THE REAL MOTIVE
762 Words
I barely slept that night.
The message kept replaying in my mind.
Ask your mother what happened the night of the accident.
Why my mother?
What did she know?
The next morning, I found Daniel waiting outside the school gate.
“You look tired,” he said.
“I didn’t sleep.”
“Why?”
I hesitated.
I couldn’t tell him about the message.
Not yet.
“Too many things on my mind.”
He studied my face.
“Amara, you can tell me anything.”
I looked away.
“I know.”
But I couldn’t.
Not until I knew who I could trust.
We walked into school together.
Tara was standing near our classroom.
The moment she saw us, her smile disappeared.
“Amara, can I talk to you?”
Daniel looked at me.
“I’ll wait inside.”
I nodded.
Tara pulled me aside.
“What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve been avoiding me.”
“I’ve been busy.”
She looked into my eyes.
“It’s about Chris, isn’t it?”
My heart jumped.
“How do you know about Chris?”
She went silent.
“Tara?”
“I saw him yesterday.”
“Where?”
“Outside the school.”
I stared at her.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I was scared.”
“Of what?”
She looked around.
“Amara, you don’t understand. Chris isn’t working alone.”
My stomach tightened.
“Who is he working with?”
She shook her head.
“I can’t say.”
“You have to.”
She grabbed my hand.
“Your mother knows.”
I froze.
“You knew?”
Tara nodded.
“She was there that night.”
I couldn’t breathe.
“What?”
“Your mother saw what happened before the accident.”
I stepped backward.
“No.”
“She tried to stop Chris.”
“Then why didn’t she tell me?”
“Because she was threatened.”
I stared at Tara.
“By who?”
Before she could answer, someone called my name.
We turned.
Daniel.
He was standing a few feet away.
“What are you two talking about?”
Tara immediately stepped away from me.
“Nothing.”
Daniel frowned.
“I heard my name.”
I looked at him.
“We need to leave.”
“Why?”
“Please.”
He followed me.
As soon as we were outside the school gate, I pulled out my phone.
“I got a message last night.”
Daniel looked concerned.
“What message?”
I showed him.
His face changed when he read it.
“You should have told me.”
“I was scared.”
He looked at me.
“I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
I swallowed.
“Daniel…”
“What?”
“What if the person behind all this is someone we know?”
He was quiet.
Then his phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number.
Daniel opened it.
His face went pale.
I looked at the screen.
There was only one sentence.
Ask Amara what happened before she remembers everything.
I looked at Daniel.
“What does that mean?”
He didn’t answer.
Then Maya called.
Daniel picked up.
“Hello?”
Maya’s voice was shaking.
“You need to come here.”
“Where?”
“The old warehouse near the highway.”
“Why?”
“I found something.”
“What?”
She paused.
“Proof.”
Daniel looked at me.
“We’re coming.”
I grabbed his arm.
“Wait. Is it safe?”
Maya whispered,
“No.”
The call ended.
Daniel looked at me.
“We don’t have a choice.”
I shook my head.
“Yes, we do.”
He smiled slightly.
“You’re scared.”
“Of course I’m scared.”
“Me too.”
He took my hand.
“But I’m not going alone.”
We started walking.
Neither of us noticed the car parked across the street.
Inside, Chris watched us leave.
Then he picked up his phone.
“They’re going to the warehouse.”
A voice answered.
“Good.”
Chris frowned.
“And what do you want me to do?”
The voice was calm.
“Let them find the truth.”
Chris went silent.
Then the voice added,
“Because once Amara remembers everything…”
A pause.
“…she’ll finally understand why the accident happened.”
The call ended.
And somewhere in the distance, thunder began to rumble.
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