Later that Night

The door clicked shut softly behind Pearl as she threw her bag onto the bed, her mind still buzzing from the library and the strange moments with Vansh. But now, all she wanted was to forget it all and get some peace. She grabbed her phone, hoping to distract herself with something mindless.

A notification popped up. It was a message from an unknown account: @love_peace. No profile picture, no name, nothing to identify the sender.

Pearl frowned, confused, and tapped on the message.

@love_peace (texting): "I see you."

Her blood ran cold. What kind of weird, cryptic message was this? She stared at the words, her heart beating faster. Who could be sending this?

Pearl (typing, trying to keep calm): "Who is this? What do you want?"

The response came almost instantly. Too quickly, too unnervingly fast.

@love_peace (texting): "I know what you did."

Pearl's fingers froze over the screen. What did she do? She couldn't think of anything that could've caused someone to send her a message like this. Her chest tightened. Was this some kind of prank?

Pearl (typing, heart racing): "What are you talking about? Stop messing with me."

Another message came through, even faster than before.

@love_peace (texting): "You can't hide. I know where you are."

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. That was no joke. Pearl's pulse spiked. This wasn't just a random prank—this was something else. She felt the weight of the words pressing down on her, making it hard to breathe. She quickly looked around her room, but everything was still. Her window was locked, her door shut. Nothing unusual.

Still, the unease lingered.

Pearl (typing again, her fingers trembling slightly): "Who is this? What do you want from me?"

She waited for a response, her gaze glued to the phone. The seconds felt like hours.

Then, the phone buzzed again. Another message.

@love_peace (texting): "I'm closer than you think."

A chill ran down her spine. Pearl's hand shook as she read the message. Her breath caught in her throat. It felt like the walls were closing in on her.

Without thinking, she grabbed her phone and spun around to face the dark corner of her room, her eyes darting to every shadow. She expected to see someone standing there, but the room was still. Silent.

She turned back to her phone, her thumb hesitating over the screen as she tried to make sense of what was happening. But before she could type anything, another notification came in.

Unknown (texting): "Look outside."

Pearl's heart skipped a beat. What?

Her throat went dry as her eyes slowly shifted toward the window. The curtains were drawn, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something—or someone—was out there.

She reached for the curtains, her hand trembling. She yanked them open, but there was nothing. No one. Just the dark night. Empty.

The phone buzzed once more, just as she let out a breath of relief.

@love_peace (texting): "Next time, you won't be able to escape."

Pearl felt like the floor had dropped out beneath her. That was enough. She couldn't handle any more. She grabbed her phone, turned it off, and tossed it onto the bed, her hands shaking. Her heart was still pounding in her chest.

There was no name. No explanation. Just eerie, cryptic messages.

The room seemed eerily quiet now, but the unease hung in the air like a heavy fog. She tried to ignore the dread that was slowly creeping up her spine, but no matter how hard she tried, the feeling wouldn't go away