Chapter Four: The Person Behind the Glass
1345 Words
Olivia didn't sleep.
Not after what she'd seen.
The hooded figure.
The message.
The feeling that whoever was behind all of this wasn't simply watching anymore.
They were getting closer.
Much closer.
By morning, dark circles had formed beneath her eyes.
Her nerves felt stretched thin.
And unfortunately, she still had classes.
The universe clearly hated her.
Rain continued falling as she arrived at Cresthaven University.
Students hurried across campus carrying umbrellas.
Everyone looked normal.
Safe.
Unaware.
Olivia wished she could feel the same.
Instead, every stranger looked suspicious.
Every glance felt dangerous.
Every shadow seemed to move.
"Olivia!"
Maya jogged toward her.
The smile immediately vanished from her face.
"You look awful."
"Thanks."
"I'm serious."
"I'm fine."
"You always say that."
Olivia forced a smile.
The last thing she wanted was Maya getting involved.
Because whoever was targeting her wasn't playing games anymore.
And she couldn't risk her best friend becoming collateral damage.
As they entered the main building, students crowded the hallway.
Voices echoed everywhere.
Lockers slammed.
Professors moved between classrooms.
Everything felt normal.
Until Olivia saw Ethan.
Standing beside the staircase.
Looking directly at her.
Immediately, irritation flared inside her.
Because despite everything happening, Ethan was still Ethan.
Cold.
Secretive.
Infuriating.
And somehow always acting like he knew more than everyone else.
Their eyes met.
Neither smiled.
Neither looked away.
Finally, Ethan started walking toward her.
Olivia groaned internally.
Wonderful.
Exactly what she needed.
Another mysterious conversation filled with half-answers.
"Can I talk to you?"
"No."
Ethan blinked.
"No?"
"No."
He stared.
Olivia crossed her arms.
"I'm tired of this."
"Tired of what?"
"You acting like you're protecting me while refusing to tell me anything."
His expression hardened.
"It's not that simple."
"There it is."
"What?"
"That."
Olivia pointed at him.
"Every single time."
His jaw tightened.
"You don't understand."
"Then explain it."
Silence.
Exactly.
Ethan looked away.
Olivia laughed bitterly.
"That's what I thought."
For a moment, something flashed across his face.
Anger.
Real anger.
"You're impossible."
Olivia's eyes widened.
"Excuse me?"
"You keep demanding answers."
"Because I deserve them."
"You deserve safety."
"No."
She stepped closer.
"I deserve the truth."
The tension between them instantly thickened.
Students passing nearby slowed down.
Watching.
Neither noticed.
Neither cared.
Ethan lowered his voice.
"The truth gets people hurt."
Olivia felt irritation explode inside her.
"There you go again."
"What?"
"Acting like you're the only one carrying a burden."
His eyes narrowed.
"You think this is a joke?"
"I think you're arrogant."
The words slipped out.
Sharp.
Cruel.
For a second, Ethan looked genuinely stunned.
Then his expression became unreadable.
Cold.
Far colder than before.
"Believe whatever you want."
Without another word, he walked away.
Olivia watched him leave.
Part of her felt satisfied.
The other part felt strangely guilty.
Three hours later, Olivia regretted everything.
Because she couldn't stop thinking about what Ethan had said.
Or the look on his face afterward.
She hated that look.
Not because it frightened her.
Because it reminded her that underneath all the walls and secrets, Ethan was still human.
And she had probably hurt him.
The realization annoyed her.
Why should she care?
He certainly didn't seem to care about her.
Still...
The thought lingered.
Unfortunately, she didn't have time to dwell on it.
Because something much worse happened.
When she opened her backpack during lunch, she found another note.
Her stomach dropped instantly.
The paper was folded neatly.
Just like before.
Someone had placed it there.
Again.
While she was on campus.
Surrounded by hundreds of people.
Her hands trembled slightly as she opened it.
The message contained only one sentence.
The next person to disappear won't come back.
Ice flooded her veins.
At the bottom sat the familiar symbol.
The black circle.
The same symbol from her locker.
The same symbol from every message.
Someone was escalating.
And fast.
That evening, Olivia finally made a decision.
She wasn't waiting anymore.
She wasn't hiding anymore.
And she definitely wasn't listening to Ethan.
