Mine until Midnight

Mine Until Midnight - The Gift

Chapter Eight.

Aurora woke up with the same thought she had fallen asleep with.

The stranger.

She stared at the ceiling for a while, replaying everything that had happened over the past few days.

The journal.

The messages.

The photograph.

The way someone always seemed to know when she was in trouble.

And then there was Jason.

Aurora turned onto her side and reached for the black journal on her bedside table.

She opened it.

For several seconds, she simply stared at the empty page.

Then she picked up her pen.

"Who are you?"

She waited.

Nothing.

Aurora frowned.

"You were very talkative yesterday."

Still nothing.

She tapped her pen against the page.

"Are you ignoring me?"

A few seconds passed.

Then, slowly, black ink appeared.

"Maybe."

Aurora's eyes widened.

She smiled despite herself.

"So you can joke. I thought you were incapable of it."

The answer appeared beneath hers.

"I have my moments."

Aurora shook her head.

She didn't know why talking to a stranger through a journal had started feeling almost normal.

Almost.

She wrote again.

"Why were you watching Jason?"

This time, there was a longer pause.

Then:

"Because I don't trust him."

Aurora stared at the sentence.

"You barely know him."

The response came quickly.

"I know enough."

She frowned.

There it was again.

That strange certainty.

The stranger always seemed to know more than he should.

Aurora leaned closer to the journal.

"What do you know?"

Nothing.

She waited.

Still nothing.

"Of course."

She closed the journal.

"Run away from the question."

She got out of bed.

By the time she finished getting ready, Mia was already awake.

"You're unusually quiet," Mia said.

Aurora looked over.

"I'm thinking."

"That's dangerous."

Aurora laughed.

"Very funny."

Mia smiled and threw a pillow at her.

"Come on. We're going to be late."

Aurora caught the pillow.

"Where's Ethan?"

"He said he'd meet us outside."

They left the room together.

Ethan was waiting near the entrance, holding two books against his chest.

"There you are."

Aurora smiled.

"Morning."

Ethan looked at her for a moment.

"You look tired."

"Why does everyone keep telling me that?"

"Because you look tired."

Mia laughed.

"Exactly what I said."

Aurora rolled her eyes.

"I'm fine."

Ethan didn't look convinced.

"You've been saying that a lot lately."

Aurora glanced at him.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been distracted."

"I'm just busy."

Ethan shrugged.

"Okay."

But Aurora knew him well enough to know he didn't believe her.

They walked toward class together.

For once, Aurora almost managed to forget everything.

Almost.

Until she reached her locker.

Something was sitting inside.

A small black box.

Her name was written across the top.

AURORA.

She looked around.

Nobody was standing nearby.

"Ethan?"

He turned.

"What?"

Aurora pointed toward the box.

"I didn't put that there."

Ethan stepped closer.

Mia looked over Aurora's shoulder.

"Open it."

Aurora hesitated.

Then she slowly lifted the lid.

Inside was a delicate silver necklace.

A tiny crescent moon hung from the chain.

Beneath it was a folded piece of paper.

Aurora picked it up.

There were only two lines.

"You once said you liked things that carried a story."

"This one does."

Aurora's heart skipped.

She looked at Ethan.

"Did you do this?"

He immediately shook his head.

"No."

"Mia?"

Mia looked genuinely confused.

"Why would I give you a necklace?"

"I don't know."

Ethan picked up the note.

"Do you recognize the handwriting?"

Aurora shook her head.

"No."

She stared at the necklace.

Something about it felt strangely familiar.

Not the necklace itself.

The feeling.

Like someone had chosen it because they knew her.

Ethan handed the note back.

"Maybe someone has a crush on you."

Mia grinned.

Aurora groaned.

"Don't start."

"I'm just saying."

"Whoever it is, they could at least put their name."

She slipped the necklace into the box.

But before closing it, she noticed something engraved on the back of the crescent.

A single word.

"Remember."

Aurora's smile disappeared.

---

That afternoon, Jason found her outside the library.

"Hey."

Aurora looked up.

"Hi."

He held out a notebook.

"You left this yesterday."

Aurora took it.

"I did?"

"Yeah."

She opened it.

It was hers.

She hadn't even realized it was missing.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Jason smiled.

"You going inside?"

"Probably."

"I can walk with you."

Aurora nodded.

They walked together.

Jason talked about class, complained about an assignment and somehow made Aurora laugh.

For a few minutes, everything felt normal.

Then he looked at her.

"You're wearing something new."

Aurora looked down at herself.

The necklace.

She had forgotten she was wearing it.

"Oh. Yeah."

"Looks nice."

"Thanks."

"Who gave it to you?"

Aurora hesitated.

"I don't know."

Jason's expression changed for only a second.

