Blocked

Chapter Eighteen (02)

The morning felt routine enough. I woke up, brushed my teeth, and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water rinse away the lingering tension from the night before. Afterwards, I wiped the fog from the mirror and reached for my towel to dry my hair, but as the steam cleared, I froze.

In the reflection, standing just behind me, was Hannah.

Her pale face was twisted, her eyes hollow and cold, like something out of a nightmare. My breath caught in my throat. I spun around, but there was no one there. I faced the mirror again, and this time, her reflection smirked.

"You let me die," she whispered, her voice raspy, sending shivers down my spine.

My chest tightened. "No, I didn't—"

"You blocked me out," Hannah hissed, her voice sharper now. "Just like you did with everyone else. How long until they block you out too?"

The room felt like it was closing in on me. My heart pounded in my chest, and my lungs strained for air. I clawed at my throat, desperate to breathe as her face grew closer, her accusing eyes locking onto mine.

"You'll end up just like me."

The words struck like a blow, suffocating me, squeezing the life out of my lungs. My knees buckled as I clutched the sink, gasping, trying to snap out of it. Then, just as quickly as she appeared, Hannah vanished.

I blinked, breathless, trembling. It wasn't real. Just a hallucination. I pressed my hands against my face, willing my heart to slow down. But the fear lingered, the weight of her words settling deep in my chest. What was happening to me?

---

After catching my breath, I got a text from Zaire, asking if I could meet up with him after the exam. A little bit of normalcy in the chaos. I sighed, pocketing my phone, but before I could even think about it, things went from bad to worse.

Andrew went missing.

It was like some twisted déjà vu, a replay of Hannah all over again. Principal had just called an assembly, and standing there, I felt like the ground was slipping from beneath me. Officer Hallowe was there too, along with Andrew's frantic parents. My stomach churned as I remembered a detail that made my blood run cold.

A week ago... I had blocked Andrew too.

I blocked him, just like I had with Hannah.

The thought hit me like a freight train. What if it wasn't a coincidence? What if...? No, I couldn't let my mind go there. But my hands shook as I stood on the edge of the crowd, heart racing.

"Mia?"

I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see... Zaire? But I barely recognized him.

Gone was the hoodie that always hung over his frame, hiding his features. In its place stood a completely transformed version of the boy I'd known for years. His skin had a sun-kissed glow, his bone structure more defined, with sharp angles that made his face seem both familiar and unfamiliar all at once. His hair, once unruly, was styled neatly, and—were those contacts? His eyes were striking, almost too vivid.

My jaw dropped. "Do I... know you?"

Zaire chuckled softly, the sound of it pulling me out of my daze. "Yeah, funny how a haircut and losing the braces can mess with people's memories."

I raised an eyebrow. "So what happened? You wake up one day and decide to pull off the glow-up of the century?"

He shrugged, the corner of his mouth lifting in a smirk. "My new fosters decided I needed a change. Plus, the hoodie? Helped hide what was already happening."

I glanced around and noticed more than a few girls eyeing him, whispering to each other. "Well, according to the onlookers, you've succeeded. Someone's a hot commodity now."

Zaire gave a wry grin, but then his expression sobered. "By the way, did you hear about Andrew?"

I nodded, feeling a sinking weight in my stomach. "Yeah. It's like Hannah all over again."

Zaire's lips twisted into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Not gonna lie, I'm kind of glad."

I blinked, taken aback. "Why would you say that?"

He tilted his head, watching me carefully. "He was a bully. And let's be real, wouldn't you want the guy who was part of what happened to you... to just vanish?"

His words landed like a punch, making me feel queasy. A part of me understood what he was getting at, but something felt wrong about it. My gut churned with anxiety as I glanced toward Hallowe, who was deep in conversation with the principal. "It's like he's always there," I muttered, more to myself than to Zaire. "Every time something happens, Hallowe finds a way to corner me, like he's just waiting for me to slip up. I don't even know why he does this, why he's got such a grudge against me."

Zaire's eyes softened, and he gently placed a hand on my shoulder. "Mia, don't let Hallowe get in your head. He's just using these coincidences to push you into a corner because it's easier than actually doing his job. He doesn't have anything against you—he's just desperate to pin something on someone, and unfortunately, you're in his line of sight. But you're stronger than this. You've been through worse, and you made it out."

His words eased the tension in my chest, just enough for me to breathe again. I gave him a small nod, grateful for his calm presence, even amidst all the chaos.

The bell rang, and we parted ways for the exam, though my mind was still swimming with thoughts of Andrew, of Hallowe, of everything.

---

After the exam, Zaire and I headed to the café where Sebastian was already waiting. The moment we sat down, Sebastian raised an eyebrow when he saw Zaire. "Whoa, what happened to you?"

Zaire smirked, running a hand through his hair. "Apparently, I've been hiding my true self all these years."

Sebastian chuckled before his gaze turned serious. "We've got a lot to catch up on."

Zaire leaned in. "Fill me in."

I took a deep breath. "Well... there's something I haven't told you. The day before Hannah disappeared... I blocked her. Like, on social media. I thought it was just me being petty or trying to avoid her, but now with Andrew... I blocked him too. What if—"

Zaire cut me off, his voice darkening slightly. "Only Andrew's dead body will tell us what really happened."

His words sent a chill down my spine. I shuddered, and before I could stop myself, my hand instinctively reached for Sebastian's under the table. He squeezed it gently, a silent comfort.

Zaire cleared his throat, noticing the shift in mood. "I want to help with this. I'm in, whatever you guys need."

I exchanged a glance with Sebastian before nodding. "We found something at Hannah's house. A pendant. We're going back today to look for more clues."

"Count me in," Zaire said firmly. "We'll figure this out together."

And just like that, we had a plan. All three of us.