The Truth Unfolds

Savannah sat in bed, her laptop glowing in the dim light of her room. Her heart was pounding as she scrolled through the dark corners of the internet, searching for anything connected to Watcher_X.

Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she typed:

> Elara Blake hiding rumors

She had been searching for weeks, but tonight—something was different.

A Reddit post caught her eye. It wasn't from a typical fan page. It was from an anonymous account.

User: Watcher_X

> "Funny how easy it is to hide in plain sight when no one's looking close enough. But I see her."

Savannah's stomach twisted.

> Posted: Two weeks ago.

They had been watching Elara for weeks.

She clicked on another thread, her pulse racing.

> "She thinks she's safe, but secrets never stay buried. Stay tuned."

Savannah's fingers trembled as she copied the link and pasted it into a text to Elara.

> Savannah: El, we've got a problem. Call me NOW.

---

At school the next day, Elara felt like the walls were closing in.

She had barely slept after seeing Savannah's message. Watcher_X wasn't just stalking her. They were planning something.

"Ellie!"

Elara turned as Nora waved her over to their usual table in the cafeteria. She forced a smile and sat down.

"Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?" Jonah asked, pushing his glasses up.

Elara swallowed. "Didn't sleep much."

Leah nudged her. "You sure? Because I saw Savannah Chase staring at you this morning like she's onto something."

Elara's stomach twisted. If Savannah Chase suspected something, it wouldn't take long before she tried to ruin her.

Before she could answer, she felt it—a pair of eyes on her.

She glanced up—Ryder was watching her from across the cafeteria.

She quickly looked away, but it was too late. He had noticed.

---

"Ellie."

Elara stopped at her locker after lunch, her breath hitching. She already knew who it was.

Ryder.

She turned slowly, trying to play it cool. "Hey."

He leaned against the locker next to hers, his eyes sharp but unreadable. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she lied.

Ryder raised an eyebrow. "You always say that."

Elara swallowed. "Because it's true."

His gaze didn't waver. "No, it's not."

Her hands clenched at her sides. She felt exposed, vulnerable—Ryder was reading her too well.

"Look, I don't know what's going on with you," Ryder said, his voice lower now, "but I can tell you're scared of something. You don't have to tell me, but I think you should tell someone."

Elara's chest tightened. "I don't need help."

Ryder tilted his head. "You sure about that?"

Her throat was dry. "Positive."

For a moment, he just looked at her. Then he sighed and stepped back.

"Okay, Mystery Girl," he murmured. "I'll drop it—for now."

But as he walked away, Elara knew one thing for sure:

He wasn't going to stop looking for answers.

And that scared her more than anything.

---

That night, Elara sat on her bed, staring at her phone.

She had ignored Savannah's texts all day—she just couldn't deal with it yet. But she couldn't ignore the newest message that flashed across her screen.

Unknown Number:

> "Time's running out, Elara. You can't hide forever."

Her stomach dropped.

Then—a second message.

A photo attachment.

Her hands shook as she opened it.

It was a picture of her at school.

Taken that same day.

Elara's pulse pounded in her ears.

Watcher_X wasn't just online anymore.

They were here. Watching her. In real life.

Her phone buzzed again. This time, it was Savannah.

> Savannah: El, pick up your phone. This is serious.

Elara swallowed hard. She had spent so much time running, hiding. But now?

Now, she wasn't sure if she could run anymore.

And worst of all?

She wasn't sure if she wanted to

Savannah sat cross-legged on her bed, her laptop glowing in the dim light. Something wasn't right.

For the past hour, she had been deep in the internet's shadows, scrolling through gossip forums, anonymous message boards, and old fan sites that still talked about her sister.

Most of them were harmless. People wondering where Elara Blake had disappeared to. But one name kept popping up.

Watcher_X.

At first, it looked like just another obsessive fan. But as she dug deeper, her stomach twisted.

Watcher_X wasn't just talking about Elara. They were tracking her.

She clicked on a recent post from just two days ago:

> "She thinks she's safe, but secrets never stay buried. I see her. I know where she is. She can't run forever."

Savannah's blood ran cold.

This wasn't just some fan theory. This was a threat.

She copied the link and sent it to Elara.

> Savannah: El, we've got a serious problem. Call me. NOW.

