"The Locket"
663 Words
The books lay scattered across the floor.
Neither of them moved.
Lila couldn't breathe.
Couldn't think.
Couldn't look away from Ethan Blackwood.
"The locket..." she whispered.
Her voice trembled.
"How do you know about the locket?"
Ethan's expression remained unreadable.
But something had changed.
The cold mask he always wore seemed to crack for a brief second.
Then it was gone.
"That's not important right now."
Lila stared at him in disbelief.
"Not important?"
Her voice rose.
"You know about my father. You know about a locket I've never told anyone about. And you think that's not important?"
The storm outside growled through the sky.
Ethan remained calm.
As if chaos naturally bent around him.
"You should go back to your dorm."
Lila laughed bitterly.
"No."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"No?"
"I'm done walking away."
For a moment, something that looked like admiration flickered in his eyes.
Then disappeared.
"You don't understand what you're involved in."
"Then explain it."
"I can't."
"You won't."
Silence.
And that silence told her everything.
Minutes later, Ethan was gone.
Just like that.
One moment he was there.
The next, he had vanished into the darkness of the corridor.
Leaving Lila alone with questions.
And fear.
A lot of fear.
Back in her dorm room, Scarlett was already asleep.
The room was dark except for the soft glow of Lila's desk lamp.
Lila sat on her bed.
Her father's old storage box rested in front of her.
She had brought it with her when she moved.
Mostly for sentimental reasons.
Now her hands trembled as she opened it.
Old photographs.
Letters.
A broken watch.
And beneath them all...
The silver locket.
Her breath caught.
Slowly, she lifted it from the box.
Moonlight reflected against its surface.
For years, she had never managed to open it.
The tiny clasp had always been stuck.
Her father had told her only one thing about it.
"Keep it safe."
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
She turned it over.
And froze.
Scratched into the back were words she had never noticed before.
B + G
"What?"
Her heartbeat accelerated.
Who were B and G?
And why had her father hidden this from her?
The next morning, Lila couldn't stop thinking about the locket.
Even during class.
Even during lunch.
Even while Scarlett rambled about campus gossip.
Nothing made sense anymore.
Until her phone vibrated.
One message.
Unknown number.
Lila frowned.
Then opened it.
The message contained only six words.
Do not trust Ethan Blackwood.
Her stomach dropped.
Another message arrived immediately.
He's lying to you.
Then a third.
Meet me tonight. Alone.
Attached was a location.
An abandoned greenhouse on the far edge of campus.
Lila stared at the screen.
Every instinct screamed that this was dangerous.
But what if this person had answers?
What if they knew the truth?
That night, curiosity won.
The greenhouse stood hidden behind overgrown trees.
The glass walls were cracked.
The building looked abandoned years ago.
Lila hesitated before stepping inside.
Dust covered everything.
Broken flowerpots littered the floor.
The place was silent.
Too silent.
"Hello?" she called.
No answer.
Her pulse quickened.
Then she heard footsteps.
Someone was here.
A figure emerged from the shadows.
A young woman.
The same girl who had warned her earlier.
The one who had whispered:
"Stay away from Ethan Blackwood."
The girl looked terrified.
As though someone had been chasing her.
"You came," she whispered.
Lila nodded.
"You said you knew something."
The girl looked over her shoulder nervously.
Then back at Lila.
"You need to leave this university."
"What?"
"You don't understand."
"Then make me understand."
The girl's face turned pale.
Her lips trembled.
Then she spoke words that changed everything.
"Your father didn't die by accident."
Lila's world stopped.
"What did you just say?"
The girl opened her mouth to answer—
Suddenly—
A loud crash shattered one of the greenhouse windows.
Glass exploded everywhere.
The terrified girl screamed.
And from the darkness outside...
Someone was watching them.
- Writer
