Eyes Behind The Screen

"Some hearts are designed. Others are haunted."

Chapter Four: Eyes Behind the Screen

Morning arrived, but sleep never did.

Elara sat motionless in her dorm room, staring at the message still frozen on her laptop.

HE REMEMBERS HER.

—THE GHOST

She had checked every log.

Every access point.

Every network.

Nothing.

No traces.

No intruder.

Impossible.

Yet the message existed.

And somehow, that frightened Nyx more than anything.

Because impossible things weren't supposed to happen.

Her phone vibrated.

Unknown Number.

She frowned.

Nobody had this phone number.

Slowly, she answered.

"Hello?"

Static.

Then a calm voice.

"We've been watching you, Nyx."

Elara froze.

Her blood turned cold.

The call ended.

No number.

No location.

Nothing.

For the first time in years, fear touched her.

Someone knew.

Someone knew who she really was.

Westbrook University buzzed with life.

Students laughed.

Professors rushed through halls.

Everything appeared normal.

But beneath the beauty of Westbrook—

Something ancient watched.

Something hidden.

Elara barely noticed the whispers around her.

Because Julian Ashford was staring.

Not secretly.

Not occasionally.

Staring.

And when their eyes met—

He smiled.

A soft smile.

Only for her.

Her heart betrayed her.

Again.

She immediately looked away.

Pathetic.

Three years of crushing on him, and one smile nearly killed her.

Yet something strange happened.

Every girl around him froze.

Because Julian ignored them.

Completely.

As though they didn't exist.

His childhood friend, Isabella Sterling, walked beside him.

Beautiful.

Popular.

Perfect.

She spoke excitedly.

Julian didn't answer.

Because he was watching Elara.

And somehow—

He accidentally walked into a pillar.

The entire hallway gasped.

Julian blinked.

Confused.

As though the pillar had appeared from nowhere.

Elara covered her mouth.

He looked genuinely offended by the existence of walls.

Then—

To everyone's shock—

He laughed.

Not embarrassed.

Not annoyed.

He laughed.

And Elara laughed too.

Their eyes met.

Neither stopped.

For a second, the world disappeared.

Until Isabella's voice shattered it.

"Julian?"

He blinked.

As though waking from a dream.

"Sorry."

But he wasn't looking at Isabella.

He was looking at Elara.

Again.

And that strange relieved expression returned.

Like seeing her made breathing easier.

Miles away.

Inside an underground facility.

Monitors covered the walls.

Satellite feeds.

Bank records.

Government databases.

And one image.

Elara Hayes.

Codename: NYX.

A man in black closed a file.

"Subject has been compromised."

Another frowned.

"By Ashford?"

"No."

The older man looked troubled.

"By Westbrook."

Silence filled the room.

Nobody liked that answer.

"Impossible."

"Nothing about that school is impossible."

He opened another file.

CLASSIFIED.

WESTBROOK UNIVERSITY.

ESTABLISHED: 1891.

TRUE ESTABLISHMENT DATE: UNKNOWN.

INCIDENT REPORTS: 1,473.

UNEXPLAINED DISAPPEARANCES: REDACTED.

STATUS:

ACTIVE.

"Should we intervene?" someone asked.

The old man hesitated.

"No."

His eyes darkened.

"Not until the Architect wakes."

That evening—

Elara entered the library again.

And found Julian asleep.

Head resting on her usual desk.

Like he'd been waiting.

A note lay beside him.

Not written by either of them.

Three words.

In faded ink.

WELCOME BACK, CHILDREN.

And beneath it—

A date.

1927

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