LOGINCameron’s POVI stared at the message without breathing properly.The words seemed to crawl across my screen.Brandon leaned closer, trying to read everything.My mother suddenly looked away from everyone.“Why does he know about this?”I asked while holding the phone tightly.Nobody answered me for several uncomfortable seconds.Then my father finally spoke quietly.“Because he wants you scared.”I looked toward my mother immediately afterward.“That isn’t what the message actually asked.”She swallowed hard before meeting my eyes.“What did it say?”I showed her the screen without speaking.Her face immediately lost its remaining color.Now ask your mother why.Brandon looked between us both afterward.“Why does that message scare you?”My mother slowly sat beside the tree.“Because your uncle wasn’t supposed to survive.”I stared at her completely stunned afterward.“You said he disappeared years ago.”“I lied.”“Why?”“Because disappearing was the only protection.”I rubbed my for
Cameron’s POVThe message remained glowing on the screen.Nobody seemed willing to touch the phone.I stared at those words for seconds.My heart was beating painfully inside me.Or Brandon dies tonight.I looked toward Brandon immediately afterward.He was already looking directly at me.There was fear behind his eyes.But somehow, he still looked completely calm.“Don’t,” he whispered quietly.I frowned slightly before answering him.“Don’t what?”“Don’t even think about going alone.”I looked toward the phone again.“He threatened to kill you.”“And you think obeying him helps?”“I don’t know.”Brandon stepped closer toward me carefully.His fingers gently wrapped around mine.“Then don’t decide alone.”I looked into his eyes afterward.For some reason, those simple words mattered.Maybe because everyone had decided everything without me.Maybe because Brandon was finally asking me.“What would you do?” I asked quietly.“I’d stay with you.”I smiled faintly despite my fear.“That s
Cameron’s POVThe darkness swallowed everything around us.Nobody spoke for several terrifying seconds afterward.I could hear Brandon breathing beside me.His hand immediately searched for mine again.I grabbed it tightly without hesitation afterward.“Brandon?” I whispered quietly into darkness.“I’m here,” he answered immediately.His voice sounded closer than before.My mother suddenly whispered my name.“Cameron, don’t move.”I froze immediately after hearing her warning.Someone was breathing somewhere behind us.Slowly.Quietly.Almost patiently.Then footsteps moved across the floor.One step sounded directly behind me.I felt Brandon pull me backward gently.“Stay with me,” he whispered quietly.“I’m not going anywhere,” I whispered back.Then the lights suddenly returned again.I looked around the room immediately afterward.My father stood near the doorway.My mother remained beside the table.Ethan stood frozen near the passage.But someone was missing.Brandon’s father wa
Cameron’s POVMy father stood inside the hidden passage quietly.Nobody seemed capable of moving anymore.Even my mother looked completely terrified.Brandon immediately moved closer toward me.My father smiled without saying anything.His eyes remained fixed directly upon me.I stared at him, searching for something familiar.There was something about his face though.Something that made my chest hurt.“Dad?” I whispered carefully afterward.His smile slowly disappeared from his face.“You finally remember me.”I swallowed hard before answering him.“I remember pieces of you.”“That is more than enough for tonight.”My mother immediately stepped between us both.“You shouldn’t have come here.”My father looked toward her calmly afterward.“You knew eventually I would come.”“You weren’t supposed to find us.”“I didn’t find you, Eleanor.”His eyes moved toward me afterward.“Cameron brought me here.”I frowned immediately after hearing that statement.“I brought you here?”My father n
Cameron’s POVThe woman stood quietly inside the doorway.Nobody moved after seeing her standing there.My heart immediately began pounding against my ribs.She looked exactly like my mother.Same eyes.Same smile.Same little crease beside her mouth.Even the small scar beneath her eyebrow.I couldn’t breathe properly anymore.“Mum?” I whispered without realizing it.Her eyes immediately filled with tears.Then she stepped toward me slowly.“Cameron.”Her voice broke something inside me.I suddenly remembered running toward her years ago.I remembered her arms wrapping around me tightly.I remembered hiding my face against her shoulder.I remembered being safe.My eyes filled with tears immediately.“Mum,” I whispered again, stepping forward.Brandon gently released my hand.He seemed to understand that moment belonged to us.My mother opened her arms.I walked straight into them without thinking.She hugged me tightly against her chest.For several seconds, neither of us spoke.I co
Cameron’s POV“Cameron.”Ethan’s voice echoed through the hidden room.I immediately turned toward the dark doorway.Brandon’s hand tightened around mine again.His father stood completely still beside us.“Ethan?” I whispered quietly toward the darkness.A shadow slowly appeared near the doorway.Then Ethan stepped into the room carefully.His clothes looked damp from the rain.He looked exhausted, frightened, and strangely relieved.His eyes immediately found mine afterward.“You actually found the room,” he whispered.I stared at him completely confused again.“You knew about this place?”Ethan nodded slowly before answering me carefully.“I knew you would eventually find it.”“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”“Because you weren’t ready to remember.”I immediately frowned after hearing that answer.“Everyone keeps deciding what I’m ready for.”Ethan looked down with an apologetic expression.“I know, and I’m sorry.”I crossed my arms immediately afterward.“You’re going to need bet
BRANDON’S POV The darkness wasn’t silent.That was the worst part.There was this low, mechanical hum under the floor, vibrating through the soles of my shoes, through my bones, through Cameron’s grip on my arm. And beneath that hum was something else. Something light. Something soft.Footsteps.S
CAMERON’S POV Brandon didn’t let go of my hand until we were inside the room with the weird metal panel—Peter’s “lab,” or whatever the hell it was. The moment the door slammed behind us, the whole space seemed to swallow the sound, like the walls were made of thick, padded secrets.I stared at the
Cameron POvPeter moved faster than I expected—like way faster. One second he was across the room, and the next he was grabbing my arm so hard it felt like my bones rattled.“CAMERON?!” he shouted, voice cracking with shock and something way darker.I stumbled forward, nearly hitting the closet doo
By the time lunch rolled around, my brain felt like it had been wrung out, hung up, and put through emotional laundry three times. Talking to Brandon that morning helped—a lot. It felt like we’d finally stepped out of the fog. But the fog didn’t lift entirely.Not when the blackmail was still unsol







