---
The police officer's words hit Sarah like a slap.
"If you don't have family to take you in, you'll be placed in an orphanage."
Her throat tightened. "I… I have an aunt."
They let her call. Sarah's voice shook as she explained everything. Her aunt's sigh came heavy over the line.
"Sarah, I can't. I'm already pregnant, stressed… I can't add you on top of that. Please understand."
Then the line went dead.
Sarah's heart cracked. She was trembling, clutching the phone, until Adrian caught her hand.
"You're not going to that orphanage," he said firmly. "Stay with me. You've been to my house. My dad won't mind."
Her eyes burned with tears. " Adrian, I don't want to be a burden—"
"You won't be." His grip was steady. "I like having you around."
---
That night, Sarah carried only a small bag of belongings to Adrian's place. His father welcomed her with surprising warmth.
"Another girl in the house," he chuckled. " Adrian's smiling more already. Maybe you'll end up as my daughter-in-law."
Sarah flushed and muttered a polite laugh, but her chest felt heavy. She lay awake long after the lights went out, staring at the ceiling.
Her thoughts clawed back to her mother's desperate words.
The scarecrow… it takes people.
Her father, gone.
Trish, vanished after meeting it.
Now her mom locked away.
A chill crept over her. Was it all coincidence? Or…
The floorboard creaked.
Sarah sat up, holding her breath. Nothing. Silence.
Her pulse thudded. She pressed her face into her knees. Stop imagining. Stop.
A soft knock at the door.
"Sarah?" Adrian's whisper.
She opened it to find him rubbing the back of his neck. "I… couldn't sleep. Can I stay here? Just—beside you. Nothing else."
Her face heated. "Why?"
"Maybe…" His smile was shy. "…because I like your scent."
Despite herself, she let him in. They lay side by side, inches apart. His warmth was comforting—yet her mind refused to rest.
From the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a shadow move across the wall.
But when she turned, nothing was there.
Sarah gripped the sheets tighter. The thought gnawed at her.
Sometimes I feel it. Sometimes I don't. Maybe… maybe it was never real at all.
She shut her eyes, willing herself to sleep.
And outside the window, something scraped faintly against the glass.
---