Mine until Midnight

Mine Until Midnight - Another

CHAPTER FOUR

Aurora woke the next morning determined to forget everything.

The messages.

The photograph.

The footsteps.

The stranger.

Especially the stranger.

She sat on the edge of her bed and stared at the silver bracelet around her wrist. It caught the morning light, looking almost innocent.

Mia noticed it while getting ready.

"You're still wearing that?"

Aurora looked down.

"I forgot to take it off."

Mia raised an eyebrow. "You forgot?"

"Yes."

"Convenient."

Aurora smiled. "You ask too many questions."

"I ask exactly the right amount of questions. You're just terrible at answering them."

Aurora laughed and reached for her bag.

She didn't mention the message from the night before.

She didn't mention the figure outside.

And she definitely didn't mention that she had started wondering whether the mysterious stranger was actually protecting her.

She wasn't ready to admit that.

Not even to herself.

By the time they reached campus, Aurora had almost succeeded in pushing everything out of her mind.

Almost.

She was walking toward her first lecture when someone stepped into her path.

"Excuse me."

Aurora looked up.

A boy she didn't recognize stood in front of her.

He had a relaxed smile and a confident expression.

"You're Aurora, right?"

She frowned slightly.

"Yes."

"I'm Jason."

He held out his hand.

Aurora hesitated for a second before shaking it.

"Nice to meet you."

"I've seen you around."

Aurora smiled politely.

"I guess we're both guilty of that."

Jason laughed.

"Maybe."

Mia, who had been standing beside Aurora, looked between them.

"We're late."

Aurora nodded.

"Right."

As they walked away, Mia leaned closer.

"Who was that?"

"Apparently Jason."

"You know him?"

"No."

Mia glanced behind them.

Jason was still standing where they had left him.

Watching them leave.

Aurora noticed too.

She looked away.

"Probably just being friendly."

Mia didn't respond.

But she didn't look convinced.

The day passed normally.

Aurora attended her lectures, complained about assignments with Ethan, and spent lunch with Mia.

For several hours, she didn't receive a single message.

No anonymous gift.

No warning.

Nothing.

And strangely, she missed it.

The realization made her uncomfortable.

She didn't know who the stranger was.

She didn't know why he watched her.

She didn't know how he knew things about her.

Yet his silence felt unusual.

Almost like something was missing.

Aurora pushed the thought away.

She had more important things to worry about.

At least, she thought she did.

Until she saw Jason again.

He was outside the library.

Then again near the cafeteria.

Then later, when Aurora was leaving class.

Three times in one day.

It could have been coincidence.

It probably was.

But on the fourth occasion, Aurora stopped.

Jason was standing near the stairs.

He smiled when he saw her.

"You're everywhere today."

Aurora gave a small laugh.

"I was about to say the same thing."

"Maybe the university isn't as big as we think."

"Maybe."

He walked beside her.

"Are you heading to the dorms?"

"Eventually."

"Want some company?"

Aurora shook her head.

"I'm meeting Mia."

"Another time, then."

He smiled and walked away.

Aurora watched him disappear into the crowd.

Nothing had happened.

He hadn't threatened her.

He hadn't done anything wrong.

Still, something about the conversation had left her uneasy.

She pulled out her phone.

There was a new message.

Unknown number.

**Stay away from him.**

Aurora stopped walking.

Her eyes moved slowly toward Jason.

He was standing at the other end of the courtyard.

Looking directly at her.

Aurora's stomach tightened.

She looked back at her phone.

Then at Jason.

Then at the message.

She typed quickly.

**Who are you talking about?**

The reply came almost immediately.

**You know.**

Aurora's fingers tightened around the phone.

**Jason?**

Three dots appeared.

Then disappeared.

They appeared again.

Finally:

**Yes.**

Aurora stared at the screen.

Something inside her snapped.

She typed:

**You don't get to decide who I talk to.**

She pressed send.

Nothing.

No reply.

She waited.

One minute.

Two.

Five.

Nothing.

For the first time since this strange game had started, the stranger was silent.

And somehow, that bothered Aurora more than the messages ever had.

She closed her phone and continued walking.