Then he smiled.

"Interesting."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Aurora studied him.

"You said that weirdly."

He laughed.

"I'm just surprised someone gave you a gift without telling you who they were."

"Me too."

They continued walking.

Then Jason said casually,

"You always sit by the window when you're nervous."

Aurora stopped.

Jason looked back.

"What?"

She stared at him.

"How do you know that?"

He blinked.

"I've seen you do it."

"Have you?"

"Yeah."

Aurora wasn't completely convinced.

But Jason smiled, and the strange feeling disappeared almost as quickly as it came.

"Come on," he said.

She followed.

Neither of them noticed the figure standing across the road.

Watching.

---

That evening, Aurora returned to her room.

Mia was sitting on the bed, scrolling through her phone.

"You disappeared."

"I was with Jason."

Mia looked up.

"Again?"

Aurora laughed.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Because you've been spending a lot of time with him."

Aurora dropped her bag onto the chair.

"He returned my notebook."

Mia smiled.

"Okay."

Aurora sat at her desk.

Her eyes landed on the black journal.

She opened it.

"You gave me something."

She waited.

No response.

She wrote again.

"The necklace."

Nothing.

Aurora frowned.

"Did you send it?"

Still nothing.

She was about to close the journal when the ink finally appeared.

"Maybe."

Aurora smiled.

"You're impossible."

A response appeared.

"You already said that."

She laughed quietly.

Then her expression became serious.

"Are you jealous?"

The page remained blank.

Aurora waited.

One minute.

Two.

Nothing.

She smiled.

"You are."

No response.

"You don't like Jason."

Nothing.

"You hate him."

Finally, words appeared.

"I don't like him."

Aurora's heart beat faster.

She stared at the sentence.

"Why?"

The answer took longer this time.

"Because he watches you differently."

Aurora swallowed.

"And how do you watch me?"

Silence.

She waited.

The journal remained still.

"Of course."

She closed it.

"Always disappearing when things get interesting."

---

Later that night, Aurora decided to take a short walk outside.

She needed air.

The campus was quiet.

The lights along the walkway flickered softly as she walked.

Then she heard footsteps behind her.

Aurora slowed down.

The footsteps slowed too.

She stopped.

Silence.

She turned around.

Nobody.

Her heart began beating faster.

She looked down the path.

Empty.

Aurora started walking again.

The footsteps returned.

This time, closer.

She turned sharply.

A shadow moved behind a building.

Aurora froze.

"Who's there?"

Nothing.

She took a step backward.

Then another.

Her phone vibrated.

She pulled it out.

A message.

"Go back inside."

Aurora stared at the screen.

Her fingers moved quickly.

"Are you here?"

No answer.

She looked around.

"Where are you?"

Nothing.

Another message appeared.

"Just go."

Aurora didn't argue.

She turned around and hurried back toward the dormitory.

When she reached her room, she locked the door behind her.

Mia looked up from the bed.

"What happened?"

Aurora tried to catch her breath.

"Nothing."

Mia frowned.

"You don't look like nothing happened."

Aurora shook her head.

"I thought someone was following me."

Mia immediately sat up.

"What?"

"I don't know. Maybe I imagined it."

"Are you sure?"

Aurora nodded.

"Yeah."

Mia studied her face.

"You're not going outside alone again."

Aurora smiled weakly.

"Okay, Mom."

Mia laughed.

But Aurora didn't laugh for long.

Because when she turned toward her desk, she stopped.

The silver necklace was there.

She had left it inside her bag.

She was certain.

Aurora slowly walked toward it.

There was a small piece of paper underneath.

Her hands trembled as she picked it up.

Four words.

"Don't wear it tonight."

Aurora stared at the message.

Her breathing became shallow.

She looked toward Mia.

"Mia..."

"What?"

Aurora held up the note.

Mia stood.

"What does it say?"

Aurora didn't answer.

She looked at the necklace.

Then at the locked door.

Then back at the note.

Someone had been inside her room.

But nothing had been stolen.

Nothing had been moved.

Except the necklace.

Aurora slowly stepped toward the mirror.

And stopped.

Written across the glass were three words.

"I SEE YOU."

Mia gasped behind her.

Aurora couldn't move.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then Aurora's phone vibrated.

She looked down.

Another message from the stranger.

"Are you home?"

Her fingers shook as she replied.

"Yes."

The response came almost instantly.

"Good."

Aurora stared at the screen.

Then another message appeared.

"Lock your door."

Aurora looked at the door.

It was already locked.

Her heart sank.

Then came one final message.

"Don't open it."

Three slow knocks sounded from the other side.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Aurora and Mia stared at the door.

Neither of them moved.

And whoever stood on the other side...

didn't knock again.