph.
“And Elena found out.”
“She found everything.”
“Then why didn't she expose them?”
Her father looked down.
“She tried.”
“And?”
“She trusted the wrong person.”
Nadia immediately thought of Rebecca.
“Rebecca?”
Her father shook his head.
“No.”
“Then who?”
He didn't answer.
Nadia stepped closer.
“Dad.”
Her father looked at her.
“The fourth person wasn't the leader.”
Nadia stared.
“What?”
“She was working with Elena.”
“Then why was she in the photograph?”
“Because she was helping her.”
Nadia looked at Rebecca's face again.
“But you said she was watching me.”
“She was.”
“To protect me?”
“Yes.”
Nadia shook her head.
“Then why did she lie?”
“Because the people behind Westbridge were still looking for you.”
Adrian interrupted.
“So Rebecca became a counselor to stay close to Nadia.”
Her father nodded.
“Exactly.”
Nadia sat down slowly.
Everything was becoming more complicated.
Rebecca wasn't the villain.
But she wasn't innocent either.
And somewhere behind all of them was someone else.
Someone who had remained hidden for years.
The fourth person wasn't the real enemy.
It was the person behind her.
Nadia looked at the screen.
“Where is Rebecca now?”
The speaker remained silent.
Then a new message appeared on the projector.
WESTBRIDGE — ROOM 12.
Nadia stood.
“Room 12?”
Her father looked at her.
“Don't go there.”
“Why?”
“Because that's where Elena disappeared.”
Nadia froze.
Adrian looked at her.
“Then that's where we're going.”
Her father shook his head.
“No.”
Nadia turned toward him.
“Why are you so afraid of that room?”
He didn't answer.
Nadia's voice became quiet.
“Because you were there too.”
Her father's face changed.
Adrian stared at him.
“You were there the night Elena disappeared.”
Her father nodded.
“Yes.”
Nadia's chest tightened.
“What happened?”
“I arrived too late.”
“That's not what you said before.”
“I know.”
“You said you gave them Elena's location.”
“I did.”
“Then what happened after that?”
Her father looked at Nadia.
“I saw Rebecca.”
“Doing what?”
“Trying to get Elena out.”
Nadia's heart raced.
“And the fourth person?”
Her father looked away.
“I saw him too.”
Nadia stepped closer.
“Who was he?”
Her father swallowed.
“I never saw his face.”
Adrian frowned.
“Then how do you know it was a man?”
“Because I heard his voice.”
“What did he say?”
Her father closed his eyes.
“He said one thing.”
Nadia waited.
“He said…”
Her father looked at her.
“‘Take the girl.’”
The room went silent.
Nadia's heart stopped.
“They wanted me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I don't know.”
Rebecca's voice suddenly came through the speaker again.
“You do know.”
Everyone froze.
Her father looked up.
Rebecca continued.
“You just never wanted to admit it.”
The projector flickered.
A final video appeared.
Nadia's mother.
She was sitting at a desk.
Her eyes were tired.
“Nadia…”
Nadia moved closer.
“If you're watching this, you've probably found Room 12.”
Her mother took a breath.
“I need you to understand something.”
She looked directly into the camera.
“Your father wasn't the person who betrayed Elena.”
Nadia stared.
Her mother continued.
“He made terrible choices, but he wasn't the one who gave them Elena.”
Nadia's eyes widened.
“Then who?”
Her mother's expression changed.
“Someone much closer.”
The video stopped.
Nadia stared at the black screen.
Adrian whispered,
“Closer?”
Then Nadia's phone vibrated.
One message.
From the unknown number.
YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE WRONG PERSON.
Another message arrived.
THE PERSON YOU'RE SEARCHING FOR IS ALREADY WITH YOU.
Nadia slowly looked around the room.
Her father.
Adrian.
Layla.
Ethan wasn't there.
Rebecca wasn't there.
Daniel wasn't there.
Only the people standing beside her.
Her phone vibrated again.
DON'T TURN AROUND.
Nadia froze.
Adrian noticed.
“What is it?”
She couldn't answer.
Behind them, footsteps sounded in the hallway.
One.
Two.
Three.
Someone was approaching Room 12.
Adrian quietly moved in front of Nadia.
Her father reached for the door.
The footsteps stopped.
Then a familiar voice came from the other side.
“Nadia?”
Her heart dropped.
It was Layla.
But Layla was supposed to be somewhere else.
Nadia looked at Adrian.
Adrian shook his head.
“Don't open it.”
The voice came again.
“Nadia, please.”
Nadia stared at the door.
Then her phone received one final message.
THAT IS NOT LAYLA.
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