𝐓𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 | 18+

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑𝟐

𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐈𝐒𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐕

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⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆

𝙽𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟷𝚝𝚑, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟹 - 𝟷𝟶: 𝟹𝟶 𝙿.𝙼.

I leaned against Alex's car, feeling the chill of the foggy night seeping into my bones. The graveyard stretched out before me, silent and blanketed in an unnatural haze that clung to the ground like it was alive. The mist curled around the crooked headstones, shrouding everything in a dense fog that made my skin crawl. I could barely see a few feet in front of me, and the damp air felt heavy, pressing down on my chest.

With a sigh, I pulled out my phone, the screen casting a faint glow in the darkness. My fingers hovered over the keyboard as I texted Mia, letting her know I might be late. The message felt pointless—she probably wouldn't even notice until morning—but the idea of her waiting up, wondering where I was, gave me a strange sort of comfort.

Maybe she'll think I'm just studying, I thought, my thumb hesitating over the send button. God, if only she knew.

I hit send and slipped my phone back into my pocket, clenching my jaw against the ache radiating up my arm. The sting pulsed, a reminder of last night, of Darius, and the reflection of my own desperate face staring back at me from the broken glass. It was the longest I hadn't seen him, and I wasn't sure whether that absence filled me with relief or dread. But whatever it was, I liked it. I liked the silence he left behind, the way it wrapped around me like a hollow space I could finally breathe in.

"Eloise," Claire hissed, her voice slicing through the quiet night. She was standing a few feet away, practically invisible in the darkness, but her tone was unmistakable. Annoyed. Demanding. "Can you hurry it up?"

I pushed myself off the car, biting back a grimace as pain shot through my arm. She didn't even wait for me to respond, already moving ahead, her footsteps muffled by the wet earth. I glanced around, clutching the shovel I'd brought with me, feeling its cold, rough handle bite into my palm as I followed her. The shadows seemed to deepen as we made our way into the graveyard, and every step felt heavier than the last.

When we reached the others, I could see Alex and Rowan standing by the grave, the freshly turned dirt piled high beside the gaping hole in the ground. The scent of soil filled the air, earthy and damp, mingling with the fog that lingered around us. They both straightened up as we approached, their faces shadowed and grim, barely visible under the weak light of Alex's phone.

We all stood there in silence, our heads tilted down to stare at the freshly dug grave. The reality of it settled over us, suffocating and thick, as we took in the dark, endless void beneath our feet.

The coach's body lay below, hidden beneath layers of dirt and secrets. He'll never hurt anyone again, I reminded myself, but the thought brought little relief. Instead, a chill ran down my spine, creeping through my veins like ice. I didn't know if it was fear or something darker. Something that felt like justice, twisted and ugly, but justice all the same.

Rowan was the first to speak, his voice barely above a whisper. "So... that's it, right? He's gone. No one's gonna find him?"

Alex nodded, his gaze steady, but there was something unsettling in his eyes, something sharp and cold. "Not if we keep our mouths shut. This stays between us. No one else can know."