At Allen High, Elise arrived earlier than usual, her mind swirling with questions. She clutched a piece of paper tucked inside her textbook, the one Lily had shown her the day before. Elise could still hear Lily's haunting words:
"He says I'm evolving. That soon I won't need to sleep, eat, or even feel. But if I can't feel, what's left of me?"
Elise frowned deeply. Something wasn't right.
"Who is 'he'? And if Lily can't sleep, eat, or even feel anymore, like a ghost barely clinging to life… where is she now? What is she trying to tell us?" She thought anxiously.
Without wasting another second, Elise rushed to the library shelves and grabbed a thick textbook titled Theories of Modern Science and Evolution. She held it tightly against her chest.
"Science and evolving... maybe the answers are hidden in here," she murmured before hurrying out of the library.
Far from Allen High, Mia jolted awake, heart pounding. She sat up in bed, gasping for air. It had been a long time since Lily appeared in her dreams. She had been more vivid recently and felt so real. In her dream, Lily had just passed a message that echoed in Mia's mind:
"Follow the truth, or the truth will follow you."
Mia sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the floor, feeling the weight of confusion pressing down on her. "What truth? What is she warning me about?" She wondered, frustration building. Another memory flickered through her mind, something Lily once told her:
"You're holding the hand of someone who's hiding the truth." That was referring to Henry. Mia buried her face in her hands. "My head feels like it's about to explode. I can't remember the last time I had real peace," she thought bitterly. "Why am I always dragged into all of this?"
Just then, her bedroom door creaked open, and Mrs. Larry peeked in, concern etched across her face.
"My dear, are you okay?" she asked softly, brushing Mia's hair back with a comforting touch.
"I'm fine, Mom," Mia replied with a faint smile, taking the glass of water her mother offered.
"You don't look fine. You're so pale. Was it another nightmare?" Mrs. Larry asked, her voice filled with worry.
"It's nothing, really. It was just a bad dream. I need to get ready for school," Mia said quickly, setting the empty glass on her nightstand.
Mrs. Larry stood in the doorway as Mia walked out, calling after her, "Make sure you eat something before you leave!"
At Allen High, the hallways buzzed with early morning chatter, but Mia walked through them like a ghost, lost in thought. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her from behind and yanked her into a shadowy corner near the library. Mia spun around, ready to shout only to see Elise.
"Don't scare me like that!" Mia gasped, clutching her chest. "I thought my heart was going to jump out!"
"Shh!" Elise hissed, glancing around nervously. "There's a lot you need to know. And I have a few questions for you too."
Mia's curiosity flared up. "Is something wrong? Did you find a clue?"
Elise leaned in, her voice low. "Has anyone ever taken pages from your diary?"
Mia blinked, caught off guard. "Oh... yeah. It happened when I was still at Mancity College, my old school. Carl, he and I were on bad terms after I caught him… well, after I caught him killing Diva. He wanted to shut me up, so he tore some pages from my diary. He didn't know exactly what they said, but he kept them, probably thinking he could use them against me someday. Why are you asking?"
Elise's face darkened. "I followed Hilda yesterday. She stole some papers from a locker in Building C. After reading them, she looked confused. I'm pretty sure those were your missing diary pages. Hilda is working with Carl, and they're definitely planning something against you. The worst part is they now know where you live."
Mia's stomach dropped. "How did they get my new address?"
Elise looked guilty. "I gave it to Carl... back when I thought he was still trustworthy."
Mia reached out and squeezed Elise's hand. "It's okay. I know you meant well."
But a deeper fear gnawed at her. "Elise… something strange happened at my previous house. When I first mentioned Lily out of ignorance, my dad got furious. Then a locked door suddenly swung open by itself that shocked him. Something seems off, do you think my dad is hiding something too?"
Elise gave a small, supportive smile. "That's something you'll have to uncover yourself. But you're not alone. I'll help in my own way."
Mia watched Elise walk away, a surge of gratitude warming her chest. "Thanks for everything, Elise!" she called after her, feeling lighter somehow.
Meanwhile, back at Allen's mansion, Henry sat on the edge of his bed, staring blankly at the floor. His mind was a battlefield of guilt and regret. He couldn't bring himself to face Mia at school, not after everything.
