Mine until Midnight

Mine Until Midnight - The First Warning

**CHAPTER THREE — THE FIRST WARNING**

Aurora woke up with the strange feeling that someone had been standing beside her bed.

She opened her eyes quickly.

Nothing.

The room was quiet, except for the faint sound of Mia breathing from the other side of the room.

Aurora stayed still for a few seconds, staring at the ceiling.

It had to be a dream.

She turned her head toward her bedside table.

The black journal was still there.

So was the silver bracelet.

Aurora reached for it and turned it between her fingers. She still couldn't understand why she'd put it on the night before.

Maybe because, despite everything, the stranger hadn't actually done anything to hurt her.

If anything, whoever he was seemed determined to keep her out of trouble.

That thought should have made her feel better.

Instead, it made her more curious.

Aurora sat up and looked at the journal.

She picked up her pen.

For a moment, she considered writing something.

Then she shook her head.

"No."

She wasn't going to play this game.

Not until she knew who she was playing with.

She got dressed and left the journal behind.

At least, that was what she told herself.

But as she walked across campus, she kept checking her phone.

Nothing.

No unknown messages.

No strange gifts.

No mysterious notes.

By lunchtime, Aurora was beginning to wonder if everything had finally stopped.

"You're quiet today."

Mia dropped into the seat opposite her.

"I'm always quiet."

"No, you're suspiciously quiet."

Aurora smiled.

"Maybe I'm tired."

Mia narrowed her eyes.

"Did you sleep?"

"Somewhat."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the only one you're getting."

Mia sighed and opened her drink.

Ethan arrived a few moments later, carrying two books.

He dropped them onto the table.

"Please tell me one of you understood today's lecture."

Mia immediately shook her head.

Aurora laughed.

"You're asking the wrong people."

Ethan sat down.

"Wonderful. We're all failing together."

For the next few minutes, they talked about classes, assignments and the ridiculous amount of work their professors seemed determined to give them.

Aurora found herself relaxing.

Maybe this was what she needed.

A normal day.

No strange messages.

No mysterious person.

No questions.

Then someone walked past their table.

Aurora didn't pay attention at first.

Until the person stopped.

A small envelope was placed beside her hand.

Aurora looked up.

A young man was already walking away.

"Excuse me!"

He didn't turn around.

Aurora stood.

By the time she reached the end of the table, he had disappeared into the crowd.

She looked around.

Nothing.

Mia came up beside her.

"What happened?"

Aurora held up the envelope.

"I don't know."

Ethan joined them.

"What's inside?"

Aurora opened it carefully.

There was a single photograph.

Her.

Standing outside the library the previous evening.

The same moment when she had heard the footsteps behind her.

Aurora's fingers went cold.

She turned the photograph over.

Three words were written on the back.

**You weren't alone.**

Mia stared at it.

"Okay."

Ethan's expression changed.

"That's enough."

Aurora looked at him.

"What?"

"You're going to report this."

"To who?"

"The university."

"And tell them what?"

Ethan pointed at the photograph.

"That someone is taking pictures of you."

Aurora looked down.

He was right.

This wasn't a harmless gift anymore.

Someone had been watching her.

Close enough to photograph her.

Close enough to know where she went.

And close enough to know when she was alone.

Aurora folded the photograph.

"I'm going to find out who it is."

Mia shook her head.

"No. We're going to find out."

Aurora looked at her.

Mia crossed her arms.

"I'm not letting you investigate some creepy stranger alone."

Ethan nodded.

"She's right."

Aurora sighed.

"Fine."

But she knew she wasn't going to tell them everything.

She hadn't told them about the messages.

She hadn't told them about the bracelet.

And she definitely wasn't ready to tell them that part of her wasn't entirely afraid.

There was something strange about the stranger.

He was watching.

But he was also protecting her.

And Aurora couldn't figure out why those two things seemed connected.

Later that afternoon, she went to the library.

She needed to return a book, but she also wanted to retrace her steps from the previous evening.

Maybe she had missed something.

Maybe she had seen the man without realizing it.

She walked along the same path.

Nothing.

The same trees.

The same benches.

The same old lamps.

She stopped where she had heard the footsteps.

Aurora looked around.

There was a narrow walkway beside the main path.

She hadn't noticed it before.

She stepped toward it.

Something caught her attention.

