**✨ CHAPTER 10 — The USB That Shouldn’t Exist
1677 Words
**✨ CHAPTER 10 — The USB That Shouldn’t Exist
Amani woke to the sound of soft rain tapping against the guest room window. For a moment, she didn’t know where she was. The ceiling was unfamiliar, the sheets softer than anything she’d slept in before, and the faint smell of cedar wood filled the air.
Then she remembered.
Elias.
His house.
The storm.
The confession that still echoed in her heart.
But the warmth of last night was quickly overshadowed by a sharp ache in her throat. She coughed — a dry, painful sound — and pressed a hand to her head.
Her body felt heavy.
Cold.
Weak.
The week she spent at her grandmother’s grave, barely eating or sleeping, had caught up to her.
“Amani?” a gentle voice called through the door.
Elias.
The door opened slightly, and he peeked inside. When he saw her sitting up, his expression softened — then shifted to concern.
“You look pale,” he whispered, stepping in. “Are you sick?”
She tried to smile, but it came out weak. “It’s nothing. Just a cold.”
Elias didn’t buy it. He came closer, placing the back of his hand against her forehead. His touch was warm, careful.
“You’re burning up,” he murmured. “You shouldn’t go to school.”
Amani hesitated. “I… I have to. If I don’t show up, the rumors will get worse.”
Elias didn’t like it, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he fetched warm water, medicine, and a soft hoodie for her to wear.
“You’re wearing this,” he said gently. “You’ll freeze in your uniform.”
The hoodie smelled like him — comforting, warm, protective. Amani pulled it on, hugging the sleeves close.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He brushed a thumb over her cheek. “Let me walk you.”
---
Whispers Return
The moment they entered the school compound, whispers followed them like shadows.
“That’s Elias.”
“He found her.”
“She stayed at his house?”
“Poor girl… she looks so weak.”
“No, look at her—she looks haunted.”
“Do you think Ethan is really the guy who—”
Amani flinched.
Elias immediately stepped closer, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Ignore them.”
But it was hard. Every whisper felt like a dagger, reopening wounds she had tried to bury.
As they approached the hallway, Amani coughed so hard she had to stop. Elias steadied her.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he muttered. “You’re sick.”
Amani shook her head. “I’ll be fine. I just need to make it through the day.”
He sighed, clearly unhappy, but let her walk.
---
A Teacher With Quiet Eyes
Halfway to class, a voice called softly behind her.
“Amani? A moment, please.”
She turned to see Mr. Kamau, the literature teacher. He was older, with kind eyes but a serious expression. Amani froze, nervous.
“Don’t worry,” he said gently. “I only need to speak with you.”
Elias stiffened beside her, but Amani nodded.
“It’s okay,” she whispered to him.
“I’ll wait over there,” Elias said, pointing to a bench across the hallway. But his eyes remained alert, watching everything.
Mr. Kamau guided Amani to a small corner near the office. His voice was low, cautious.
“How are you feeling?”
Amani tried to hide her cough. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine,” he said honestly. “You look like a girl carrying too much.”
She didn’t know what to say.
After a moment, he reached into his pocket and pulled out something small, black, and rectangular.
A USB flash drive.
Amani blinked. “What’s that?”
Mr. Kamau glanced around before lowering his voice even more.
“A few days ago, I found something on the school computer system. Something old. Something that… shouldn’t have been there.”
Amani’s stomach tightened.
He placed the USB in her hand.
“This contains a video.”
Her fingers trembled. “What kind of video?”
Mr. Kamau hesitated.
“The night… you reported something happened to you. Last year.”
Amani felt the world shift under her feet.
Her breath stopped.
Her hands shook violently.
Her heart pounded in her ears.
“I—I don’t want it,” she whispered, trying to push it back into his hand.
He closed her fingers around it gently.
“Child… you deserve the truth. What happened to you was not your fault. And someone recorded something that might prove it.”
Amani’s chest squeezed painfully. “No. No, I can’t. I can’t watch that.”
“You don’t have to. Not yet.”
He spoke softly, carefully.
“But keep it. For when you’re ready.”
Tears filled Amani’s eyes.
“Why… why are you helping me?” she whispered. “No one else ever believed me.”
Mr. Kamau’s expression softened with sadness.
