Chapter 4: The First Face
989 Words
Lila didn’t go back to class after what happened in the restroom.
She couldn’t.
Her legs felt weak, her hands were still shaking, and her mind kept replaying the voice at the door.
“You don’t have to hide from me, Lila.”
That voice wasn’t random.
It was familiar in a way she couldn’t explain.
And that terrified her the most.
---
She stayed in an empty corner of the school courtyard instead, sitting far away from people.
Every sound made her flinch.
Every shadow felt like it had meaning now.
Her phone stayed in her hand, but she didn’t want to look at it.
Because she already knew—
It would ring again.
---
And it did.
One message.
Unknown number.
---
Unknown:
“You left class early.”
---
Lila’s chest tightened.
Her fingers went cold instantly.
She typed slowly.
Lila:
“Stop this. Just leave me alone.”
---
She pressed send, then waited.
Her heart was beating too fast again.
---
The reply came almost instantly.
---
Unknown:
“I can’t.”
---
Lila stared at the screen.
Her breathing stopped for a second.
Then she typed again.
Lila:
“Why are you doing this to me?”
---
This time… the reply didn’t come immediately.
The typing dots appeared.
Stayed.
Then disappeared.
Then came back again.
Like he was deciding something.
---
Finally:
Unknown:
“Because you finally noticed me.”
---
Lila frowned.
Noticed him?
That made no sense.
She had never seen him before this week.
Never.
---
Before she could reply, another message came.
---
Unknown:
“Look up.”
---
Lila froze.
Her eyes slowly lifted from her phone.
At first, she saw nothing unusual.
Just students walking.
Trees moving slightly in the wind.
Normal school life continuing like nothing was wrong.
---
Then she saw him.
---
A boy standing near the far end of the courtyard.
Hood down.
No mask.
No hiding.
Just standing still.
Watching her.
---
Lila’s breath stopped completely.
Her fingers tightened around her phone.
Because she recognized him.
Not clearly.
Not fully.
But something inside her brain clicked.
A memory.
A face from before all of this.
Someone she had seen… somewhere.
---
The boy didn’t move.
He just watched her.
Like he had been waiting for this exact moment.
---
Lila stood up slowly.
Her legs felt unsteady.
Her heart pounded louder with every step she took toward him.
She didn’t even think anymore.
Only fear and curiosity were pulling her forward.
---
When she got closer, she stopped a few meters away.
The boy tilted his head slightly.
Like he was studying her reaction.
---
“Who are you?” Lila asked, her voice shaking.
---
For a moment, he didn’t answer.
He just looked at her.
Not like a stranger.
Not like a threat.
But like someone who already knew everything about her.
---
Then he spoke.
Low voice.
Calm.
Controlled.
---
“I was wondering how long it would take you to come outside.”
---
Lila’s stomach dropped.
That voice again.
The same one from the restroom.
Now it made sense.
Too much sense.
---
“You…” she whispered. “It was you in the hallway.”
---
The boy didn’t deny it.
He nodded slightly.
---
Lila took a step back.
Her heart was racing now.
“This is stalking. You’re crazy.”
---
That should have made him react.
But he didn’t look angry.
He looked… calm.
Almost sad.
---
“I’m not stalking you,” he said quietly.
“I already told you. I’m close to you.”
---
Lila shook her head.
“No. I don’t know you.”
---
That was when his expression changed slightly.
Just a shift.
Something softer.
Something painful.
---
“You used to,” he said.
---
Silence.
The world around them felt quieter suddenly.
Like everything had slowed down.
---
Lila stared at him.
Her mind searched.
Nothing.
No clear memory.
Just fragments.
A feeling.
A forgotten moment she couldn’t place.
---
“I don’t remember you,” she said slowly.
---
The boy nodded again.
“I know.”
---
That answer didn’t help.
It made everything worse.
---
Lila’s phone buzzed in her hand.
She almost dropped it.
Another message.
Unknown.
But this time… it wasn’t just text.
It was a photo.
---
She opened it.
Her breath stopped completely.
---
It was her.
A picture of her.
Standing near her house.
From days ago.
Taken from a distance.
Clear enough to see her face.
But she didn’t remember anyone being there.
---
Her hands started shaking violently.
“This… this is illegal,” she whispered.
---
The boy looked at her phone.
Then back at her.
“I don’t take pictures to hurt you,” he said.
“I take them so you don’t disappear again.”
---
Lila looked up sharply.
“Disappear again?”
---
He didn’t answer immediately.
For the first time, his confidence slipped slightly.
Like the words were heavy.
Like they meant something bigger.
---
Then quietly, he said:
“You don’t remember me… but I remember everything.”
---
Lila’s chest tightened.
“What are you talking about?”
---
The boy took a slow step closer.
Not threatening.
Not aggressive.
Just closing distance.
---
“You were never supposed to forget me, Lila.”
---
Her breathing turned shallow.
Something about that sentence felt wrong.
Familiar.
Painful.
---
And then—
A memory flickered in her mind.
A blurry image.
A younger version of her.
And a boy standing beside her.
Smiling.
---
Her eyes widened slightly.
“No…” she whispered.
---
The boy watched her reaction carefully.
Like he already knew what she was starting to realize.
---
And then he said the words that froze everything:
---
“My name is Kael.”
“And you promised you wouldn’t leave me.”
---
- Writer
