Whispered Shadows

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The Final Revelation

Noa

My hands tremble as I hold the stack of photographs, the note on top taunting me. "She's not as gone as you think." The words twist in my stomach, cold and sharp like ice sliding down my spine.

I feel Ryder's presence behind me, his gaze burning into the back of my neck. I know he's trying to stay composed, but I can hear the edge in his breath, the way his boots scrape the floor as he moves closer, looming over me. He's waiting. Waiting for me to make sense of this, to tell him what to do next. But I can't. Not yet.

The photographs, when I dare to glance at them, feel like a betrayal. There's Gia, staring directly into the camera with a look I haven't seen before. It's not fear or confusion, but resignation, as if she knew something—knew something about the person behind the camera, something about her fate. In each photo, she looks younger, but I can't say it's her innocence being captured. It's something darker.

The first image shows Gia at the lake, the same place we were at a few days ago. She's holding a camera in front of her, her expression detached. It's almost as if she's being watched through the lens, the photographer's eye framing her in ways she can't escape. The water behind her reflects the pale light of the moon, casting eerie shadows over her form.

I flick through more of the pictures. There's one of her standing in the hallway of the dorms, the same hallway I've walked down countless times. But this time, she's looking over her shoulder, her eyes wide with something I can't place—something urgent, desperate even.

Her fingers are clenched around her camera strap, and in the reflection in the glass of the dorm window behind her, there's a shadow.

A figure.

My breath catches, The figure that's been haunting Gia's life—and now mine. I can't make out details. It's just a blur. A shape. But it's enough. Enough to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

Then, at the very back of the stack, I find a different picture. Gia isn't in this one. It's a close-up of a cracked mirror. In the reflection, I can see a sliver of my face, the corner of my cheekbone visible as I stare at the camera. But what catches my attention is the note scribbled at the bottom of the photo:

You're closer than you think, Gia. But you're not the one who should be afraid.

The words feel like a slap to the face. I swallow, the lump in my throat threatening to choke me and glance up at Ryder. He's staring at the photo, his jaw clenched, his eyes narrowed in thought.

"Ryder, this isn't just about Gia," I say, my voice barely above a whisper. "This is about me. He's been watching me, too. All along."

His eyes flash, his nostrils flaring. "Noa—"

"I'm not done yet," I interrupt my voice firmer this time. "There's something else, something I'm missing." I look down at the photos in my hands. "Everything is connected. Shadow's been watching all of us. But why? Why is he targeting me now?"

Ryder steps closer, his breath warm against the back of my neck. I'm aware of the heat radiating from his body, the tension in his movements. He's trying to stay calm, to stay focused, but I know he's feeling it too—the weight of this mystery that's closing in on us like a trap.

"We'll figure it out," he says softly, his voice low but reassuring. He reaches out, taking the photographs from my hands, his fingers brushing mine in the process. I look up at him, and for a moment, the air between us shifts. It's quiet, the kind of quiet that says there's so much unsaid, so much we're both afraid to face.