Henry hadn't slept.
The cold silence of his father's mansion pressed in like fog. For two days, Professor Charles had dragged him into private business meetings, making plans for the future of the Allen Group. Henry sat stiffly in those rooms, smiling when expected, nodding when required—all while his thoughts remained elsewhere.
On Mia.
He hadn't answered her messages. He hadn't even checked his phone.
It wasn't until a passing staff member mentioned "Carl's suspension" that Henry froze midstep.
"What did you say?"
The woman blinked. "I... I heard a student got suspended. Something about hurting a girl named Mia."
The air left Henry's lungs.
He stormed into his father's office. "I'm going back to school."
Charles didn't look up. "You'll do no such thing."
"Mia got hurt, Dad. While I was stuck in your meetings."
"Who is Mia?"
Henry's jaw tightened. "A girl I care about."
He didn't wait for a response.
He walked out.
The next morning, Henry arrived at school before the bell. Students turned as he walked in—his presence, as always, drew attention—but he didn't care.
He found Mia sitting in the garden behind the school, knees pulled up, earpods in.
He paused for a moment, just watching her.
Then she looked up.
Their eyes met.
Mia removed her earpods, quiet. "You're back."
Henry walked closer, hands in his pockets, suddenly nervous in a way he hadn't felt in years.
"I heard what happened," he said. "Carl. The suspension. All of it."
Mia looked away. "It's over now."
"It shouldn't have happened while I was gone," he said. "I'm sorry. I should've been here. For you."
"You didn't know," she said softly.
"I still left without telling you," he replied. "I let my father control things again. I promised not to get involved with his business... but I did."
There was a long pause.
"You were scared," Mia said.
Henry looked at her, surprised.
"You didn't leave because you didn't care," she continued. "You left because he makes you feel like you don't have a choice."
Henry nodded slowly. "Yeah. That's exactly it."
Mia patted the spot beside her on the bench. He sat down.
For a while, neither of them spoke. The breeze rustled the leaves. The sky, pale blue, was still.
Then Mia said, "You know what I needed most that day?"
Henry turned to her. "What?"
"Someone to believe me. And someone to stand beside me."
Henry looked down. "I'll be that person. From now on."
She smiled. "Good. Because it's not going to get easier."
"Then I'll hold your hand through the hard parts."
He reached out slowly, unsure.
She took his hand—gently, willingly—and held it tightly.
Two days after Carl's suspension, Allen High's halls had never felt more divided. Whispers followed Mia everywhere. Not just curiosity—there was malice in the stares.
Screens lit up with messages from a new anonymous account on the school forum:
@leah: "Did you know Mia faked getting hit by Carl for attention?"
@leah: "She has weird powers. Like witch stuff. Be careful who you talk to."
@leah: "Mia isn't even her real name. Her whole life is a lie."
Mia scrolled through the posts with shaking hands. Her stomach twisted with every lie.
"Who's doing this?" Elise asked, sitting beside her in the cafeteria.
"I don't know," Mia said quietly. But she did. Deep down, a name echoed.Hilda.
Hilda had always been close to Carl, some even thought they were more than friends. Since his suspension, she'd barely been seen at school. But now... her voice was everywhere. Hidden behind a screen.
After lunch, Mia was cornered in the hallway by three girls whispering loudly.
"She's probably a freak like they say."
"Do you think she hypnotized Henry too?"
"She probably set Carl up."
Mia clenched her fists and kept walking. But each step hurt more than the last.
That night, Mia sat in her room, Lily's diary open beside her—but her mind raced.
She opened the school forum again and studied the posts. It was hard to prove who was behind them. Until she noticed something strange.
One post had a tiny, cropped image attached—a hallway photo.
Mia zoomed in.
In the corner... Hilda's pink crystal bracelet. The one she never took off.
Mia stared.
*What the heck.*
The next day, Mia approached Henry at his locker.
"Someone's spreading lies about me online," she said. "And I know who it is."
Henry looked at her sharply. "Who?"
"Hilda. I have proof."
He frowned. "She's not even allowed on school platforms. I'll handle it."
But Mia shook her head.
"No. I will."
In the library, Mia found Hilda alone at a corner table, scrolling through her phone.
"Hey, Hilda," Mia said calmly.
Hilda didn't look up. "What do you want?"
"I just came to thank you," Mia said, sliding into the seat across from her.
