Aria's pov
I woke up to the sound of my name being whispered from the pond.
The voice was soft, Kind and Familiar.
At first, I thought I was dreaming. But when I sat up, I could still hear it.
"Aria"
My chest tightened.
I walked up to the pond, The second shoe was sitting right at the edge of the pond. It was Maria's, I knew it the moment I saw the tiny silver buckle.The grass around it was wet, like someone had just been standing there. My heart was beating too fast. I looked around, The garden was quiet, The roses were still, the water calm. But I could feel it watching me again. The house, the pond, the ghosts, Everything.
I stepped closer. The mud made a soft squish under my shoes. I wanted to grab the shoe and run, but when I reached for it, the water rippled. Just once, Like something moved underneath.
I froze. Then I heard it.
A voice, Faint and Soft.
Calling my name.
"Aria"
I stumbled back so fast I almost fell.No one was there, The voice came from the water. I ran back inside and slammed the door. My hands were shaking, My chest hurt like I had run miles.When I turned around, Damien was standing in the hallway.
"Why are you outside alone?" he asked quietly.
I jumped. "Where were you? You disappeared."
He looked tired. His eyes had dark circles under them. "I had business.""Business?" I said. "Maria is missing. Julian is gone. You keep disappearing. What's happening?"
Damien rubbed his forehead. "You don't need to worry about that."
"Yes, I do!" I said louder. "This is my life too!"
He stared at me for a long time. "Then stop going near the pond."
My breath caught. "How do you know I was there?"
He didn't answer. He just turned and walked upstairs.He knew. Somehow, he always knew.
That night, the storm came back. Rain slammed against the windows, loud and hard.I sat in bed holding the velvet box. The silver key shined under the lightning.The note inside it said, The pond will tell you the truth.I didn't know if I wanted to know the truth anymore. But then the lights flickered, My lamp blinked three times and went out.
When it came back on, something new was on my desk a small folded paper, damp from rain.
I hadn't heard anyone come in.
I opened it.
It said:
"She's not dead."
I gasped so loud my throat hurt.
Maria? Not dead?
Or did it mean someone else?
Before I could think, I heard the piano start playing downstairs, Slow, soft notes, the same tune from my wedding day. I grabbed my candle and walked down carefully, Each step creaked like it wanted to warn me. The living room lights were off, The piano lid was open, but no one was sitting there. The keys moved by themselves. The song stopped, Then a whisper floated through the room.
"She knows."
I turned fast. "Who's there?"
No answer.
Only the sound of dripping water, I followed it. It led to the front door. There was a trail of wet footprints again, small and round like bare feet. They led up the stairs. My candle almost went out from the draft. I followed the footprints up, step by step. They stopped at Damien's office door, It was open. I went inside, The room looked different. One of the bookshelves was moved slightly away from the wall. Behind it was something dark a thin crack of space.I pulled the shelf harder, and it slid aside. A hidden door. The silver key fit perfectly.
Click.
The door opened with a soft groan, Inside was a small room lit by a single bulb. There was a chair, a desk, and a mirror. And on the desk Maria's necklace, I stepped closer. The chain was broken, like someone ripped it off her neck. Next to it was a notebook,
I opened it. The first page said:
My hands trembled.
Kindness.
Julian.
I kept reading.The next page was smudged, Only a few words were clear.I dropped the notebook. My breath caught in my throat. A sound came from behind me, soft footsteps. I turned, expecting Damien, But it was Julian, His shirt was wet and his hair too. Like he had been outside in the rain.
"Julian?" I whispered. "You're alive."
He smiled. The same smile that never reached his eyes. "Did you miss me?"
My stomach twisted. "Where were you?""Out," he said. "Looking for answers."
He walked closer, dripping water on the floor. His eyes looked strange, darker somehow.
"You shouldn't be here," I said. "Damien will"
"Damien?" He laughed quietly. "Damien doesn't care about you, Aria. He never did."
"That's not true."
"Really?" he asked, leaning closer. "Then why do you think he locked this room? Why do you think he keeps secrets?"
I stepped back. "You both keep secrets."He smiled wider. "Maybe. But mine are prettier."
Then he reached into his pocket and dropped something on the desk.It was the other shoe, My mouth went dry. "Where did you find that?"
He tilted his head. "I didn't find it. I took it."
"Took it?"
He leaned closer. "Because she didn't drown, Aria."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
He whispered, "She was pushed."
Lightning flashed outside. The room filled with white light for a second, and in that flash, I saw it, a shadow behind Julian. A tall one. When the light faded, the shadow was gone. Julian looked behind him fast. "Did you see that?"
I nodded slowly.
He grabbed my arm. "Don't tell Damien I'm back. Promise me."
"I promise," I said, though I didn't even know why. He looked at me one last time, then slipped out through the hallway. I stood there, shaking. The light bulb above me flickered and went out, Everything went dark again. I didn't sleep at all that night.
In the morning, Damien was sitting in the living room, reading a newspaper. Like nothing had happened.
"Where were you last night?" he asked, not looking up.
I stared at him. "Here. Why?"
He folded the paper slowly. "Because someone said they saw you outside."
"Who?" I asked.
He didn't answer.
Then I noticed something behind him, On the table. A photo, It was a new one. Me, standing by the pond. Except in this picture, I wasn't alone. Someone stood behind me in the reflection wet hair, pale face.
Maria.
My throat went dry.
I looked back at Damien. "Did you take that?"
He glanced at the photo. "I don't know what you're talking about."
But there was something in his voice, Something cold. I picked up the picture, The edges were still wet, I looked closer, There were words written in the corner.
Tiny, faint letters.
It said:
"Look under the pond."
My heart started pounding again.
I looked at Damien. "What's under it?"He looked right at me now, eyes blue and hard.
"Nothing you should find," he said.
Then he stood up and walked away.
I went to the window. The rain had stopped. The garden looked calm again, But I knew better now. Calm didn't mean safe, The pond was waiting and I had to know, Even if it killed me.
I pressed my hand on the cold glass and whispered, "What are you hiding?"
For a second, I thought I saw the water move just once, like it was answering me.