Ava sat frozen, staring at the message on her phone.
> "She's not dead. But she should be."
Her fingers trembled as she read it again. Her brain screamed questions, but her mouth stayed shut, as if the words would make it more real.
"Ava?" Rayen's voice broke through the haze. He stepped closer, noticing the terror in her eyes. "What's wrong?"
She handed him the phone without a word.
He read the messages. His jaw clenched. "Did this come just now?"
She nodded.
He looked at the sender ID again. No number. No name. Just Unknown.
"Someone's watching you," he muttered.
The weight of his words felt suffocating. Ava stood abruptly, pacing the room. "They knew I found the storage unit. That I saw the picture. That I read the letter…"
Rayen's eyes narrowed. "This isn't just about your sister. This is something bigger."
Ava stopped, facing him. "Why would anyone want to hide Elira from me? Or… say she should be dead?"
There was silence. Until Rayen whispered, "Unless she's dangerous."
Ava's blood ran cold.
---
They drove to Ava's mother's old friend—Margot. She was the only one Ava remembered from her childhood who might've known anything about Elira. Margot lived alone, on the edge of the city, in a creaky house that smelled of lavender and old books.
Margot opened the door, her pale eyes wide as she saw Ava.
"You look just like her," she whispered.
"Like who?" Ava asked, her voice barely audible.
"Elira."
Ava stepped back. "You… knew her?"
Margot nodded. "I loved her like my own. But your father... he tried to erase her."
"Why?" Ava asked, desperation bleeding into her tone.
Margot hesitated. "Because she wasn't like other children. She saw things. Heard things that weren't there. She'd talk to shadows. She knew secrets no one told her."
Rayen tensed. "Mental illness?"
Margot shook her head slowly. "No. Something darker. Something… ancient."
Ava swallowed hard. "What happened to her?"
"She disappeared one night. Your father told everyone she ran away. But I never believed him. And now… you're asking questions. That means someone knows you've found the truth."
Margot looked out the window, then back at Ava. "Be careful. Whatever took her—or whatever she became—is still out there."
---
Later that evening, Ava sat alone in her apartment. The photo of Elira on the table, the words of Margot echoing in her mind: "Something ancient…"
She thought back to childhood. The dreams she'd had. The whispers. The night terrors. The feeling of being watched.
Was it… connected?
She got up and walked to the mirror. Looked at her own reflection. But for a brief second—just a flicker—she saw someone else staring back.
A girl with identical eyes. But darker. Hollow.
"Elira…" Ava whispered.
The reflection didn't mimic her.
It smiled.
---
To be continued...