Chapter 5 — The Warning

I didn't sleep.

Not really.

I spent most of the night staring at my ceiling, replaying the phone call in my head.

Stay away from Great.

The voice had been deep.

Calm.

Too calm.

There had been no anger in it. No hesitation. Whoever had called me hadn't sounded like someone trying to scare me for fun.

They had sounded like someone who knew exactly what they were talking about.

I turned onto my side and pulled the blanket closer.

Maybe it was a prank.

Maybe someone was jealous of Great.

Maybe Vanessa was behind it.

That thought made me sit up.

Vanessa.

She was the first person who had warned me about Great.

You don't know what kind of person he is.

And now someone else was telling me the exact same thing.

Coincidence?

I didn't believe in coincidences anymore.

My phone lay beside me on the bed.

I stared at it.

Part of me wanted to call Great.

The other part reminded me that he had already given me more questions than answers.

So I didn't.

Instead, I closed my eyes.

My phone vibrated.

I jumped.

I grabbed it immediately.

Unknown Number.

My heart began pounding.

I watched the screen until the call stopped.

I hadn't answered.

A few seconds later, a message appeared.

You were warned.

I stared at the words.

My fingers went cold.

I blocked the number.

Then I placed my phone face down and forced myself to lie back down.

But sleep never came.

---

The next morning, I looked terrible.

I knew it the moment I looked in the mirror.

My eyes were swollen.

My hair was a mess.

And I had spent so much time thinking about Great that I was beginning to hate myself for it.

I dressed quickly and left for class.

I told myself I wasn't looking for him.

I told myself I didn't care whether he was there.

But the moment I entered the lecture hall, my eyes searched the room.

And there he was.

Great.

Sitting at the back.

Alone.

He looked up.

Our eyes met.

For a second, neither of us looked away.

Then he did.

Something inside me sank.

Before yesterday, he would have smiled.

He would have said something annoying.

He would have found an excuse to sit beside me.

Today, he didn't even try.

Maybe that was for the best.

After everything that had happened, distance was probably exactly what I needed.

So why did it hurt?

I took my usual seat and opened my notebook.

The lecturer started speaking.

I wrote down the first sentence.

Then the second.

After that, I had no idea what was being said.

My mind kept going back to the photograph.

Great.

Daniel.

Vanessa.

The warning.

And the fact that Great had looked genuinely terrified when he saw the photograph.

There was something he wasn't telling me.

Something big.

Something dangerous.

And somehow, I was already standing too close to it.

When the lecture ended, I packed my things quickly.

I wanted to leave before Great could approach me.

I almost made it out.

"Chisom."

I stopped.

Of course.

I closed my eyes briefly before turning around.

Great was standing a few feet away.

"Can we talk?"

"I thought we already did."

"Not enough."

I looked at him.

He looked exhausted.

There were dark circles beneath his eyes, and his usual confidence was gone.

"Did you sleep?"

He gave a small, humorless laugh.

"Not really."

"Why?"

"Because I was worried about you."

My heart skipped.

I immediately pushed the feeling away.

"Why would you be worried about me?"

"Because of what happened yesterday."

"You mean Daniel?"

His expression tightened.

"Yes."

I folded my arms.

"Then tell me the truth."

"I will."

"When?"

He looked away.

"I don't know."

I shook my head.

"That's the problem, Great."

He stepped closer.

"I need you to trust me."

"How?"

He frowned.

"I don't understand."

"You keep asking me to trust you while refusing to tell me anything."

He opened his mouth.

Then stopped.

I laughed softly.

"Exactly."

"Chisom..."

"No. I'm tired of this."

I turned to leave.

"Wait."

His voice stopped me.

I looked back.

He was staring at me differently now.

Not like the playful Great I knew.

Like someone who was genuinely afraid.

"Did you receive any calls last night?"

My heart skipped.

"Why?"

"Just answer me."

I hesitated.

"Yes."

His face changed.

"From an unknown number?"

"Yes."

"What did they say?"

I studied him.

"Why?"

"Chisom, please."

His voice was urgent.

I swallowed.

"They told me to stay away from you."

He went completely still.

"And?"

"They said I was warned."

Great looked around the hallway.

"Did they call more than once?"

"No."

"Did you save the number?"

"I blocked it."

"Show me."

"Why?"

"Just show me."

I unlocked my phone and handed it to him.

He stared at the number.

His jaw tightened.

