LOST

Marvin was having breakfast in his parents' dimly lit bedroom, the silence heavy with things unsaid - the only sound in the room was the soft whir of the ceiling fan overhead. Then Mirabel walked in, barefoot, her arm wrapped tightly around a teddy bear like some shield. He paused eating as his eyes wandered to her as she stepped fully into the room. Sunlight barely crept through the thick curtains painting her silhouette in quiet gold. Her expression was unreadable- too calm for a girl clutching a childhood relic. She knew that Marvin was hiding something from her. The secret or secrets that lurked in the doorway of his heart she was going to explore them. Mirabel had been watching Marvin for weeks. At first, it was little things- him staying up late, phone lighting up his face long past midnight. But what really got her attention was his somewhat creepy smiles- secretive, knowing, sometimes even... sad. Like he was talking to someone who understood him too well- or someone he wasn't supposed to be talking to at all. One night, just above 2 AM, she crept past his door. There he was again. Lying on his side, screen glowing, eyes fixed on it - smiling? Mirabel's stomach tightened. She leaned in, barely breathing, and caught the faintest sound from the phone - like static . Or whispering? The screen flicked off. Marvin turned slightly, sensing something. "Mira?" he called out almost in a whisper. She slipped away before he saw her, heart racing. Back in her room, she whispered to herself, "Who are you talking to Marvin?" Snap! The click of Marv's fingers gave her the chills, at least reeling her back into the moment. Mirabel flopped onto the couch beside Marvin who immediately tilted his phone away like he was guarding mortal secrets. She narrowed her eyes. "What are you hiding?" "Nothing," he said too quickly, thumb hovering over the power button. Mira lunged. Marv yelped and scrambled to his feet, holding the phone high. "Privacy! Respect my little space!" She smirked. "Is it a crush? Or something quite amusing - embarrassing maybe?" Marv hesitated- just for a second. A little too long. Mirabel caught it. "Wait... this is serious, isn't it?" Marv locked the phone and slipped it into his hoodie. "It's not what you think" Her gaze was fiery. "Then what is it?" He looked at her. "Something I'm not ready to talk about yet." Then he walked off, leaving Mirabel alone with a million questions- and the quiet whir of the ceiling fan above her. Mirabel waited until Marvin was deep asleep- spread like a starfish, one sock missing, his phone still clutched loosely in his hand. She carefully slid it free It was locked obviously. A message popped on the screen "Face ID required." She glanced at him, then smirked."You want us to play hide and seek? Let's play then." She held the phone up to Marvin's peaceful face. It unlocked halfway, then buzzed "Face not recognized," it said. Weird, wasn't it? She angled it again. Still failed to respond. Her eyes narrowed. Then, out of pure curiosity or being mischievous, she mirrored his face- same head tilt, same lazy expression, even squinting one eye the way he always did. That too proved abortive. Then, for just a second, the screen flickered. It didn't unlock, it just flickered, like something in it recognized her. She dropped it fast, heart racing. Now the room seemingly seemed too quiet. Driven by curiosity, Mira carried the phone to her room, and lay down comfortably on her cosy bed trying to process what she saw or thought she saw. And then she caught it- that sharp unmistakable smell. Burnt jollof "Shoot!" she gasped, leaping off her bed and dashing to the kitchen. The pot hissed in protest as she yanked it off the flames, smoke curling up. She coughed, waved it off, muttered something under her breath, and turned off the stove. But in the background, Marvin's phone buzzed. It was still unlocked. She still left it on the bed. She hesitated. Then slowly walked back, smoke clinging to her hoodie. One new message, not from a contact- just a blinking line. It was not a notification either, just a string of symbols... It didn't mean anything. Not in words perhaps but it felt like something was watching. Before she could screenshot it, the screen went blank. Then lit up again- as if nothing had happened. It was just the home screen - her brother's wallpaper. Just... normal. Except it wasn't. Because for a split second, when the screen turned off... Her own reflection stared back. The girl in the screen stared back and gave a charming smile and then winked. Mirabel gasped and dropped the phone. By the time it hit the bed, the screen was normal again It was as if nothing really happened. But she couldn't stop shaking. Because whatever she saw... Was still watching