Echoes of Yesterday

Part 15 - Fractured Trust

As we walked out of the house, a heavy silence hung between us, the weight of unanswered questions pressing on all our minds. I glanced back at the door, still slightly ajar, the dim hallway behind it now feeling like a tunnel leading deeper into the unknown. Why had Sarah left so suddenly?

Theo was the first to break the silence. "Maybe she left because of Tristan," he said, his tone thoughtful, yet uneasy.

Eric shook his head, his jaw tight. "Tristan's missing, not dead—at least not yet. We don't know what's going on, but running off doesn't seem like something she'd do if she was just worried about him."

Maya frowned, her voice laced with doubt. "Exactly. If she really cared, wouldn't she be searching for him instead of disappearing herself? Leaving now... it doesn't make sense."

I nodded, the knot in my stomach tightening. "Especially since we found her bracelet at the falls. Why would it be there?"

Theo's expression darkened as he considered this. "We should hand it over to the police. If they see it was found near where Tristan disappeared, they'll have to investigate further."

I hesitated, my heart racing. "But what if they don't take it seriously? What if they just brush it off and decide it's another case of someone falling into the waterfall? They could close it quickly, show us some random body, and call it an accident or a mistake."

Eric glanced at me, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You really think they'd do that?"

"I don't know," I admitted, the words catching in my throat. "But my heart says something's wrong with Sarah. I can feel it."

We all exchanged a glance, the unease between us growing thicker with each passing second. The mystery was getting deeper, and nothing was adding up. Sarah leaving, Tristan's disappearance, the cryptic note at the falls—it all felt connected somehow, but we were still missing too many pieces.

Maya wrapped her arms around herself, as if trying to ward off a chill. "So, what now?"Theo glanced at Eric, then back to me. "We keep digging. If something's wrong with Sarah, we need to find out what—and fast."

Eric nodded, his eyes steady on mine. "We're not stopping until we figure this out. Sarah's hiding something, and it's only a matter of time before we uncover it."

We all decided to head to the woods near the waterfall, the place where I'd found the bracelet. The air was thick with tension and uncertainty, but something about moving forward felt necessary, like we were being pulled by invisible strings. The deeper we got into the forest, the more uneasy Theo looked.

"Are you sure about this?" Theo asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "This place gives me the creeps."

Eric, always quick with a snarky comeback, smirked. "What's the matter, Theo? Scared of some trees? Don't worry, I'll protect you. Maybe you can hold my hand if it gets too spooky."