"Do you recognize it?"

"No."

He looked at it for another few seconds.

Then he handed my phone back.

"Great?"

He didn't answer.

"Do you recognize it?"

"No."

I knew he was lying.

Or at least hiding something.

"You do."

He looked at me.

"I don't."

"Then why do you look scared?"

His eyes softened.

"Because I know what people like this are capable of."

A chill ran through me.

"What people?"

He shook his head.

"I can't explain here."

"Of course."

"Chisom, I'm serious."

"So am I."

I stepped closer.

"Who is Daniel?"

His expression hardened.

"Not here."

"Then where?"

He looked around the hallway.

"Come with me."

I hesitated.

Every sensible part of my brain told me not to.

But curiosity was stronger.

I followed him.

---

We walked behind the old science building where there were usually very few students.

Great stopped beside a bench.

He sat down.

I remained standing.

"Talk."

He rubbed his hands together.

For a long moment, he said nothing.

Then he looked up.

"Daniel was my best friend."

I wasn't expecting that.

"Your best friend?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"Before everything changed."

"What changed?"

He looked away.

"Daniel disappeared two years ago."

My heart sank.

"Disappeared?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"We don't know."

"Nobody knows?"

"The police investigated."

"And?"

"Nothing."

I sat beside him.

"What does Vanessa have to do with him?"

His shoulders became tense.

"She knew him."

"How?"

"She introduced us."

I stared at him.

"You met Daniel through Vanessa?"

"Yes."

"Then why did you say he was your best friend?"

"Because he became my best friend."

I didn't know what to say.

Great continued.

"We were together almost every day. He knew things about me that nobody else knew."

"What kind of things?"

"Just personal things."

I watched his face.

"Then what happened?"

He looked down.

"Daniel started acting differently."

"How?"

"He became paranoid."

"About what?"

"I don't know."

"You must have some idea."

"He kept saying someone was watching him."

I felt a chill.

"Someone?"

Great nodded.

"He would look behind him whenever we walked somewhere. He stopped trusting people. He stopped answering calls."

"And you thought he was just being paranoid?"

"At first."

"What changed?"

Great's eyes darkened.

"He called me the night he disappeared."

I leaned closer.

"What did he say?"

Great swallowed.

"He said, 'If anything happens to me, don't trust anyone.'"

I stared at him.

"That's all?"

"No."

"What else?"

"He said he had found something."

"What?"

"I don't know."

"Did you ask?"

"I tried."

"And?"

"He hung up."

I frowned.

"What happened after that?"

"I called him back."

"Did he answer?"

"No."

"Then?"

"I went looking for him."

"Where?"

"His apartment."

"And?"

"His phone was there."

My stomach tightened.

"His phone?"

"Yes."

"His wallet?"

"Still there."

"His clothes?"

"Some of them."

"Then he didn't leave voluntarily."

Great looked at me.

"That's what I thought too."

I looked down at my hands.

"What about Vanessa?"

His face changed.

"She disappeared three days later."

I looked up sharply.

"What?"

"She left town."

"For how long?"

"Three days."

"And then she came back?"

"Yes."

"Where did she go?"

"I don't know."

"You were dating her."

"I asked her."

"What did she say?"

Great gave a bitter smile.

"She said I wouldn't believe her."

"Did you?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because she wouldn't tell me the truth."

I looked at him.

"And now you're doing the exact same thing."

His eyes met mine.

"I know."

The honesty in his voice caught me off guard.

For several seconds, neither of us spoke.

Then I asked quietly,

"Did you hurt Daniel?"

Great's eyes widened.

"No."

The answer came immediately.

Too immediately.

But this time, I believed him.

"You really didn't?"

"No, Chisom."

He leaned closer.

"I would never hurt him."

"Then what are you hiding?"

He looked away.

"I made a promise."

"To Daniel?"

He didn't answer.

"Great."

"I promised him that if anything happened, I wouldn't tell anyone what he had found."

I stared at him.

"Why?"

"Because he thought whoever was behind it would come after me."

"And now they're coming after me."

His eyes met mine.

"Yes."

The word came out barely above a whisper.

My heart dropped.

"Why me?"

"I don't know."

"That's not good enough."

"I know."

"How did they even know about me?"

He didn't answer.

I stood up.

"Great."

He looked up at me.

"How long have they been watching you?"

His silence was terrifying.

"How long?"

"Since before I met you."

