The whispers

{Mia}

~sunday ~

I was sleeping peacefully when I heard a loud crack sound .

I jumped out of my bed my mind spinning with assumptions ' was someone in my room ?' ' am I being kidnapped?' , then I heard Scarlett chuckle. " April fools !!" Even though I was fuming with anger I started laughing uncontrollably. " Seriously Scarlett you scared the life out of me !"

" April fools!" She repeated, with the same amused tone .

I turned around to check my phone . " Scarlett" I groaned " its 6:30"

" Well I had to get an early start , right ?"

" It's not even April though."

I walked out of bed and sat down at my computer.

" Did you find anything about my parents ?"

I asked my tone serious .

" No , nothing." She replied her tone exasperated .

" How about we go explore the secret room ?"

" You can't be serious?" She asked surprised.

I nodded . " Access cameras "

My screen flashed, I sat down and started looking . " Okay , mom and dad are asleep, my sister's asleep, what are you worried about Scarlett?"

" What if you're being watched , what if you get caught?. This is a dire situation, Mia ."

I let out a heavy sigh . " Cmon , turn on the hollagram" I smiled as the lights flickered and I saw 'myself ' lying on the bed , sleeping . " Cmon Scarlett let's gooo "

She let out a heavy sigh and said " go ahead"

I turned the door knob carefully as I stepped into my sister's half of the room . On my tiptoes I walked slowly and steadily. As I finally made it to the door , just as I turned the knob my sister let out a loud sigh . I tuned around swiftly making sure she was still asleep and stepped out quietly.

I heard Scarlett whisper " Nice job !"

" Thanks " I muttered , surprised by the fact that I made it .

As I made my was to the bookshelf I heard the low whisper of my mom . I quickly hid around the corner and tried to listen into the conversation .

" What do you mean he didn't complete the task ? " She ran her hands through her hair .

" We gave him two weeks . Handle it. I'll meet you at the usual place ."

She wrote a note and set it on the fridge, picked up her bag and a banana and headed straight to the door . But not before looking around . I was petrified. My heart thudded painfully in my chest as her eyes locked with mine. I was frozen, every nerve in my body screaming at me to move, to explain myself, to do something. She sees me. She knows. I'm caught. It's over.

But then, without a word, she turned and walked out the door. I didn't even realize I was holding my breath until Scarlett's voice broke the silence.

I heaved a sigh of relief, but then wondered ' how didn't she see me ' .

Then Scarletts quiet voice rang through the air breaking. " Are you going to stand there or are you going to explore?"

" B-b-but she saw me ."

Scarletts carefree laugh eccoed through the room ." Don't worry , I covered you with a hollagram of the room."

I sighed the tension easing around me .

" Let's go "

As I entered the familiar room I froze, seeing a light inside I typed in my watch " Scarlett is anyone inside ? "

The text came in immediately " no , they must've forgotten to turn it off before they left ."

My hand trembled as I reached for the doorknob. What am I doing? Every instinct told me to turn around and run back to bed, but I couldn't. I needed answers.

The door creaked open, and the cool air inside sent a shiver down my spine. My mind raced with possibilities. What if someone was still in here? What if this was a trap?

"You've got this, Mia," I whispered to myself, stepping inside.

I pushed the door open, and the creak echoed in the silent house, making my heart race. The air inside felt cool, almost unnaturally so, and smelled faintly of metal and cleaning supplies. A dim, flickering fluorescent light illuminated the room, casting strange shadows on the walls.

There were shelves lined with binders, folders, and strange gadgets I couldn't identify. A faint hum filled the space, as if some machine in the corner was still running. I felt a chill run down my spine this wasn't just a storage room. It was something far more... deliberate.

As I looked around some more, my eyes fell on a table in the center of the room. Unlike the shelves, which were dusty and cluttered, the table was pristine, its surface covered with neatly arranged files and a sleek black tablet. A single red light blinked on the device, as though waiting for someone to activate it.

I reached for the closest file, my fingers trembling. The tab read "Project eraser." Opening it, I was greeted with a series of photographs surveillance shots. My heart sank as I recognized one of the faces. It was me.

"Scarlett," I whispered, barely able to keep my voice steady. "Why am I in this file?"

"I… I don't know, Mia," Scarlett replied, her voice unusually hesitant. "But whatever this is, it's not good."

I flipped through the pages, each one more unnerving than the last. There were detailed reports my school grades, my hobbies, even notes about the times I snuck out of the house. Someone had been watching me for a long time.

Just as I was about to close the file, a name caught my eye: "Xander Quinn." My breath hitched. His name had been in the other file too. Why was he connected to this?

"Mia," Scarlett's voice broke through my thoughts, "someone's approaching the house."

Panic surged through me. I hurriedly placed the file back on the table and turned toward the door, but then my eyes landed on a small, locked cabinet tucked beneath one of the shelves. Something about it called to me.

"Scarlett, I need to know what's in that cabinet," I whispered.

"You don't have time! Whoever's coming will be here in less than two minutes!"

"Then help me figure out the lock," I insisted, already kneeling in front of it. The lock was a keypad, and the numbers glowed faintly. My mind raced. What could the code be?

Scarlett sighed. "Try your birthday."

I punched it in—nothing. My mind was spinning. What else could it be? I glanced at the shelves, my eyes landing on the spine of a book with the year "2005" printed on it. Taking a wild guess, I entered the numbers. The lock clicked open.

Inside was a single object: a metallic key. Its surface was engraved with a symbol I didn't recognize a triangle with an eye in the center.

"Mia, you have to go. Now!" Scarlett urged, her voice more urgent than ever.

I slipped the key into my pocket and darted out of the room, my heart pounding. Whoever was coming, I couldn't let them find me here.