A Dangerous Encounter

Tricia stepped out of the café, her mind a chaotic storm. The city lights blurred as she walked, Daniel's words still ringing in her ears.

"You're not Tricia Davies. You're Lena Hathaway's daughter."

It couldn't be true. Her parents, her real parents, had raised her with love. They couldn't have been part of some elaborate lie. Could they?

And Maya… Maya had known. She had uncovered something about Tricia's past, something dangerous enough to get her killed.

Tricia pulled her coat tighter around her as a cold wind rushed through the streets. Her apartment was just a few blocks away, but suddenly, every shadow felt like it was watching her.

She checked her phone. No new messages. No missed calls. Silence.

Something about that felt wrong.

She glanced over her shoulder. The street behind her was empty, too empty. The café was still in sight, its warm glow spilling onto the sidewalk. Daniel was probably still inside. Maybe she should turn back, Then she heard it. Footsteps. Deliberate. Measured. Following her.

Tricia's pulse spiked. She picked up her pace, turning the corner onto a side street. The footsteps followed.

Her instincts screamed at her, run.

She broke into a sprint.

Behind her, the footsteps quickened.

She darted into an alley, her breath ragged. Trash bins lined the narrow passage, a fire escape ladder hung just out of reach. If she could just,

A hand clamped over her mouth.

She thrashed, but the grip was iron-tight, yanking her backward into the shadows. Another hand grabbed her wrist, twisting her arm painfully.

"Stop fighting," a low voice warned. "You've been asking too many questions, Tricia."

Her blood turned to ice. They knew her name.

She slammed her heel down onto her attacker's foot. The grip loosened just enough. She twisted free and spun around, catching a glimpse of a man in a dark hoodie. His face was obscured, but she saw the glint of something metallic in his hand, a knife.

"Walk away," he said, his voice eerily calm. "Forget Maya. Forget everything."

Tricia's heart pounded. "Who are you?"

The man tilted his head. "Someone trying to keep you alive."

Then he lunged.

She barely dodged in time, the knife slicing through the air inches from her ribs. Adrenaline took over. She grabbed the nearest trash can and hurled it at him. He staggered, giving her just enough time to bolt.

She didn't stop running. Not when she reached the main road. Not when she saw the headlights of an oncoming car. Not even when she heard the echo of her attacker's final words,

"Forget everything."

But she couldn't. Not now. Not ever.

An Hour Later

Tricia sat in a dingy motel room on the outskirts of the city, her back pressed against the door. Her hands still shook as she gripped her phone, debating who to call.

The police? No. She couldn't trust them.

Daniel? Maybe. But how much did he really know?

She looked down at the journal in her lap, Maya's last words, her last warnings.

Her life was a lie. Someone wanted her dead.

And now, Tricia Davies no longer existed.

She had to disappear before they made her vanish for good.

Letters Never Sent

Tricia sat on the creaky motel bed, gripping Maya's journal like a lifeline. The attack had shaken her, but it had also solidified one thing, she couldn't run from this. Whoever wanted her gone wasn't just trying to scare her. They were willing to kill.

She had barely escaped. But for how long?

Her phone lay beside her, turned off. If they were tracking her, she couldn't afford to make mistakes.

She exhaled and opened the journal again. She had read the entries over and over, dissecting every word, searching for something, anything, that would lead her to the truth. But maybe she was missing something.

She flipped to the back, running her fingers along the worn binding. Wait.

The spine felt uneven. Like something was hidden inside.

Heart pounding, she pressed her fingers along the edge and tugged. A small, folded envelope slid out.

She stared at it. Maya had hidden this.

With trembling hands, she unfolded the paper.

It wasn't one letter. It was several.

Letters Maya had written but never sent.

The First Letter

Tricia,

If you're reading this, it means I never got the chance to tell you the truth myself. And I'm sorry for that. I never wanted to drag you into this, but you have to know what's been happening.

You've always trusted your family. But Tricia, they aren't who they say they are. Neither is Daniel.

Tricia's stomach twisted. Daniel?

She kept reading.

I overheard them talking, Trish. Daniel and your parents. They were arguing about keeping secrets from you. About your past. Your real past. I didn't hear everything, but I heard enough.

"She can't find out."

"She doesn't need to know."

I don't know what they were talking about, but I started digging. And what I found… it scared me. Someone took you, Tricia. Someone erased your history, and your parents helped cover it up. I think Daniel knows the truth, but he's been feeding you lies.

And now, they know I know.

I don't think I have much time left. But if something happens to me, promise me one thing, don't trust anyone. Not even the people you think love you. Especially them.

Maya

Tricia's hands shook as she lowered the letter. Daniel, Her parents.

They had all told her to stop looking. They had all tried to convince her Maya ran away. But Maya didn't run. They had silenced her.

Tricia clenched the letter in her fist. Everything had been a lie.

She wasn't safe. She had never been safe.

And now, the people she had once trusted, were the ones who wanted her to disappear.

The Code Within the Words

Tricia stared at Maya's letter, her mind racing. Daniel. Her parents. Lies. She wanted to believe there was some mistake, that Maya had misunderstood. But deep down, she knew the truth. They had been keeping secrets from her. And now, they wanted her to stop looking.

But Maya had risked everything to warn her. And Tricia wasn't about to stop now.

She spread the letters across the motel bed, reading them again, slower this time. The words burned into her mind:

"You've always trusted your family. But Tricia, they aren't who they say they are."

"I overheard them talking, Trish. Daniel and your parents."

"I don't think I have much time left."

Something felt… off.

She traced the sentences with her finger. The wording was strange. Too deliberate. Like Maya had been trying to say something without actually saying it.

Then it hit her.

She grabbed a pen and circled the first letter of every sentence in the first letter. Then she did the same with the second letter. Then the third.

At first, it seemed like nonsense. But as she scanned the pattern, her breath caught.

Tricia's pulse pounded. The oak tree.

Maya had mentioned it in her journal before she disappeared. "The roots. That's where I hid it."

Whatever she had discovered, she had hidden it there. And now Tricia knew exactly where to look.

She stuffed the letters back into the envelope, shoved it into her bag, and grabbed her coat.

She wasn't running anymore. She was hunting for the truth.