A small piece of paper had been tucked beneath the edge of a bench.

She pulled it out.

Her name was written on it.

**Aurora.**

Her heart skipped.

She opened it.

**Don't look behind you.**

Aurora froze.

Every instinct told her to turn around.

She didn't.

Instead, she stared straight ahead.

Someone was there.

She could feel it.

A presence.

A faint movement somewhere behind her.

Aurora's fingers tightened around the paper.

Then she heard footsteps.

One.

Two.

Three.

They stopped.

She waited.

Nothing.

Slowly, she looked at the reflection in the dark window of the library.

A figure stood several metres behind her.

Tall.

Still.

His face wasn't visible.

Aurora's heart pounded.

She turned.

Nobody was there.

She spun around again.

The walkway was empty.

Her breathing became uneven.

She searched the trees.

Nothing.

Then her phone vibrated.

Aurora almost dropped it.

One new message.

**I told you not to look behind you.**

She stared at the screen.

Her fingers moved quickly.

**Were you there?**

The response came almost immediately.

**Go back to your dorm.**

Aurora frowned.

**Why?**

No response.

She waited.

Nothing.

Then another message appeared.

**Now.**

Something about that single word made her stop arguing.

Aurora turned around and walked quickly toward the dormitories.

She didn't know why she was listening to someone she had never met.

Maybe it was instinct.

Maybe it was fear.

Or maybe, somewhere deep inside, she already trusted him more than she should.

She reached the dormitory.

Mia wasn't there yet.

Aurora unlocked the door and stepped inside.

The moment she closed it, she noticed something.

The window was open.

She was certain she'd closed it that morning.

Aurora slowly walked toward it.

A cold breeze moved through the room.

She checked the latch.

Nothing was broken.

Nothing had been forced.

Then she noticed something on the floor.

A small white envelope.

Aurora picked it up.

There was no name this time.

Only one sentence.

**You need to stop walking home alone.**

Aurora stared at it.

For several seconds, she didn't move.

Then she heard the door handle turn.

Aurora's heart jumped.

"Mia?"

No answer.

The handle moved again.

Aurora stepped backward.

The door opened.

Mia walked in carrying a shopping bag.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

Aurora exhaled.

"You scared me."

Mia frowned.

"Why?"

"Nothing."

Mia put the bag down.

"You look pale."

"I'm fine."

Mia looked around.

Then she noticed the open window.

"Was that open?"

Aurora looked at it.

"I don't know."

Mia walked over and closed it.

"You seriously need to stop leaving things open."

Aurora didn't answer.

Her eyes were still on the envelope in her hand.

That night, she couldn't stop thinking about the photograph.

The man on the path.

The messages.

The open window.

She lay in bed with the journal beside her.

Eventually, she reached for it.

She opened to a blank page.

Her pen hovered above it.

Then she wrote:

**Why are you helping me?**

She stared at the question.

Nothing happened.

She waited.

One minute.

Two.

Five.

Aurora almost closed the journal.

Then she heard a soft sound.

The scratch of a pen.

She froze.

Slowly, new handwriting appeared beneath her question.

**Because someone else is watching you.**

Aurora's heart dropped.

She immediately wrote:

**Who?**

The answer came.

**I don't know yet.**

Aurora frowned.

For the first time, the stranger sounded uncertain.

She wrote:

**Then how do you know I'm in danger?**

There was a long pause.

Then:

**Because I've been watching the people around you.**

Aurora stopped breathing for a second.

She stared at the sentence.

The stranger wasn't only watching her.

He was watching everyone around her.

Her friends.

Her classmates.

Anyone who came close.

Aurora slowly wrote:

**That's supposed to make me feel safe?**

The answer appeared.

**No.**

She waited.

Another sentence followed.

**It's supposed to make you careful.**

Aurora closed the journal.

She didn't know whether to be angry, frightened or impressed.

Probably all three.

She placed the journal beside her pillow and turned off the light.

Outside, a car passed slowly along the street.

Aurora watched its headlights disappear through the curtains.

She didn't see the figure standing across the road.

He had been there for less than a minute.

Long enough to make sure her light was off.

Long enough to see the curtains close.

Then he disappeared into the darkness.

Aurora never saw him.

But for the first time, she understood something.

The stranger wasn't simply leaving gifts anymore.

He was warning her.

And somewhere in the city, someone else was watching too.