If Amelia disappeared three years ago, there had to be records.
Evidence.
Something.
Which meant there was only one place to start.
The university archives.
Located beneath the oldest building on campus.
A place most students didn't even know existed.
By eight o'clock, darkness had fallen.
The campus was nearly empty.
Perfect.
Olivia slipped into the administration building and quietly descended a narrow staircase.
The air grew colder.
Dust coated the walls.
Old fluorescent lights flickered overhead.
The atmosphere felt wrong.
Like the building itself was hiding secrets.
At the bottom of the stairs, she found a heavy metal door.
Locked.
Of course.
She sighed.
Then noticed something.
The lock wasn't fully closed.
Someone had opened it recently.
A chill ran through her.
Slowly, she pushed the door open.
The archives stretched endlessly beyond.
Rows upon rows of old records.
Boxes.
Documents.
Forgotten history.
Olivia switched on her phone flashlight and stepped inside.
The silence felt suffocating.
Every footstep echoed.
Every shadow seemed alive.
She searched for nearly twenty minutes before finding a section labeled:
SCHOLARSHIP RECORDS
Her pulse quickened.
This was it.
She pulled out a box.
Then another.
And another.
Finally—
Amelia Cole.
Olivia's heart pounded.
She carefully opened the file.
Inside were photographs.
Academic records.
Recommendation letters.
Everything appeared normal.
Until she reached the final page.
Her breath caught.
Someone had removed several documents.
Pages had been torn out.
Recently.
The edges looked fresh.
Almost new.
Someone didn't want people seeing those records.
Someone had deliberately hidden them.
Suddenly—
A noise echoed through the archives.
Olivia froze.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Approaching.
Her pulse exploded.
Someone else was down here.
The footsteps grew louder.
Closer.
Closer.
Olivia immediately switched off her flashlight.
Darkness swallowed the room.
The footsteps continued.
She ducked behind a shelf.
Her heartbeat thundered inside her chest.
The stranger stopped nearby.
Very nearby.
She could hear breathing.
Slow.
Steady.
Waiting.
Seconds felt like hours.
Then—
A voice spoke.
"Olivia."
Her blood turned to ice.
Ethan.
Relief crashed through her.
Immediately followed by annoyance.
Of course it was Ethan.
"Are you insane?" she whispered.
A flashlight clicked on.
Ethan stood several feet away.
Looking furious.
"I could ask you the same thing."
"What are you doing here?"
"What are YOU doing here?"
Olivia rolled her eyes.
"Investigating."
"Alone?"
"Yes."
"That was stupid."
Her jaw dropped.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
The argument exploded instantly.
"You don't get to tell me what to do."
"And you don't get to wander into dangerous places by yourself."
"I'm not helpless."
"I never said you were."
"You imply it constantly."
Ethan ran a frustrated hand through his hair.
For a moment, neither spoke.
The tension between them felt electric.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
Then a loud metallic crash echoed from somewhere deeper inside the archives.
Both froze.
The sound wasn't accidental.
Someone else was here.
Watching.
Listening.
The realization hit them simultaneously.
Ethan's expression changed immediately.
"Run."
"What?"
"Run."
Another crash echoed.
Closer.
Much closer.
The lights overhead suddenly went out.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Olivia gasped.
Then felt Ethan grab her hand.
"Move."
Together they sprinted through the archives.
Footsteps exploded behind them.
Fast.
Someone was chasing them.
The sound echoed through the darkness.
Closer.
Closer.
Olivia's heart hammered violently.
She couldn't see.
Couldn't breathe.
Couldn't think.
All she knew was that something was coming.
And it wasn't stopping.
Ahead, the exit door appeared.
Ethan shoved it open.
They burst into the hallway.
The door slammed behind them.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Both struggled to catch their breath.
Silence returned.
The footsteps were gone.
Whoever had been chasing them hadn't followed.
Yet somehow that felt worse.
Because it meant they wanted something else.
Something hidden inside the archives.
Something important.
Slowly, Ethan looked at Olivia.
"What did you find?"
Olivia reached into her pocket.
The torn file page she'd grabbed before running.
A page someone desperately wanted hidden.
Together, they stared at the faded document.
And at the single sentence written across the bottom.
A sentence that made both their faces pale.
Amelia Cole was not the first student to disappear.
- Writer
