CHAPTER TWO: SHADOWS ON THE EDGE
1070 Words
Myla’s Pov
The morning light did nothing to chase away the chill from last night.
I stared into my coffee, willing the warmth to seep into my bones, but the memory of those footsteps clung to me like a shadow I couldn’t shake.
Alice noticed. She always did.
“You didn’t sleep.” She sipped from her cup, looking at me with very watchful eyes.
“Nightmares,” I lied quickly, smiling a little.
Her eyes softened, but she didn’t press. Instead, she slid a folded note across the table.
“Hailey called. She wants you to meet her before class. Don’t be late.”
Normal.
Safe.
That was the mantra I repeated as I left the cottage. But the necklace beneath my jacket pulsed faintly, as if it had a heartbeat of its own.
On the walk to campus, I caught myself glancing over my shoulder every few steps. Nothing but the usual: cars, students, chatter. Still… every sound felt sharper. Every breath heavier.
By mid-morning, Hailey was chattering about weekend plans, but my focus was elsewhere. The hallway seemed too quiet in moments, the laughter around me distant, muffled.
When I passed the library, I swore I saw a figure in the reflection of the glass—tall, motionless, watching me.
I whipped around.
Empty.
“Myla?” Hailey tugged my arm. “You good?”
“Yeah. Just… didn’t sleep much.”
I forced a smile, but inside, unease coiled tighter.
I really hoped I wasn’t going crazy .
I reassured myself that it was all fine.
That the strange heat pulsing from my necklace last night had just been my nerves. That the shadows stretching too far across my bedroom walls were only tricks of the moonlight.
But I wasn’t fine. Not even close, but I told myself I was going to be.
All day, my chest felt tight, my thoughts distracted, as if something unseen had coiled around me.
At lunch, Hailey waved a fry in front of my face.
“Earth to Myla. You’re a million miles away.”
“I didn’t sleep well,” I muttered, pushing food around my tray.
She squinted at me. “Nightmares again?”
I didn’t answer. I merely shrugged.
Because this didn’t feel like a nightmare.
It felt real.
“So you and Brandon?” I wiggled my brows ,trying to change the topic and also get my mind away from all the creepy thoughts I was having.
“He’s cute but he’s got butt sores” she crunched her nose in disgust.
“What? Eww” I howled with laughter.
“I know right ? He even…” she rambled on but I wasn’t listening.
The air had shifted.
It felt heavy. Electric.
My skin prickled as though the room itself was holding its breath.
And then my eyes rested on him.
Tall. Dark hair falling into eyes the color of a storm. He stood at the far edge of the room, staring at me like he knew me…like he’d been waiting for years.
My heart pounded painfully in my chest .Something about him felt like the answers I was seeking.
“Who’s that?” I turn to Hailey but when we both turn to look , he isn’t there anymore
Blink.
Gone.
The spot where he’d stood was empty.
“Who” Hailey’s brow knits in confusion.
“There was someone there in the shadows “ I pointed towards where he had stood.
“There’s no one there “ she said, turning to look again.
From the corner of my eye, a figure brushed past the edge of the room.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Moving fast.
The air around me dipped cold as if the warmth had been sucked away.
I whipped my head toward it, heart hammering.
“Did you see that?” My voice came out sharper than I intended.
Hailey frowned mid-bite. “See what? Myla I…”
“That guy. He just passed by.” I cut her off hastily.
She scanned the room, confused. “Myla… there’s no one there.”
Her words didn’t matter. My stomach knotted , instincts screaming as I shoved back my chair.
The scrape echoed through the cafeteria, but I didn’t care.
“Myla what’s going on?” Hailey called out but I didn’t stop to answer because I didn’t even know.
Ignoring her worried stare, I moved between the tables, eyes darting, pulse thrumming in my ears.
Something had brushed past me—something real.
And I wasn’t leaving until I found it.
I didn’t even know what I was chasing , only that I had to.
Something pulled at me, invisible strings dragging me forward, deeper into the maze of voices and footsteps.
“Myla, seriously, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?” Hailey called again but her voice was distant now, drowned out by the rush in my ears.
I walked out of the cafeteria and down the empty hallways ,looking for something I didn’t even know .
I walked tirelessly, searching everywhere ,including the darkest rooms and corners but I saw …no one .
Feeling disappointed , I turned to leave.
Maybe this whole thing was all in my head .
“Looking for me?”
The voice slid down my spine like ice water.
Deep, rich and captivating. Almost melting me into a puddle.
I froze.
He was behind me.
Close enough that his breath brushed my ear.
My blood turned to fire and ash all at once.
Slowly, I turned.
He stood barely a foot away.
Those dangerous storm-blue eyes locked onto mine, and the rest of the world blurred into nothing. The necklace beneath my shirt burned so hot it felt like it might burn my skin.
I opened my mouth, but no words came so I just let it hang open.
Every instinct screamed danger—yet my heart thundered with a pull I couldn’t fight.
His face was hard and expressionless, his eyes staring deep inside my soul.
The world tilted, my vision dancing. For a terrifying second, I thought I might faint.
“Myla!” Hailey’s hand gripped my arm, shaking me. “You’re white as a sheet. Who were you talking to?”
I glanced back at the spot where he’d stood.
Empty.
he was gone.
But my skin still tingled where his gaze had touched me.
I forced a shaky breath. “No one.”
- Writer