"I have to find out the truth about Lily. I can't keep running from it," he thought, clenching his fists.
Deep down, he knew his father, Professor Charles was somehow connected to Lily's disappearance, though he had no proof yet.
Lost in thought, he didn't hear the knock on his door until it swung open.
"What now?" Henry snapped, glaring at Doctor Lee, who stood in the doorway looking apologetic.
"Your father needs to see you. Immediately," Doctor Lee said politely.
Henry growled under his breath. "And next time, knock properly."
Shoving past the doctor, he stalked down the hall toward his father's study, his heart pounding with a mixture of dread and anger.
Hilda sat cross-legged on her bedroom floor, the torn diary pages spread out around her like pieces of a broken map. A small desk lamp buzzed overhead, throwing long shadows across the messy scrawl of Mia's handwriting.
She ran her fingers over the pages, trying to make sense of the mess but some of the sentences trailed off into frantic scribbles, others seemed to shift from past to present tense without warning.
At first, Hilda thought she had found the perfect weapon: a glimpse into Mia's madness. Something she could show the entire school to turn them against her.
But now, staring at the pages for the hundredth time, she realized it wasn't that simple. The entries were strange she felt disjointed almost sad. Nothing here screamed "guilty" the way she'd hoped. It screamed confused, It screamed haunted.
"This is useless," Hilda muttered, slamming her hand down onto one of the pages. She grabbed her phone, heart pounding with frustration, and texted Carl.
Hilda: We need to talk.
The next day, she found herself back in the cold, sterile visiting area of the juvenile detention center.Carl sauntered in a few minutes later, looking even rougher than before. His eyes were bloodshot, his knuckles bruised. He dropped into the seat across from her, smirking.
"Miss me already?" he joked. "I could get caught any moment with my phone."
Hilda shoved the crumpled diary pages across the table. "What the hell is this, Carl?"
Carl raised an eyebrow, skimming the pages lazily. After a few moments, he frowned.
"Looks like crazy-person scribbles."
"Exactly!" Hilda snapped. "It's rambling and messy. It doesn't make any sense. How am I supposed to use this to destroy her?"
Carl leaned back, scratching his chin. "I don't know, I thought you smart enough to use this against her."
"Smart enough to realize this crap won't convince anyone she's dangerous. It just makes her look... broken." Hilda said angrily.
Carl shrugged. "Broken sounds good. People don't trust broken."
"Not if they feel sorry for her first," Hilda said darkly. "And that's what these pages will do. It would make them pity her not fear her."
For a long moment, they sat in frustrated silence. Then Hilda leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You said you had her new address. Rivercliff Heights, 12 Foxgate Lane."
Carl's smirk returned. "Yeah. Thanks to your little friend Elise."
Hilda's eyes gleamed. "Then maybe it's time we stop trying to ruin her reputation."
Carl's grin widened. "And start ruining her life."
A dark, dangerous thrill buzzed between them. They huddled closer, speaking low and fast.
"We show up," Hilda said, tapping the table. "Not to hurt her physically, not yet but to mess with her, gaslight her, Scare her, make her miserable and break her down."
"Plant stuff in her house?" Carl offered.
"Exactly. Leave her little 'gifts,' notes, reminders, make her feel like she's being watched and haunted."
Carl nodded. "Play into her crazy."
"She already sees things," Hilda said. "We just have to push until she falls apart." Hilda smiled, slow and cold. "And when she does," she said, "we'll be there to tell everyone we tried to help her… but she was too far gone."
Carl let out a low laugh. "You're evil."
Hilda shrugged. "She started it."
"Seems like you like me more than expected, you could carry my own burden. I could just ask you out after I get released." Carl said smirking.
"Released? That would take a century."
"Don't curse me. I would be released soon." Carl said assuring Hilda.
The guard knocked on the window, signaling that visiting time was up. Hilda stood, gathering the torn pages into a neat stack. As she tucked them back into her bag, she felt lighter and energized.
She didn't need Mia's diary anymore. She had something better now, 'Fear'. And soon, Mia would be drowning in it.