Chapter Six: The Warning
911 Words
Mira did not sleep that night.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him.
Ethan.
The boy in the library.
The stranger behind the messages.
Or maybe… not.
That was the part driving her crazy.
She hated not knowing.
She hated the way one person could make her feel two completely opposite emotions at the same time.
Fear.
And curiosity.
Her phone lay beside her on the bed, the screen dark.
She had not received another message since leaving the library.
For once, she wished the stranger would text her.
She hated admitting it, but the silence felt worse.
Because when the stranger messaged her, she knew he was there.
Watching.
Waiting.
But now?
Nothing.
Mira picked up her phone and opened the chat.
Her last message was still there.
Mira: Are you Ethan?
No reply.
She locked her phone and threw it onto the bed.
“Why do I even care?” she whispered to herself.
The stranger was just someone she barely knew.
Ethan was just a boy she met in a library.
Neither of them should matter.
But somehow, both of them did.
---
The next morning, Mira arrived on campus earlier than usual.
She told herself it was because she wanted to study.
Not because a certain person might be there.
Not because she wanted answers.
But the moment she stepped into the compound, her eyes searched through the crowd.
She hated herself for it.
Then she saw him.
Ethan.
He stood near the old tree beside the lecture building, holding a book in his hand.
For a second, Mira stopped walking.
It was strange.
Yesterday, he had been a stranger.
Today, seeing him felt familiar.
Like she had known him longer than she actually had.
As if he felt her eyes on him, Ethan looked up.
Their eyes met.
Neither of them moved.
Then Ethan slowly walked toward her.
“Mira.”
His voice did something annoying to her heart.
It made her nervous.
“Ethan.”
A small smile appeared on his face.
“You look like you want to ask me something.”
Mira crossed her arms.
“Maybe I do.”
“Then ask.”
She studied him.
His calm expression.
The way he never seemed surprised.
The way he always looked like he knew more than he said.
“Are you the one texting me?”
The smile disappeared.
For the first time, Ethan looked completely serious.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“Mira…”
“Just answer.”
Students walked past them, but suddenly it felt like they were alone.
Ethan looked away.
And that small movement was enough.
Mira noticed.
“You know something.”
“I know that you should be careful.”
Her eyebrows pulled together.
“That is not an answer.”
“It is the only answer I can give you.”
“Why?”
He looked back at her.
“Because whoever is sending those messages does not want you to find out the truth.”
A cold feeling moved through her.
“What truth?”
Ethan stayed silent.
That silence hurt more than a lie.
“Why does everyone keep doing that?” she whispered.
“Doing what?”
“Acting like I’m too fragile to know what is happening.”
Ethan’s expression softened.
“You have no idea what you are involved in.”
“Then explain it.”
“I can’t.”
“Or you won’t?”
His jaw tightened.
Before he could answer, Mira’s phone vibrated.
Both of them looked at it.
Slowly, she took it out.
A message.
From the stranger.
Stranger: Ask him about Amara.
Mira froze.
The world around her suddenly became quiet.
Ethan noticed the change in her face.
“What happened?”
She looked at him.
“How do you know Amara?”
The color drained from his face.
It was only for a second.
But Mira saw it.
And she knew.
He knew her.
“How do you know that name?” Ethan asked.
His voice was different now.
Not calm.
Not mysterious.
Afraid.
Mira took a step back.
“Because someone told me to ask you.”
“Who?”
“The person texting me.”
Ethan looked around quickly.
Like he was searching for someone.
Like he was afraid someone was listening.
“Mira, listen to me carefully.”
His voice became lower.
“Do not reply to any more messages.”
“Why?”
“Because they are trying to use you.”
“Who are they?”
Ethan looked at her.
And for the first time, Mira saw something she never expected.
Pain.
Real pain.
“Someone who already took something from me once.”
Before Mira could ask what he meant, Ethan walked away.
Just like that.
Leaving her with more questions than answers.
She watched him disappear into the crowd.
Then her phone vibrated again.
Another message.
This time, it was not from the stranger.
It was from a number she had never seen before.
Unknown Number: You finally asked about Amara.
Mira’s breathing stopped.
A second message appeared.
Unknown Number: Now ask Ethan why he was the last person to see her alive.
Mira stared at the screen.
Her hands began to shake.
Because suddenly, the mystery was no longer about a stranger.
It was about a secret someone had been trying to bury.
And Ethan was standing right in the middle of it.
- Writer
