Chapter 8: The Lighthouse’s Shadow

The night air carried the scent of salt and damp earth as Kaira trudged toward the edge of the cliffs. The lighthouse stood in the distance, its silhouette jagged against the moonlit sky. A relic of the past, forgotten by time. Much like the secrets she was chasing.

Her arm throbbed where the glass had sliced her, but she ignored the pain. The journal was clutched tightly in her good hand, her mind replaying the note over and over.

"They're both hiding something."

Alyssa. Adrian. Two people she had once trusted. Now, she wasn't sure if either of them had ever truly been on her side.

The lighthouse loomed closer, its rusted metal door barely hanging onto its hinges. Kaira hesitated. The air here was heavy, thick with an unshakable tension. Something inside warned her to turn back. But she'd come too far to stop now.

Pushing the door open, she stepped inside. The scent of old wood and mildew hit her instantly. Dust coated the spiral staircase that curled upward into darkness.

She reached for her phone, flicking on the flashlight. The beam cut through the shadows, revealing broken floorboards, old crates, and faded papers scattered across the room.

Kaira moved cautiously, scanning the space for any sign of the truth her father had hidden here. The journal's cryptic message—where the sky meets the water—had led her here. But what exactly was she supposed to find?

She stepped closer to a wooden table covered in maps, some so old the ink had faded. A lighthouse logbook lay open, its last recorded entry from ten years ago. Her father's name was signed at the bottom.

A chill ran down her spine.

Before she could read further, a noise echoed from outside—footsteps crunching against gravel.

Her pulse spiked.

Someone was here.

She switched off her flashlight and pressed herself against the wall, heart hammering. The footsteps stopped just outside the door.

A metallic click.

A lock?

Kaira's breath caught in her throat. She rushed forward, but the door rattled against its frame. She was trapped.

Panic surged through her. She spun back toward the staircase, her only way out. But before she could move, a voice rang out from the darkness above.

"You shouldn't have come here, Kaira."

She froze.

Adrian.

He stepped forward, descending the spiral staircase with slow, deliberate steps. His face was shadowed, but she could see the tightness in his jaw, the weight of something unspoken in his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, gripping the journal like a lifeline.

Adrian exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand down his face. "Trying to keep you alive."

Kaira narrowed her eyes. "By locking me in?"

He didn't answer right away. "There are things you don't understand."

"Then explain them to me."

Adrian hesitated, glancing toward the door as if debating whether to tell her the truth. Then he took another step closer.

"Your father… he was part of something bigger than you realize," he said. "This lighthouse—he used it to hide more than just old memories. He was protecting something. And now, it's not just you looking for it."

Kaira tightened her grip on the journal. "What was he hiding?"

Adrian's expression darkened. "Proof. Evidence that could expose everything."

A loud bang cut through the air.

Kaira flinched. The sound came from outside.

Then a familiar voice.

"Alyssa?" Kaira whispered.

Adrian's head snapped toward the door. "Damn it," he muttered.

He grabbed Kaira's wrist. "We need to go. Now."

But Kaira yanked free.

"No," she said, stepping back. "Not until you tell me the truth."

Adrian's gaze locked onto hers, a flicker of something like regret passing over his face. Then his next words made her blood run cold.

"They don't just want the truth buried, Kaira. They want you buried with it."

The door burst open.

And Alyssa stood there, gun raised, her expression unreadable.

"Step away from her, Adrian."

A storm of secrets was about to break loose.