My breath caught.

"Then why didn't you stay away from me?"

He stood.

"Because I tried."

"What?"

"I tried to stay away from you."

I stared at him.

"Then you have a funny way of showing it."

A small smile appeared on his lips.

It disappeared almost immediately.

"I couldn't."

My heart betrayed me again.

I looked away.

"Don't say things like that."

"Why?"

"Because they make this harder."

"I know."

He stepped closer.

"I like you, Chisom."

I swallowed.

"I know."

"No. I don't think you do."

His voice was softer now.

"I don't know when it happened. Maybe when you started fighting with me over that stupid seat."

Despite myself, I almost smiled.

"Maybe when you started stealing my pens."

"I didn't steal them."

"You did."

"I borrowed them."

"You never returned them."

"That's because you never asked."

I shook my head.

For one tiny second, everything felt normal.

Then I remembered the photograph.

The calls.

The warning.

The fear.

And the moment disappeared.

"I like you too," I whispered.

He froze.

I hadn't planned to say it.

But it was true.

"I like you," I repeated. "And that's exactly why I'm scared."

His expression softened.

"I'm scared that I'm falling for someone who won't let me know who he really is."

He reached for my hand.

I let him take it.

His fingers closed around mine.

Warm.

Familiar.

Safe.

For a moment, I wanted to believe that was enough.

Then my phone vibrated.

We both looked down.

Unknown Number.

Great's fingers tightened around mine.

"Don't answer."

"I won't."

The call stopped.

A message appeared.

I opened it.

My blood ran cold.

It was a photograph.

Great and me.

Standing behind the science building.

The picture had been taken from a distance.

Today.

Someone had been watching us.

Underneath the picture were four words.

You should have listened.

Great took the phone from my hand.

His face hardened.

"How did they get this?"

"I don't know."

He looked around.

"Stay close to me."

"Great..."

"Don't move."

He scanned the area.

There were students in the distance.

A few people walking past the faculty building.

Nothing looked suspicious.

Yet someone had been close enough to photograph us.

Close enough to hear us.

Close enough to know where we were.

"Are they here?" I whispered.

"I don't know."

"That's comforting."

He looked at me.

"I'm sorry."

I shook my head.

"This isn't your fault."

His eyes held mine.

"Yes, it is."

"No."

"If I had stayed away from you—"

"You tried."

He went silent.

"Didn't you?"

He nodded.

"Yes."

"Then stop blaming yourself."

He looked at me for a long moment.

Then he took my hand again.

"We're leaving."

We walked toward the main road.

I kept looking behind us.

Every stranger suddenly looked suspicious.

Every parked car felt like a hiding place.

Every shadow made my stomach twist.

When we reached the road, Great stopped.

"Listen carefully."

I looked at him.

"If anyone approaches you and starts asking questions about me, don't tell them anything."

"What if they ask about Daniel?"

"Especially then."

"Why?"

"Because the person behind this knows you're asking questions."

My heart sank.

"How?"

He looked away.

"Because they wouldn't have warned you otherwise."

I stared at him.

"So what happens now?"

He didn't answer immediately.

Then he said,

"We find out what happened to Daniel."

"How?"

"Before they get to you."

A cold feeling ran through me.

"Get to me?"

Great looked directly into my eyes.

"Chisom, Daniel wasn't the only person who disappeared."

My stomach dropped.

"What do you mean?"

He opened his mouth.

Before he could answer, a voice called from across the road.

"Great!"

He froze.

I turned.

A man was standing beside a black car.

I had never seen him before.

He was dressed in dark clothes, with his hands in his pockets.

He wasn't smiling.

He was simply watching us.

Then his eyes moved to me.

Great stepped in front of me.

"Stay behind me."

"Who is he?"

Great didn't answer.

The man slowly pulled something from his pocket.

A photograph.

My breath caught.

It was the same photograph I had found.

Great standing beside Daniel.

But there was something different this time.

The man turned the photograph around.

There was writing on the back.

Even from across the road, I could see two words.

Ask Vanessa.

Great's entire body went rigid.

The man smiled.

Then he stepped into the black car.

The engine started.

"Great—"

"Run."

He grabbed my hand.

We ran.

And for the first time, I understood something I had been trying desperately not to accept.

This wasn't just Great's secret anymore.

Someone had dragged me into it.

And whatever happened to Daniel two years ago...

Someone was willing to make sure I suffered the same fate.