She didn't notice the dark figure standing on the opposite side of the courtyard.

He remained there for several moments.

Watching.

Then he turned away.

That evening, Aurora stayed late at the library.

She had promised Mia she would return to the dormitory with her, but Mia had been called away by a professor.

So Aurora decided to wait.

She packed her books and left.

The campus was quieter now.

Most students had already returned to their dormitories.

Aurora walked toward the main entrance.

She heard footsteps.

She stopped.

The footsteps stopped too.

Aurora turned around.

Jason stood several metres away.

"Hey."

Aurora relaxed slightly.

"Jason."

"You're leaving?"

"Yes."

"Can I walk with you?"

Aurora hesitated.

"Why?"

He shrugged.

"It's late."

Aurora looked around.

"I'll be fine."

"I know."

He smiled.

"But I can still walk with you."

Something about the way he said it made Aurora uncomfortable.

She took a step backward.

"I'm meeting someone."

"Who?"

Aurora frowned.

"That's not really your business."

Jason's smile disappeared for a moment.

Then returned.

"You're right."

He stepped aside.

"Have a good night."

Aurora nodded and walked away.

She had barely taken ten steps when she heard him call her name.

"Aurora."

She stopped.

"What?"

Jason stood beneath the dim campus light.

"I was just going to say..."

He paused.

"Be careful."

Aurora stared at him.

For a second, she didn't understand why the words felt so strange.

Then she remembered.

The messages.

The warnings.

The stranger.

She turned and walked faster.

She didn't look back.

She reached the corridor leading toward the dormitories.

Then she heard something behind her.

A sharp sound.

A door opening.

Aurora turned.

Jason was no longer there.

Instead, at the far end of the corridor stood a tall figure dressed in dark clothing.

His face was hidden in shadow.

Aurora froze.

The figure didn't move.

Neither did she.

For several seconds, they simply stood there.

Then the lights flickered.

Aurora blinked.

The corridor was empty.

Her heart pounded.

She walked forward cautiously.

Nothing.

No Jason.

No stranger.

No explanation.

She hurried back to her dormitory.

Mia was already there.

"Where have you been?"

"Library."

Mia looked at her.

"You look terrified."

"I'm not."

"You are."

Aurora dropped her bag onto the bed.

"I just had a strange evening."

Mia sat beside her.

"What happened?"

Aurora opened her mouth.

Then stopped.

She didn't know how to explain it.

So she simply said, "Nothing important."

Mia sighed.

"You know you're a terrible liar, right?"

Aurora smiled weakly.

"I've been told."

Later that night, Aurora sat alone at her desk.

The room was quiet.

She opened her journal.

She hadn't planned to write anything.

But the page seemed to be waiting for her.

She picked up her pen.

**You don't get to decide who I talk to.**

She stared at the sentence she had written earlier.

Then she added:

**But if you knew something about Jason, why didn't you tell me?**

She waited.

Nothing.

Aurora closed the journal.

Then she heard it.

The faint sound of a pen scratching against paper.

She froze.

Slowly, she opened the journal again.

A new sentence was appearing beneath hers.

**I warned you.**

Aurora stared.

She wrote:

**That's not an answer.**

The reply appeared.

**It's the only one you need tonight.**

Aurora's irritation grew.

She wrote:

**Who are you?**

Nothing.

She waited.

Still nothing.

Then, finally, three words appeared.

**Stay away, Aurora.**

Her heart beat faster.

She stared at the words.

For the first time, the stranger's messages didn't feel mysterious.

They felt serious.

Aurora closed the journal.

She stood and walked toward the window.

Outside, the campus was almost completely dark.

Across the street, beneath a broken streetlight, stood a figure.

Aurora couldn't see his face.

She watched for several seconds.

Then the figure turned and disappeared into the darkness.

Aurora stepped away from the window.

She didn't know who he was.

She didn't know why he cared.

And she certainly didn't know what Jason had to do with any of it.

But one thing was becoming impossible to ignore.

Someone was watching her.

And someone else might be watching too.

That night, Aurora fell asleep with the silver bracelet still around her wrist.

She didn't know that the following day would be the first time she would see just how far the stranger's warnings could go.