Chapter 5: The Message
1083 Words
Daisy stood outside her house for a moment after Leo left.
The evening air was cool against her skin.
For the first time in days, she felt lighter.
Not happy.
Not healed.
Just lighter.
She walked up the driveway and opened the front door.
The smell of dinner greeted her immediately.
Home.
Normal.
Safe.
Maybe Leo was right.
Maybe she didn't have to figure everything out tonight.
Maybe tomorrow wouldn't be as terrible as she imagined.
Her phone vibrated.
A text message.
Unknown Number.
Daisy frowned.
She opened it.
The message contained only one sentence.
"I know about the diagnosis."
Her heart stopped.
She read it again.
And again.
No name.
No explanation.
Nothing.
Only those six words.
A cold feeling crept down her spine.
She had told nobody except her parents, the doctors, and Leo.
So how could someone else know?
The phone vibrated once more.
Another message appeared.
This one was even worse.
"And soon everyone else will know about it too.
"Daisy stared at the screen.
The glow from her phone illuminated her face in the darkness of her bedroom.
Her stomach twisted.
No.
No, no, no.
This had to be some kind of joke.
Her fingers trembled as she typed a reply.
Who is this?
The message delivered instantly.
The typing bubble appeared.
Then disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Daisy held her breath.
Finally, the reply came.
Someone who knows your secret.
A chill ran through her body.
She reread the message twice.
Three times.
Still no clue.
No name.
No explanation.
Nothing.
Just that unsettling certainty.
Whoever this person was, they knew something they shouldn't.
Her phone suddenly rang.
Daisy nearly dropped it.
Mom.
Relief flooded through her.
She answered immediately.
"Hello?"
"Dinner's ready."
For a moment, Daisy couldn't speak.
The ordinary sound of her mother's voice felt strangely comforting.
"Daisy?"
"Yeah."
"You okay?"
"I'm coming down."
The call ended.
She glanced at her phone one last time.
The messages remained there.
Silent.
Waiting.
Then she switched off the screen and slipped it into her pocket.
For now, she would deal with it later.
Or at least try to.
Dinner was awkward.
Not because anyone argued.
Because everyone was trying too hard.
Her father kept making terrible jokes.
Her mother kept asking if she wanted more food
after dinner Daisy went back to her room.
The moment she closed the door, she reached for her phone.
Nothing.
No new messages.
Maybe it was over.
Maybe it had been a prank.
Maybe—
The screen lit up.
Another text.
Daisy opened it immediately.
This time there was a photo.
Her heart nearly stopped.
It was taken outside the hospital.
The image was blurry.
Distant.
But unmistakable.
It showed Daisy and her mother leaving the hospital
Someone had been there.
Watching.
The next message arrived seconds later.
Tomorrow.
Daisy frowned.
Before she could respond, another message appeared.
Meet me behind the gym after school. Alone.
Her pulse pounded in her ears.
This wasn't a prank anymore.
Someone knew who she was.
Someone had followed her.
And tomorrow, they wanted to meet.
The phone buzzed one final time.
Don't tell anyone.
Daisy stared at the words.
Outside her window, the wind rattled the branches of the old oak tree.
This was the first time receiving a mysterious texts, fear truly settled all through her.
Because she had no idea who was waiting behind the gym.
Or what they wanted from her.
She barely slept that night.
Every time she closed her eyes, she imagined different faces behind those messages.
A stranger.
A classmate.
A teacher.
Someone from the hospital.
Each possibility felt worse than the last.
By morning, dark circles had appeared beneath her eyes.
Her mother noticed immediately.
"Rough night?"
Daisy forced a shrug.
"Couldn't sleep."
Her mother looked concerned but didn't push.
School felt different that day.
Every hallway seemed narrower.
Every conversation seemed suspicious.
Every unfamiliar glance made her wonder.
Do they know?
At her locker, she found herself studying everyone who passed.
Searching for clues.
Nothing.
Just students talking about assignments and weekend plans.
Normal things.
Meanwhile, her stomach twisted every time her phone vibrated.
No new messages.
Not yet.
By lunchtime, Daisy couldn't concentrate.
Sarah was talking excitedly about the upcoming spring formal.
Leo was arguing with someone about basketball.
Normally she would've joined in.
Instead she kept checking her phone.
"Daisy."
She looked up.
Sarah frowned.
"You haven't listened to a single thing I've said."
"What?"
"Exactly."
Leo raised an eyebrow.
"Everything okay?"
The question nearly made her laugh.
If only he knew.
"Just tired."
Neither seemed convinced.
Fortunately, the lunch bell rang before they could investigate further.
The rest of the day crawled by.
Math.
History.
Chemistry.
Every minute felt like an hour.
Finally, the last bell echoed through the building.
Students flooded into the hallways.
Free at last.
Daisy's phone buzzed.
Her heart jumped.
Unknown Number.
Behind the gym. Now.
Her mouth went dry.
This was it.
The moment she'd been dreading all day.
She slipped her phone into her pocket.
"Daisy?"
Leo's voice.
She turned.
"You heading home?"
For a split second she considered telling him everything.
The messages.
The photo.
The fear.
But the final text echoed in her mind.
Don't tell anyone.
"Yeah," she lied.
"I'll catch up later."
Leo looked suspicious.
But eventually nodded.
"Okay."
Then he disappeared into the crowd.
Daisy waited until the hallway emptied.
Then she headed toward the rear exit.
Toward the gym.
Toward whatever—or whoever—was waiting.
The afternoon sky had darkened with heavy clouds.
The sports field was deserted.
The air smelled like rain.
Daisy rounded the corner of the gymnasium.
Nobody.
Her heart pounded.
"Hello?"
Silence.
She took another step.
Then noticed something resting on the ground near the wall.
A white envelope.
Her name written across the front.
DAISY
Her pulse quickened.
Slowly, she picked it up.
Inside was a single photograph.
Daisy froze.
It was an old picture.
A picture she hadn't seen since middle school.
She and another girl stood together beside a science fair project.
Both smiling.
Both laughing.
Best friends.
Until something happened.
Something Daisy hadn't thought about in years.
Her breath caught.
Because scribbled across the back of the photo were five words.
Do you remember Emily Parker?
Daisy's blood ran cold.
Emily Parker.
A name from her past.
A name she had spent years trying to forget.
And suddenly she realized this wasn't about the hospital at all.
Someone wanted her to remember.
- Writer