Hilda blinked. "For what?"
"For showing me how scared people are of the truth," Mia replied. "You think slandering me will bring Carl back? Or make people forget what he did?"
Hilda's face hardened. "You ruined his life."
"No," Mia said. "He did that himself."
She leaned in, voice low. "You have one chance to delete those posts. I already reported them. And next time you hit 'send,' I'll make sure it goes straight to the school board."
Hilda scoffed. "You think they'd believe you over me?"
Mia smiled coldly. "I can detect lies, remember? Even online."
Hilda paled.
Mia stood and walked away, leaving Hilda frozen.
Later that day, the account was deleted. But the damage lingered.
Henry found Mia outside, sitting under the school tree.
"You okay?" he asked.
Mia nodded. "Yeah. But it's not over."
Henry sat beside her.
"No. But we're getting stronger."
As they sat side by side, the clouds thickened.
Storms were coming and the truth, at last, was ready to strike back.
It started again with the cold.
Mia sat alone in the school library after hours, books open but unread. The clock ticked slowly. The light above her desk flickered once, then steadied.
She felt it before she saw her.
Lily stood between the shelves. Pale, silent and still.
Mia slowly stood. "Lily?"
No answer.
She walked closer.
Lily didn't move.
Her eyes familiar and unreadable just stared.
Mia's voice trembled. "What do you want me to see?"
No response. No blink. Just presence.
Then Lily turned, slow, quiet and disappeared behind the shelves.
Mia ran after her.
Nothing.
Gone.
Only the sound of her own heartbeat echoed.
That same night, Henry was in his father's study.
The house was dark, lit only by the fireplace. He flipped through old files—documents with Lily's name, medical reports, dates that didn't make sense.
Then... the fire flickered.
He looked up.
She was there.
Standing near the bookshelf.
"Lily…"
He stood, took a step toward her.
But she didn't react. She didn't speak. She only watched him like a stranger.
Henry's throat tightened. "It's me. Your brother."
Nothing.
Then she tilted her head. Just like in the schoolyard.
She looked at the documents in his hand.
Then, like with Mia, she turned and vanished.
No whisper. No word.
The next morning, Elise and Mia met outside the school entrance. Both pale and quiet.
"I saw Lily again," Mia said. "Last night. She didn't speak. Just stood there. She looked at me like... like I wasn't even me."
Elise stared into the distance. "She's not reaching out anymore. She's... observing."
"Why?"
Neither had an answer.
But one thing was clear, Lily was watching her.
The wind howled through the school courtyard that afternoon, rustling leaves and setting the flag above Allen High into a slow, eerie wave.
It had been weeks since Carl's suspension.
Most students had moved on. The whispers faded. His dramatic exit was just another story passed around in lunch halls and group chats.
But Mia hadn't forgotten.
And neither had Carl.
Mia was in the art room after class. The building was nearly empty. Only the soft sound of pencils and brushes filled the air.
She stood by the window, finishing a painting. A quiet lake and sunset.
Her peace shattered with a whisper.
"You paint lies."
She froze.
The voice came from behind. Low and Familiar.
She turned to see Carl standing in the doorway. Her breath caught.
He wore all black—hoodie, gloves. His eyes were dark, not just with anger, but something deeper. Obsession. A festering rage.
"How did you get in?" Mia asked, voice calm but tight.
He smiled. "Still think you're smarter than me?"
She stayed silent.
Carl stepped inside slowly, letting the door close behind him. The sound echoed.
"I lost everything because of you," he said. "The team. My confidence. Even my parents won't look at me."
"You lost all that because of your own choices," Mia replied. "You hit me. You bullied me. That was on you."
"You exposed me," he hissed. "You made people see the real me. You humiliated me."
Mia didn't back down. "No one made you do any of it, Carl. I just stopped pretending I couldn't see it."
Carl's fist clenched.
She thought he might hit her.
But he didn't.
He walked to a canvas and tore it from the stand.
Mia flinched as the wood cracked.
He threw it down and turned to her.
"I've thought about this day since they kicked me out. You don't get to be the victim and the hero, Mia. Not anymore."
He pulled something from his pocket.
A pocketknife.
Mia's breath hitched.
"Carl, don't"
He didn't hesitate.
He walked to her painting, the lake and the sunset and slashed it in half.
"You destroyed my life," he said, voice breaking. "So I'll destroy yours."