Chapter 35
Chapter 35
I didn’t think I would ever be happy in this small town but as I thought of the friends I had made and the things we have been through , it made me smile . It felt like I had a fresh start despite the things I had seen, if I was to tell my old friends about this they would think I was starting to lose my mind .
It was late afternoon, the kind of quiet hour when the house feels half-asleep. Dad was still at work, Gran was napping in her chair downstairs, and sunlight stretched lazily across my bedroom floor. Everything looked ordinary. Peaceful.
I sat at my desk pretending to do homework, tapping my pen against the notebook while my mind wandered. Outside, the wind brushed gently against the trees, making the branches scrape softly against the window.
Scratch.
Pause.
Scratch.
I ignored it at first.
Then it came again.
Scratch.
Slower this time. Deliberate.
My pen stopped moving.
I lifted my head, staring at the window. The branches outside swayed gently, leaves fluttering in the breeze. Nothing unusual. Nothing threatening.
Still, a strange unease settled in my stomach — that quiet instinct whispering that something wasn’t right.
I stood up slowly and walked toward the glass.
The yard looked normal. The fence. The trees. The narrow path leading to the road. Everything exactly where it should be.
Then the scratching stopped.
Just like that.
Silence swallowed the room, thick and uncomfortable.
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding and turned away, shaking my head at myself.
“Get it together, Aili,” I muttered.
But as I stepped back toward my desk, I heard it.
My name.
Soft.
Barely louder than a breath.
“Aili…”
I froze.
The sound didn’t come from outside.
It came from inside the room.
My heart began to pound — slow, heavy beats that echoed in my ears. I turned slowly, scanning the corners of the bedroom.
Closet.
Desk.
Mirror.
Nothing.
I swallowed hard.
“You’re imagining things,” I whispered.
The words sounded weak, even to me.
I forced myself to sit back down, gripping the edge of the chair. My palms were damp, my breathing uneven.
Minutes passed.
Nothing else happened.
Eventually, the tension faded, and I convinced myself it had been stress. Lack of sleep. Too many strange things happening lately. My brain just needed rest.
That’s what I told myself.
That night, I almost believed it.
Knowing I had school and having this voice following me around like a ghost made my day horrible . I felt like I hadn’t slept in days and the day moved extremely slow.
We were sitting on the bleachers behind the school, watching the sun sink slowly behind the trees. The sky burned orange and pink, the air cool and calm. It felt like one of those rare moments when life paused long enough to breathe.
Nick leaned back beside me, arms stretched across the metal bench.
“You’ve been quiet today,” he said.
“I’m always quiet.”
“Not like this.”
I stared at the football field below, watching a few younger students kicking a ball around. Their laughter carried across the empty space.
“I just feel… off,” I admitted.
Nick turned his head slightly, studying me.
“Off how?”
I hesitated.
This was the part where I decided whether to sound crazy.
“Like something’s watching me,” I said finally. “Or trying to get my attention.”
He didn’t laugh.
He didn’t roll his eyes.
He just sat there, calm and serious, which somehow made the feeling worse.
“Has it happened more than once?” he asked.
I nodded slowly.
His jaw tightened.
“Did you tell the others?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to be the girl who sees things that aren’t there.”
Nick exhaled quietly, running a hand through his hair.
“You’re not crazy, Aili,” he said. “Nothing about your life is normal. If something feels wrong, it probably is.”
The way he said it — steady, certain — made my chest tighten.
I looked at him.
“Do you ever get scared?” I asked.
He hesitated.
“Yeah,” he admitted. “But not for myself.”
My breath caught.
“For who?” I asked softly.
His eyes met mine, dark and intense.
“You.”
The word hung between us, heavy and electric.
For a second, the world felt smaller — just the two of us sitting there in the fading light, hearts beating a little too fast.
Then it happened again.
“Aili…”
The whisper slid through the air like cold smoke.
I stiffened instantly.
Nick noticed.
“What?” he asked.
“Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
My stomach dropped.
The voice came again — clearer now, closer.
“Aili… come home…”
A sharp chill ran down my spine.
I shot to my feet, scanning the empty field, the trees, the parking lot.
No one.
Nothing.
Just shadows stretching across the ground.
Nick stood beside me, alert now.
“Aili,” he said firmly, “talk to me.”
My hands trembled.
“It’s happening again.”
His expression shifted — protective, focused.
“Okay,” he said calmly. “We’re leaving. I’m walking you home.”
“I’m fine—”
“No,” he cut in gently but firmly. “You’re not.”
There was something steady in his voice, something grounding.
And for the first time all day, I didn’t argue.
The walk home felt longer than usual.
The sky had darkened to deep blue, streetlights flickering on one by one. The town looked normal, peaceful — but the unease inside me refused to fade.
Nick walked beside me in silence, hands shoved into his pockets, eyes scanning everything around us.
When we reached my gate, he stopped.
“You sure you’re okay?” he asked.
I nodded, though the knot in my stomach remained.
“Yeah.”
He studied me for a moment, then stepped closer.
Close enough that I could feel the warmth of him, steady and solid.
“If anything happens,” he said quietly, “call me. I don’t care what time it is.”
My heart fluttered.
“Okay,” I whispered.
For a second, neither of us moved.
The air between us felt charged — like something unspoken hovered just beneath the surface.
Then the porch light flickered.
Once.
Twice.
We both turned toward the house.
The front door slowly creaked open.
On its own.
Nick’s voice dropped to a low, tense whisper.
“Aili…”
My pulse thundered in my ears as I stared at the dark doorway.
And from inside the house, drifting softly through the silence, came a familiar voice.
My mother’s voice.
Calling my name.
“Aili…”