“Because I saw the way you cried in my class last year. The way you changed. The way no one protected you.”
He placed a hand over hers.
“I’m sorry, Amani. Truly sorry.”
The words broke something inside her.
She nodded shakily, unsure if she wanted to scream, cry, or run.
He stepped back. “If you ever need help… I’m here.”
She nodded again, her throat tight.
When she turned to walk back to Elias, she felt like she wasn’t walking — she was floating, drowning inside her own body.
---
“Amani? What happened?”
Elias stood immediately when he saw her approach. But when he saw her face—pale, shaken, eyes glossy—he froze.
“Amani?” he whispered, stepping toward her slowly. “What did he say?”
Amani shook her head quickly. “Let’s just… go to class.”
But Elias wasn’t fooled. His eyes dropped to her trembling hand, the USB clutched tightly between her fingers.
“What is that?” he asked quietly, dangerously.
Amani hid it behind her.
“Nothing.”
“Amani.”
Elias’s voice sharpened with fear.
“What did he give you?”
She looked away. “Please… don’t ask.”
His chest tightened at her tone.
“Okay,” he said softly. “I won’t.”
But worry twisted inside him like a knife.
Amani walked ahead, but her steps were unsteady. Elias watched her, jaw tight, heart sinking. Whatever was on that USB, it terrified her.
And Elias hated that she was carrying something so heavy alone.
---
The Day Gets Worse
By midday, Amani’s cold worsened.
Her throat burned.
Her head throbbed.
Her vision blurred.
She could barely focus on the teacher’s voice. Every cough shook her entire body. Elias kept glancing her way, panic growing with each minute.
During lunch, she tried to stand but nearly collapsed. Elias rushed to her side, catching her before she hit the ground.
“That’s it,” he said firmly. “You’re going home.”
Amani tried to protest. “I’m… fine.”
“You’re not,” he whispered, brushing her hair from her forehead. “You look like you’re going to pass out.”
She leaned into him, exhausted. “Just… take me somewhere quiet.”
He guided her to the school garden, far from the gossiping students. Amani sat under the shade of a tree, her breathing shallow.
Elias crouched in front of her.
“Talk to me,” he pleaded. “Don’t shut me out.”
Amani looked away.
She pulled the USB from her pocket, staring at it like it was poison.
“I can’t watch it,” she whispered. “I can’t relive that night.”
Elias’s eyes widened. His breath caught.
“Amani… what’s on that thing?”
She shook her head, tears forming again. “I don’t know. A teacher found it. He said… it’s something from that night.”
Elias felt his blood turn cold.
“That night,” he repeated slowly, “as in—”
“Yes,” she whispered. “That night.”
Elias turned away, standing up abruptly. His fists clenched so hard his knuckles whitened. Rage flickered through him like lightning.
“Why the hell would someone record that?” he growled. “Who—who would—”
Amani sobbed softly. “I don’t know.”
Elias turned back, eyes burning.
“You shouldn’t be the one holding this,” he whispered. “You shouldn’t be the one to face this alone.”
He knelt beside her again, taking her hands gently.
“When you’re ready,” he said softly, “I’ll be right beside you. Always.”
Amani wiped her tears. “What if it’s worse than I remember?”
“Then we’ll face it together,” Elias whispered.
Amani buried her face in his chest, her breath shaking.
And Elias held her, heart breaking, rage rising, love growing deeper than he ever expected.
---
The USB Burns Her Pocket
All afternoon, she felt it.
The weight of the USB.
The fear inside it.
The truth she wasn’t sure she was ready for.
Her sickness worsened.
Her shoulders shook.
Her emotions spiraled.
By the end of the day, she felt like exploding — like the truth on that USB was a shadow following her everywhere.
Elias walked her home after school, barely speaking, too afraid to push her, too afraid of losing her again.
When they reached her gate, he hesitated.
“Amani,” he murmured, “promise me you won’t watch it alone.”
She looked up, tired, scared. “I won’t.”
But the moment she entered her room…
She stared at the USB in her hand.
Her heart pounded.
Her breath shook.
Her hands sweated.
Should I watch it?
Should I destroy it?
Should I give it to Elias?
Her chest tightened painfully.
She threw it across the room, falling onto her bed in tears.
- Writer