She waited.

No response.

She clenched her jaw, heart pounding.

"Elara, why aren't you answering me?" she muttered under her breath.

She didn't know what scared her more—the fact that Elara was ignoring her, or the fact that Watcher_X was getting closer.

---

Elara had seen Savannah's message.

She just… couldn't deal with it.

Her hands trembled as she shoved her phone into her locker, forcing herself to breathe. If she let herself panic, it was over.

"Just make it through the day."

"Ellie!"

She turned as Nora waved her over, smiling as usual.

"Hey," Elara said, forcing a smile.

"You okay? You look… off," Jonah observed, pushing his glasses up.

Elara nodded quickly. "Didn't sleep much."

Leah sighed. "That's the third time you've said that this week. Be real, what's going on?"

Before Elara could answer, the air in the cafeteria shifted.

Whispers. Stares.

She followed their gazes and felt her stomach drop.

At the entrance, Savannah Chase was standing with her arms crossed, smirking. And in her hand?

Her phone.

A photo of Elara and Ryder at the library was blown up on the screen.

Elara's blood turned to ice.

"Hey, everyone!" Savannah Chase's voice rang out, loud and sharp. "Did you guys see this? Looks like Ellie Brown isn't so invisible after all."

Laughter. Whispers. Phones came out, snapping pictures.

Elara couldn't breathe.

Jonah tensed beside her. "What the hell is her problem?"

"She's a snake, that's what," Leah muttered.

Nora stood up. "Shut up, Savannah!"

Savannah smirked. "Relax, I'm just showing everyone how friendly little Ellie is with Ryder West."

More laughter.

Elara wanted to disappear.

Then—

"Delete it."

The cafeteria fell silent.

Ryder West stood at the center of the room, eyes locked on Savannah, voice calm but dangerous.

Savannah raised a brow. "Why? You embarrassed?"

Ryder took a slow step forward. "I said, delete it."

The tension was thick.

For the first time, Savannah hesitated.

"Whatever," she huffed, shoving her phone back into her bag. "Not my fault she's got secrets."

She walked off, flipping her hair over her shoulder, her minions following.

Elara sat frozen, heart pounding.

Then Ryder turned.

And his eyes locked on hers.

"We need to talk," he said softly.

---

Elara didn't know why she followed Ryder out of the cafeteria.

But she did.

They walked in silence to the back of the school, where it was quiet.

Ryder leaned against the brick wall, watching her carefully. "You okay?"

She swallowed. "Yeah."

"You're lying," he said.

She forced herself to meet his gaze. "Why do you care?"

Ryder tilted his head. "Because I see you, Ellie. You try to disappear, but you don't. Not from me."

Her breath caught.

"You don't know anything about me," she whispered.

His eyes darkened. "Then tell me."

She couldn't.

He was too close to the truth.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She flinched.

Ryder noticed. "Who keeps texting you?"

She hesitated.

Then, before she could stop him, Ryder reached for her phone and flipped the screen.

His eyes narrowed instantly as he read the message.

> "Time's running out, Elara. You can't hide forever."

The color drained from his face.

Ryder slowly lifted his gaze back to hers.

His voice was quiet but sharp as a knife.

"Who the hell is Elara?"

Elara's chest squeezed.

She had been so careful. So careful.

And now?

It was over.

---

Later that night, Elara sat in her room, staring at her phone.

She hadn't answered Ryder. She had run.

Like a coward.

Her hands trembled as she scrolled through the messages from Watcher_X.

Then—

A new one.

> "You think Ryder can protect you? Cute. Let's see how much he likes being part of this game."

Her stomach dropped.

Then—another message.

A photo attachment.

Her fingers shook as she opened it.

It was a picture of Ryder.

Taken from outside his house.

Elara couldn't breathe.

This wasn't about her anymore.

Watcher_X was coming for Ryder too.

---

Elara's phone buzzed again.

> "Tick tock, Elara. Make your choice."

A noise sounded outside her window.

She jumped.

Her heart pounded as she crept toward the glass.

And then—

A shadow moved outside.

Someone was there.

Watching her.

She slammed the curtains shut, her breath shaky.

Her hands tightened into fists.

This had to end.

And it was going to end tonight.