WHO AM I

SHADOWS OF THE PAST

Lila sat on the edge of her bed that night, staring at her phone. She scrolled absentmindedly through old texts, her mind far away from the glow of the screen. The day's events were still swirling in her head—Renzo's fury, Noah's revelation, and Asher's scheming. But none of that could shake the name that had re-entered her life: Eli.

She hadn't heard from him in months. Maybe that was for the best. But just when she thought she had moved on, something about today made all the memories rush back.

Lila's thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of her phone. A message.

Eli: "We need to talk."

Her heart skipped a beat. Was he serious? After all this time?

Without thinking, she typed back.

Lila: "Talk about what?"

The three dots appeared, and her pulse quickened. What was he going to say?

Eli: "Everything. I've been keeping something from you."

Her stomach dropped. No. Not more secrets. Not from Eli.

Meanwhile, Noah sat in his room, staring out the window. His mind was still racing from the argument with Renzo. Things were spiraling out of control. And fast.

He leaned back in his chair, trying to wrap his head around what to do next. How had everything become so tangled? Just as he started to drift off into his thoughts, his phone buzzed.

It was a notification from Asher. A picture.

Noah opened the message, and his blood ran cold. It was a photo of Lila, taken today, zoomed in and blurry, but unmistakable. Beneath it was a message from Asher.

Asher: "Guess who's next on my list?"

Noah's hands shook as he typed back.

Noah: "Stay away from her."

The response was instant.

Asher: "Too late for that."

Noah's heart raced. This wasn't just about him anymore. Asher was dragging Lila into his twisted game, and Noah couldn't let that happen.

The next morning, Lila stood outside the school, waiting for Noah. She hadn't slept much, tossing and turning all night, her thoughts occupied by Eli's cryptic messages. She'd texted him again, but no response. Typical Eli.

Finally, Noah appeared, his expression tense. She could tell something was wrong.

"Hey," she said, falling into step beside him. "You okay?"

Noah hesitated, his jaw tight. He glanced around as if making sure no one was listening.

"I got a message from Asher," he said quietly. "He's targeting you."

Lila's eyes widened. "What? Why? What did I do?"

"I don't know. But he sent me a picture of you—taken yesterday. He's watching you, Lila. We need to be careful."

Lila's mind raced. Asher had always been a jerk, but this was a new level of creepy. "What does he want?"

Noah shook his head. "That's the problem. I don't know."

Lila shivered, a chill running down her spine. "What are we going to do?"

"We'll figure it out," Noah said, though the uncertainty in his voice was impossible to miss. "But for now, stick close to me. We're not giving Asher the satisfaction of scaring us."

Lila nodded, though her stomach churned with unease. Asher had always been unpredictable, but now, he was becoming dangerous.

Later that afternoon, the group gathered in the library—Lila, Noah, Kira, Cathy, Jasper, and even Renzo, though he still wasn't speaking to Noah. They needed to form a plan. Asher and Jason weren't going to stop, and Eli's reappearance only added more layers of confusion.

"We need to get ahead of this," Noah said, pacing in front of the group. "Asher's planning something big. And it involves Lila."

Cathy frowned. "What did you do to him, Lila?"

Lila threw up her hands in exasperation. "I have no idea! It's not like we were ever friends."

Jasper, who had been silent for most of the conversation, finally spoke up. "Maybe that's the point. Asher's never cared about anyone unless he can use them. If he's targeting Lila, it's because she's a threat. Or leverage."

Renzo, who had been brooding in the corner, crossed his arms. "So, what do we do? Sit around and wait for Asher to make his move?"

"No," Noah said firmly. "We're going to fight back."

Renzo raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

Noah paused, glancing at Lila. "We use the one thing Asher can't control."

Everyone looked confused.

Noah's eyes darkened. "The truth."

Lila's pulse quickened. She wasn't sure where Noah was going with this, but something about his tone made her feel like they were on the edge of something big. Something dangerous.

"Are you in?" Noah asked, looking around the room.

One by one, everyone nodded.

But as Lila glanced at her phone, still no reply from Eli, a small voice in the back of her mind whispered that they weren't prepared for what was coming next.