Chapter 5: The Voice in the Dark
The next morning didn't feel like a new beginning.
It felt like a continuing of something unfinished.
Maya woke up with the same heaviness in her chest. The sunlight slipping through her curtains felt too bright.... almost uncomfortable. She closed her eyes again,hoping to escape that feeling.
But she couldn't.
Because the voice from last night was still echoing in her mind.
"I was silent too..."
At school, everything seemed normal.
Too normal.
Students laughed, talked and moved on with their lives as if nothing had changed. But for Maya, everything had.
She walked through the hallway, her eyes lowered, her steps slow. For the first time, she wasn't just avoiding people.....
She was searching.
Searching for someone she had never seen.
Someone who somehow knew her.
Classes passed like a blur.
Words from teachers faded before they could reach her mind. The only thing she could focus on was her phone.
She checked it again.
No new calls.
No message.
Nothing.
A strange disappointment settled in her chest.
Why did she even care?
It was just a call.
A random voice.
Right?
During lunch break, Maya sat alone as usual.
But today, her silence felt different.
It wasn't empty.
It was waiting.
Her phone vibrated.
Her heart skipped.
Unknown number.
Again.
Her fingers trembled as she answered.
"Hello....?"
A pause.
Then...
"You were waiting. "
Maya's breath caught.
"Who are you?" She whispered.
A soft chuckle came from the other side.
"Dose it matter?"
"Yes, it does!" Maya's voice shook, louder than she expected. "How do you know about me?"
Silence.
Then the voice spoke again, calmer this time.
"Because I see what others don't. "
Maya felt a chill run down her spine.
"What does that even mean?"
"It means...I've been watching. "
Her grip on the phone tightened.
Watching?
A thousand thoughts rushed into her mind.
Fear.
Confusion.
Doubt.
"Are you....from my school?" She asked careful.
No answer.
Instead, the voice said
"You tried to speak yesterday. That was brave."
Maya froze.
No one had called her brave before.
No for something like that.
Her eyes slowly filled with tears.
"They laughed, " She said softly. "The always do."
"I know. "
That simple reply hit her hander than anything else.
Not I'm sorry.
Not ignore them.
Just
I know.
For the first time, Maya felt understand.
Truly understand.
"Why are you doing this?" She asked. "Why are you calling me?"
Another pause
Then..
"Because someone should have.....a long time ago."
Maya couldn't speak.
Her throat tightened.
Her heart felt like it was breaking....and healing at the same time.
"Tell me your name," she said quietly.
Silence.
Then the call ended.
Maya stared at her phone.
"No...wait ..."
But it was too late.
The line was dead.
That night, she couldn't focus on anything. Homework lay untouched.
Her diary reminded open, but blank..
Her mind replayed every word.
"I've been watching."
That line kept repeating.
Was it comforting....or terrifying?
She got up and walked to the window.
The street outside was dimly lit.A few people passed by, their faces hidden in shado.
For a moment...
She felt like someone was there.
Watching her.
He heart started racing.
She stepped back quickly and closed the curtain.
"No...I'm overthinking, " she whispered to herself.
But deep inside.....
She wasn't sure.
Her phone vibrated again.
A message this time.
Unknown number.
He hands shook as she it.
"You're not alone. "
Maya's breath stopped.
Another message came.
"Meet me tomorrow. "
Her eyes window.
"Meet....?"
Her fingers hovered over the screen.
She typed
"Who are you?"
No reply.
Then, after a few seconds
"Someone who understands your silence. "
Maya sat frozen.
Her mind screamed at her
Don't go.
This is dangerous.
This is wrong.
But another voice whispered...
What if this is the only person who truly understands you?
She looked at her reflection in te dark screen.
For so long, she had bee invisible.
Unheard.
Unseen.
And now
Someone was finally listening.
Her phone lit up one last time.
"School rooftop. After class. "
Maya's heart pounder.
This was real.
Too real.
She slowly locked her phone.
Her decision wasn't made yet.
But one thing was certain...
Tomorrow....
Everything could change.
As she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, on though refused to leave her mind...
Was this the beginning of somethings real?
Or the start of something dangerous?
Outside, the wind whispered softly.
Like a voice in the dark.
(To be continued.....)