Mag-log inThe first thing I did after leaving the university was call Sienna again. No answer. I called her a second time. Then a third, still nothing.Most people would have panicked.I didn't.Panic made people careless, and carelessness was the last thing I needed. Instead, I walked toward the parking area and opened my phone. I looked through our last conversations, trying to find anything unusual.At first, there was nothing.Memes.Complaints about school.Pictures of food.A screenshot of a celebrity she thought was attractive.Normal things.Then I stopped scrolling.Three days ago, Sienna had sent me a message.Sienna: Girl, may gusto akong sabihin sa'yo pero huwag ka munang magalit.I remembered reading it.I had been busy that day, so I replied hours later.Me: Ano 'yon?She never answered.Instead, she changed the subject.At that time, I hadn't thought much about it.Now, I did.My phone vibrated.Unknown number.Unknown: You're looking in the wrong place.I stared at the screen.M
People always assumed that dangerous people looked dangerous.They expected cold eyes.bAngry faces. Bloodstained hands. They expected monsters to be obvious, maybe that's why people rarely recognized them.The most dangerous people didn't need to look frightening.Sometimes, they smiled at you. Sometimes, they remembered your birthday. Sometimes, they held your hand while you cried and told you everything was going to be okay. Sometimes, they were the sweetest person in the room.That morning, I wore a white dress.Nothing special.Soft fabric.Simple sleeves.A pair of white shoes.Ava told me I looked beautiful before I left the house.I smiled and thanked her.She hugged me goodbye.I hugged her back.Then I went to school and spent the entire walk thinking about the anonymous messages.Perfect alibi.But I know you weren't home.Someone who saw you.I still hadn't replied.Not because I didn't have anything to say, because I wanted them to wonder.Silence was useful. It made peopl
The next morning, I woke up with one thought in my mind.Someone knew.It wasn't Raven.At least, I didn't think so.Raven knew enough to ask questions, but asking questions and knowing the truth were two completely different things. She had files, photographs, old records, and probably a list of names she had been trying to connect for months, but she didn't have certainty.Not yet.The person sending me messages was different.They weren't asking me anything.They were telling me things."You didn't kill Mia.""But you know who did."That wasn't a guess.That was knowledge.And knowledge was dangerous.I reached for my phone before getting out of bed.No new messages.The conversation was still there.I read it again.Then I stared at the ceiling.Most people would probably feel nervous in my situation. Maybe even scared.I wasn't.Fear was useful, but only if you allowed it to control you.I preferred curiosity.Who was this person?What did they want?And why now?Three years was
There was a strange comfort in pretending that nothing had happened.bMaybe that's why people lied.bNot always because they wanted to deceive someone.Sometimes, lies were easier because they allowed you to continue living normally.You wake up.You eat breakfast.You go to school.You laugh with your friends.And for a few hours, you get to pretend that there isn't something waiting for you at the back of your mind.Something you don't want to remember.Something that refuses to stay buried.That was exactly what I did the morning after Raven Lane spoke to me.I woke up at six.Took a shower.Got dressed.Applied enough makeup to hide the fact that I barely slept.Then I walked downstairs and acted as if I hadn't spent half the night staring at an old photograph.Ava was already in the kitchen when I arrived.She had her hair tied into a messy bun and was standing in front of the stove, cooking eggs while talking to someone on the phone.She glanced at me."She's awake."I immediately
There are two kinds of people in this world.The ones who ask questions because they genuinely want answers, and the ones who ask questions because they already suspect the truth.Max Holland belonged to the second kind.I could tell.Not from the questions themselves, but from the way he watched me afterward. He never looked satisfied with my answers. He listened to what I said, but he also paid attention to everything I left unsaid.Most people don't notice silence.Max did.And that made him dangerous.The next morning, I arrived on campus earlier than usual.The hallway was still quiet, with only a few students walking around. I preferred it that way. Crowded places were exhausting. Too many voices, too many expressions, too many people trying to become interesting.I walked toward my locker and stopped when I saw something taped to it.A small white envelope.No name.No message on the outside.I looked around.Nobody was paying attention.I pulled it down.For a second, I consid
I didn't expect Max to remember what I said the other day.Most people didn't.People listened, nodded, and forgot.That's what made them easy.But Max Holland remembered.He remembered the questions I asked, the things I avoided answering, even the little changes in my expression that I didn't realize I was making.That morning, I found him waiting outside our classroom.He was leaning against the wall, scrolling through his phone, looking completely relaxed.But the moment he saw me, he put his phone away."You're early."I stopped in front of him."You've been keeping track?""Maybe."I raised an eyebrow."That's a little creepy."He smiled."You don't seem scared.""I'm not.""Why?"I adjusted the strap of my bag."Should I be?"He looked at me for a moment."No."There was something about the way he said it that made me curious.Not 'not yet.'Just no.I walked past him and entered the classroom.Sienna was already sitting at our usual table.She immediately waved at me."Girl!"







