Chapter 4:The Man In The Hallway
1391 Words
I couldn't move.
The stranger's words echoed in my head.
He knows about the girl.
The girl.
Me.
There was no doubt about it.
Hardin's eyes met mine from across the hallway.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he turned toward the stranger.
“Not here.”
The man's expression remained calm.
“You were told to come home.”
“I heard you.”
“Then why are you still standing here?”
Hardin stepped closer to him.
“Because I have things to handle.”
The stranger glanced in my direction again.
Hardin noticed.
“Don't look at her.”
The man's eyebrows lifted slightly.
“Why?”
“Because she has nothing to do with this.”
I swallowed.
I didn't understand what this was, but I knew one thing.
I was involved.
Whether Hardin wanted me to be or not.
The stranger looked at him for several seconds.
Then he reached into his jacket and pulled out his phone.
“Your father won't be pleased.”
Hardin's expression hardened.
“He doesn't have to be.”
The man put his phone away.
“You're making a mistake.”
“Maybe.”
“And if she gets hurt?”
Hardin's eyes became cold.
“She won't.”
The stranger looked at me one last time.
Then he walked away.
I waited until he disappeared around the corner.
Then I turned to Hardin.
“Who was that?”
He didn't answer.
“Hardin.”
“Go back to class.”
“No.”
His eyes narrowed.
“I said go back.”
“And I said no.”
He stared at me.
“You really don't know when to stop.”
“Maybe because nobody will tell me anything.”
He looked away.
“You don't want the truth.”
“You don't know what I want.”
“I'm trying to protect you.”
“From what?”
“From me.”
The words silenced me.
He walked past me.
I turned.
“Hardin.”
He stopped.
I hesitated.
“Why does your family know about me?”
He didn't turn around.
“That's what I'm trying to find out.”
Then he walked away.
I stood in the hallway long after he disappeared.
---
I returned to class, but I couldn't concentrate.
The lecturer's voice became background noise.
My mind kept replaying everything.
The messages.
The black card.
Kate's warnings.
The stranger.
Hardin's reaction.
His father knew about me.
But how?
I barely knew Hardin.
I had only spoken to him a handful of times.
So why would his family care about me?
“Rose.”
I looked up.
Kate was staring at me.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded.
“Yeah.”
“You've been staring at the same page for ten minutes.”
I looked down.
She was right.
I hadn't written a single word.
“I just have a lot on my mind.”
“Is it Hardin?”
I froze.
Kate sighed.
“I knew it.”
“What do you mean?”
“You spoke to him again.”
“How did you know?”
“Because whenever something happens with Hardin, you get that look.”
“What look?”
“The look of someone who is about to make a terrible decision.”
I almost smiled.
“That's encouraging.”
“I'm serious.”
“So am I.”
Kate lowered her voice.
“What happened?”
I hesitated.
Then I told her about the stranger.
I didn't mention every detail, but I told her enough.
Her expression changed.
“Rose…”
“What?”
“Did he say Hardin's father wanted him home?”
“Yes.”
She looked down.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Kate.”
She shook her head.
“I don't think you understand how serious this is.”
“Then explain it.”
She looked around the classroom.
“Not here.”
---
After class, Kate took me to an empty corner behind the library.
She crossed her arms.
“I need you to promise me something.”
“What?”
“You won't go looking for Hardin's family.”
“Why?”
“Just promise me.”
I shook my head.
“I can't promise something when I don't know why.”
Kate sighed.
“Hardin's family isn't like normal families.”
“I figured that out.”
“No. You haven't.”
She looked nervous.
“My cousin used to work for them.”
I stared at her.
“What?”
“She stopped.”
“Why?”
Kate lowered her voice.
“She saw things she wasn't supposed to see.”
“What things?”
“I don't know.”
“You don't know?”
“She never told me.”
“Then how do you know they're dangerous?”
“Because she was terrified.”
I remained silent.
Kate continued.
“She left the city without telling anyone. She never came back.”
My stomach tightened.
“What happened to her?”
“Nothing.”
I looked at her suspiciously.
“You're sure?”
Kate nodded.
“She called me once. She told me never to get involved with Hardin's family.”
“Why didn't you tell me this yesterday?”
“Because I didn't think you'd already be involved.”
I swallowed.
“I don't even know how I'm involved.”
Kate looked at me.
“Neither do I.”
---
When I got home that evening, I went straight to my room.
I dropped my bag on the floor and sat on my bed.
I wanted to forget everything.
I wanted my normal life back.
But something kept bothering me.
The card.
I pulled it out of my notebook.
I studied the symbol again.
It looked familiar.
Not because I'd seen it before.
Because something about it felt like a memory.
I opened my laptop and searched for the symbol.
Nothing.
I tried different descriptions.
Still nothing useful.
I closed the laptop.
Maybe I was wasting my time.
Then I remembered something.
My mother.
She had once owned an old jewelry box with a strange symbol carved into the lid.
I hadn't thought about it in years.
I stood and walked toward my closet.
At the bottom was an old box containing some of my mother's belongings.
I hadn't opened it in months.
I pulled it out.
Dust covered the lid.
My hands trembled slightly as I opened it.
There were old photographs.
A necklace.
A few letters.
And beneath them all, the jewelry box.
I lifted it carefully.
My heart stopped.
The symbol on the lid was almost identical to the symbol on Hardin's card.
I stared at it.
“No…”
How was that possible?
I turned the box over.
There was a small inscription underneath.
I wiped away the dust.
Three words appeared.
THE JOSHUA FAMILY.
I dropped the box.
It hit the floor.
My heart was pounding.
My mother had something connected to Hardin's family.
But why?
And why had nobody ever told me?
I crouched down and picked up the box.
There was a small compartment inside.
I pressed against the side.
A hidden drawer opened.
Inside was a folded piece of paper.
I pulled it out.
It was old.
Very old.
I unfolded it carefully.
There was only one sentence written on it.
If anything happens to me, never let the Joshua family find Rose.
I stopped breathing.
My name.
My mother's handwriting.
I read it again.
And again.
My hands began to shake.
Why had my mother written that?
What did she know about Hardin's family?
And why had she been afraid they would find me?
My phone suddenly rang.
I nearly dropped the paper.
I looked at the screen.
Unknown number.
I answered.
“Hello?”
Silence.
“Who is this?”
Nothing.
Then a voice finally spoke.
“Your mother tried to protect you.”
My blood ran cold.
“Who are you?”
The caller didn't answer.
Instead, they said quietly,
“But she failed.”
The call ended.
I stared at my phone.
Then at the note in my hand.
For the first time, I realized something terrifying.
Meeting Hardin hadn't been an accident.
Someone had been waiting for me to find him.
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