chapter 17 project revival
870 Words
The rain came down hard that night.
The kind that soaks through your clothes, even if you’re only outside for a minute.
Olivia ran across the courtyard, clutching her jacket around her as thunder rumbled above.
By the time she reached the library, her hands were trembling — not from the cold, but from fear.
Project Revival.
The words wouldn’t leave her head.
---
Ryan’s POV
He was already there, sitting at one of the far tables.
His hood was pulled low, but his eyes caught hers immediately when she entered — sharp, guarded, searching.
> “You said it’s about Ethan,” he said quietly as she sat down.
“What happened?”
Olivia hesitated, then unlocked her phone and slid it toward him.
Ryan’s eyes scanned the photo — and for the first time, his expression changed.
He froze.
> “Where did you get this?”
> “Someone sent it to me. I don’t know who. They said to ask him about Project Revival.”
Ryan’s jaw tightened.
He looked away for a moment, then exhaled.
> “You weren’t supposed to know about that yet.”
> “What do you mean yet?” Olivia demanded, her voice rising.
“What is Project Revival? Why does he look like he was in a hospital? Why—”
> “Olivia.” Ryan’s voice was sharp now, almost a warning.
“You need to calm down.”
> “Don’t tell me to calm down!” she snapped. “You knew, didn’t you? You knew something about Ethan—”
Ryan stood, pacing.
> “It’s not that simple.”
> “Then make it simple!” she shouted. “He’s been lying to me, Ryan! Both of you have!”
Ryan’s hand slammed down on the table suddenly, the echo bouncing through the library’s silence.
> “You think I wanted this? You think I enjoy watching you fall apart over someone who doesn’t even know who he is anymore?”
The words hit her like a slap.
She stared at him, shocked.
> “What do you mean… doesn’t know who he is?”
Ryan cursed under his breath. He’d said too much.
He turned away, gripping the back of a chair.
> “Forget it. Just… forget everything I said.”
> “Ryan.” Her voice was shaking now.
“Tell me the truth.”
He turned back to her, eyes cold but full of something like regret.
> “Ethan Gray isn’t who you think he is.”
---
Ethan’s POV
Ethan couldn’t sleep.
He’d been getting flashes again — short, violent bursts of memory.
A bright light.
A woman screaming.
His own voice calling for help.
And then, darkness.
He sat on the floor of his dorm room, clutching his head, trying to make it stop.
He had taken the pills. He’d done everything Dr. Clarke told him to.
But the memories kept bleeding through.
Suddenly, his phone buzzed.
> Unknown: “They know.”
Ethan’s entire body went cold.
He stared at the message.
Then at the second one that followed.
> Unknown: “You can’t hide from what you are forever.”
He looked toward the mirror — and for a second, he didn’t recognize the reflection staring back.
His own eyes looked foreign.
Empty.
> “What am I?” he whispered.
---
Tasha’s POV
Tasha lay on her bed, pretending to study.
But her mind was miles away — on Ryan.
Ever since the argument with Olivia, everything had changed.
Ryan barely spoke to her now, and when he did, he was colder.
Still, she found herself checking her phone every few minutes, hoping he’d text.
Instead, she got a message from an unknown number.
> Unknown: “Want to know what Ryan’s really hiding?”
Her stomach dropped.
She didn’t reply — but she couldn’t ignore it either.
> “Who is this?” she typed.
> Unknown: “Meet me behind the art building. Midnight.”
---
Vanessa’s POV
From her dorm room window, Vanessa watched the rain with a smirk.
She had sent three messages tonight — each to the right person.
Olivia was panicking.
Tasha was curious.
And Ethan… poor Ethan was unraveling.
> “All the pieces are falling perfectly,” she murmured, twirling her pendant chain around her finger.
Her roommate, a quiet girl named Lacey, glanced up.
> “You’re smiling again. That usually means someone’s in trouble.”
Vanessa grinned.
> “Oh, sweetie. Everyone’s in trouble.”
---
Ryan’s POV — Later that Night
He couldn’t get Olivia’s face out of his mind — the betrayal, the fear, the tears she tried to hide.
He knew she’d go to Ethan.
He knew this would all explode soon.
But what he didn’t know was that Vanessa had just set everything in motion.
Because at that very moment, Olivia was standing outside Ethan’s dorm, knocking on his door with trembling hands.
And on the other side of the door, Ethan stared at the handle — whispering to himself through uneven breaths:
> “Don’t open it. Don’t let her see.”
But he did.
And everything began to unravel.
- Writer
