Chapter Seven: The Wrong Person
1125 Words
Mira barely slept that night.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Ethan’s face.
Not the calm expression he always wore.
The other one.
The one that appeared when she mentioned Amara.
Fear.
Pain.
Something he was trying hard to hide.
Then she remembered the message.
Unknown Number: Now ask Ethan why he was the last person to see her alive.
Mira sat up in bed and looked at her phone.
The screen was dark.
No new messages.
No explanation.
Nothing.
She hated that a stranger behind a phone screen could make her question someone she had barely started trusting.
But she also hated that Ethan’s reaction made the message feel possible.
“Who are you?” she whispered.
She wasn't talking about Ethan anymore.
She was talking about the person who had entered her life through a wrong number and somehow knew every wound she tried to hide.
---
The next morning, Mira arrived at campus earlier than usual.
She told herself she came early because she wanted to study.
That was a lie.
She came early because she wanted answers.
She had spent the whole night thinking about Ethan. About the way his voice changed when she said Amara’s name.
If he knew something, she needed to find out.
But she didn't know where to start.
Ethan wasn't the kind of person who was easy to find.
He didn't post much online. He wasn't always surrounded by friends. He moved around campus quietly, like someone who preferred to stay unnoticed.
Which made Mira wonder.
What else was he hiding?
“Mira?”
She turned.
Tessa stood behind her, holding a drink and looking suspicious.
“You look like you’re about to solve a crime.”
Mira forced a small laugh.
“Maybe I am.”
Tessa stared at her.
“Should I be worried?”
“No.”
“That answer was too fast.”
Mira looked away.
She couldn't tell Tessa the truth.
How could she explain that she was searching for a stranger who might not even exist? That she was trying to understand a boy connected to her dead best friend?
It sounded impossible.
“I’m just dealing with something,” Mira said.
Tessa softened.
“Well, whatever it is, don't carry everything alone.”
Mira smiled slightly.
“Thanks.”
---
After her lecture ended, Mira didn't leave immediately.
She waited.
She didn't know exactly what she was waiting for.
Maybe a sign.
Maybe Ethan.
Maybe the truth.
Students slowly left the classroom until the hallway became quieter.
Then she saw him.
Ethan.
He was standing near the stairs, looking down at his phone.
For a moment, Mira almost walked away.
Maybe she wasn't ready.
Maybe she was afraid of the answer.
But then she remembered Amara.
And she remembered how alone she felt after losing her.
She couldn't keep running.
“Ethan.”
He looked up.
The moment he saw her face, his expression changed.
“Mira.”
“We need to talk.”
He studied her for a few seconds before nodding.
“Okay.”
They walked outside to a quieter area behind the building.
The trees blocked some of the noise from campus. For a moment, it felt like they were the only two people there.
Mira crossed her arms.
“Did you know Amara?”
Ethan looked away.
That small movement told her everything.
“You did.”
“Mira—”
“Just answer me.”
A long silence passed.
Finally, Ethan spoke.
“Yes.”
Her chest tightened.
The answer hurt more than she expected.
“How?”
“She was someone I knew.”
“Someone?”
Mira laughed quietly.
“You say things like that when you don't want to tell the truth.”
Ethan looked at her.
“You don't understand.”
“Then explain.”
“I can't.”
Her expression changed.
“Why does everyone keep saying that?”
“Because some things aren't mine to tell.”
“Was it because of her?”
Ethan didn't answer.
And that silence was enough.
Mira looked down.
“She was my best friend.”
“I know.”
Her head lifted.
“You know?”
Ethan immediately realized his mistake.
His face changed.
Not much.
But enough.
Mira noticed.
“You know more than you're telling me.”
“I know she mattered to you.”
“How?”
He looked away.
“Mira…”
“No.”
Her voice cracked slightly.
“I lost her. Do you understand that? I lost someone who was everything to me, and now I keep finding people who know pieces of her that I don't.”
Ethan's expression softened.
For a moment, he looked less mysterious.
Just tired.
“I’m sorry.”
Those two words almost broke her.
Because they sounded genuine.
But they weren't enough.
“Are you the Stranger?” she asked.
Ethan looked at her.
“No.”
This time, he answered slowly.
Not defensive.
Not angry.
Just certain.
Mira searched his face.
She wanted to believe him.
And the worst part was...
She almost did.
“Then why did you react like that when I mentioned Amara?”
Ethan looked down.
“Because some memories don't disappear just because you stop talking about them.”
Mira didn't know what to say.
Before she could ask another question, her phone vibrated.
Both of them looked at it.
Mira slowly pulled it out.
A message.
Stranger: You are asking the right questions.
Her heart jumped.
She looked at Ethan.
He wasn't looking at his phone.
He was looking at her.
Another message appeared.
Stranger: But you are asking the wrong person.
Mira's breathing slowed.
She looked back at Ethan.
"What does that mean?"
Ethan frowned.
"What?"
She showed him the screen.
He read it.
And for the first time, Ethan looked genuinely confused.
"I don't know."
Mira watched him carefully.
Was he acting?
Or was he truly surprised?
Another message came.
Stranger: You think you are close to finding me.
A pause.
Then:
Stranger: You are not even close.
Mira felt a chill move through her.
She looked around the empty space behind the building.
No one.
Just students walking in the distance.
The Stranger was somewhere.
Watching.
Waiting.
And Mira finally understood something.
She had been searching for a person.
But maybe she should have been searching for a reason.
Because whoever was behind those messages wasn't trying to help her find the truth.
They were leading her toward something.
Something connected to Amara.
Something Ethan was afraid to talk about.
Mira looked at Ethan one last time.
She still didn't know if he was hiding the truth...
or protecting it.
And that scared her more than anything.
- Writer
