The night felt heavier than usual.
Aira lay awake in her bed, staring at the faint crack in her ceiling. The small line looked like it was slowly growing into something bigger, much like the fear sitting inside her chest.
She couldn’t sleep.
She kept thinking about his words.
“You’re being noticed now.”
Her phone lay beside her pillow.
Silent.
And that silence felt loud.
She turned onto her side, hugging her pillow close.
I didn’t want to be noticed, she thought.
I just wanted to be left alone.
Her screen suddenly lit up.
A message.
Rayan:
Did you reach home?
Aira’s breath hitched.
She stared at the words for a long time before replying.
Yes.
Three dots appeared instantly.
Lock your door.
Close your windows.
Her fingers froze.
Why would I…?
She slowly got out of bed and walked toward the window.
The curtains moved slightly from the wind.
She pulled them shut.
She locked the latch.
She checked the door.
Click.
Her room felt smaller.
Warmer.
Safer.
Or maybe not.
Her phone buzzed again.
If you hear footsteps… don’t look outside.
Her hands started shaking.
Footsteps?
Her heart beat so loudly she thought he might hear it through the phone.
She sat back down on her bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin like a child hiding from a monster.
The next day felt strange.
School felt… different.
The same hallways.
The same lockers.
The same classrooms.
But Aira felt like she was walking through a place where something terrible could happen at any second.
Eyes felt heavier.
Whispers sounded louder.
She felt like she had stepped into a version of school where she no longer belonged.
As she walked past the notice board, she heard it.
Her name.
“Aira…”
Her steps slowed.
She didn’t look.
She couldn’t.
Her chest tightened.
Don’t react. Don’t exist. Don’t be seen.
She repeated those words in her head like a prayer.
Then she felt it.
A presence beside her.
No voice.
No sound.
Just a person.
She didn’t look.
She didn’t breathe.
Then—
A quiet voice, near her ear.
“Don’t be scared.”
Her eyes widened.
Rayan.
He was walking beside her now, close but not touching.
“You were being watched before,” he whispered.
“You’re being watched more carefully now.”
Her lips trembled.
“By who…?”
He didn’t answer.
He never answered.
She hated that.
But she also trusted him because of it.
“At lunch,” he continued softly,
“Don’t go to your usual place.”
She nodded without thinking.
Her body moved on instinct now.
Trust him.
Follow him.
Survive.
Lunchtime.
Her usual hiding spot under the stairs felt wrong.
She walked somewhere new.
The library.
It smelled like old paper and quiet air.
She sat alone at the back table.
Her fingers clenched the edge of the chair.
She felt it again.
That feeling.
Someone else was here.
She kept her head down.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Intentional.
She knew it wasn’t Rayan.
She felt it.
She sensed it.
A chair pulled back.
Someone sat opposite her.
She slowly looked up.
A boy.
Hands in pockets.
Relaxed posture.
Friendly smile.
Too friendly.
“I’ve seen you around,” he said casually.
Her throat tightened.
“I don’t think so.”
He smiled wider.
“I notice people who think they’re invisible.”
Her fingers curled into a fist.
“My name’s Mikael.”
That name felt wrong.
Dangerous.
He leaned forward slightly.
“You look… fragile.”
Aira felt cold inside.
She stood up quickly.
“I have to go.”
He didn’t stop her.
But as she walked away, he said softly:
“You shouldn’t let boys like Rayan follow you.”
Her heart stopped.
How did he…?
She didn’t turn around.
She didn’t run.
She walked — slowly, carefully — back into the hallway.
Her hands shook.
Her heart ached.
He knows.
Someone knows.
That evening, Aira stood at her window again.
The sky looked darker.
Heavier.
Her phone vibrated.
Rayan:
Did anyone talk to you today?
She stared at the message.
Her fingers moved slowly.
Yes.
The reply came instantly.
What did he look like?
Her heart pounded.
She didn’t answer right away.
She typed:
He smiled too much.
Her phone was silent for a few seconds.
Then:
We have a problem.
Her stomach dropped.
She sat on the edge of her bed.
Her hands clenched the sheets.
Her breathing turned shallow.
Her quiet life was officially over.
Someone else had seen her.
And this time…
It wasn’t to protect her.
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