Which meant whoever took the picture hadn’t just watched her at school.
They had followed her.
“Scar?”
Mia’s voice came from the doorway.
Scarlett looked up. Mia stepped inside slowly, her face pale but determined.
“You’ve been staring at those for an hour,” Mia said.
Scarlett pushed one photo toward her.
“Look at the timestamps.”
Mia leaned closer.
Her eyes widened.
“Wait… these dates…”
“They go back almost ten years.”
Mia’s stomach visibly dropped.
“Scarlett, that means—”
“This didn’t start at Westview.”
Silence filled the room.
Scarlett opened her laptop and began typing quickly.
“What are you doing?” Mia asked.
“Cross-checking.”
“With what?”
Scarlett pulled up an old local news archive.
Her fingers hesitated above the keyboard before she typed a name.
The headline appeared instantly.
WESTVIEW MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT MISSING – CASE UNSOLVED
Mia leaned closer.
“Oh my God.”
Scarlett clicked the article.
A photograph filled the screen.
A girl with dark hair and bright eyes smiled back at them.
Emily Carter.
Missing for nine years.
Mia read the article quickly.
“She disappeared after cheer practice…”
Scarlett’s skin went cold.
“Read the details.”
Mia’s eyes moved faster.
“Her parents reported she had complained about being watched… but police said there was no evidence.”
Scarlett’s chest tightened.
“Sound familiar?”
Mia slowly looked up.
“You think this is the same person?”
Scarlett pulled one of the photos closer.
In the background of a school field, a blurred shape stood near a fence.
A figure.
Watching.
“That photo was taken when I was thirteen,” Scarlett said quietly.
“Four years after Emily disappeared.”
Mia swallowed hard.
“So whoever did that… never stopped.”
Before Scarlett could reply, her phone buzzed.
Both girls froze.
Unknown number.
Again.
Scarlett opened the message.
A voice recording.
Her hands trembled slightly as she pressed play.
A woman’s voice filled the room.
Soft.
Mocking.
Almost amused.
“You’re getting closer, Scarlett.”
The message ended.
Mia’s eyes were wide.
“What the hell?”
Scarlett’s pulse hammered.
“It’s a woman.”
“Or someone using a voice changer,” Mia said.
Scarlett shook her head.
“No.”
Something about the voice felt real.
Familiar even.
But she couldn’t place it.
Her phone buzzed again.
Another message.
You’re asking the right questions now.
Scarlett’s heart pounded.
Then another text appeared.
But you’re looking at the wrong enemy.
Before she could respond, another sound came from outside.
A car door slamming.
Scarlett moved toward the window cautiously.
Headlights flashed across the driveway.
A figure stepped out of the car.
Sophia Davis.
“What is she doing here?” Mia whispered.
Scarlett frowned.
Sophia hurried toward the house, looking over her shoulder nervously.
Seconds later, the doorbell rang.
Mia and Scarlett exchanged a glance.
Scarlett walked downstairs slowly and opened the door.
Sophia rushed inside immediately.
Her usual perfect composure was gone.
Her mascara was slightly smudged.
And she looked terrified.
“Scarlett,” she said breathlessly. “We need to talk.”
Scarlett crossed her arms.
“About what?”
Sophia’s eyes darted around the living room.
“Not here.”
Scarlett’s patience snapped.
“Then start talking.”
Sophia’s voice shook.
“You think I’m behind everything.”
Scarlett didn’t deny it.
Sophia swallowed.
“I’m not.”
“Convenient.”
“It’s true!” Sophia said urgently.
“Then explain the perfume.”
Sophia hesitated.
Her silence lasted just long enough to confirm everything.
Scarlett’s expression hardened.
“You were involved.”
Sophia’s shoulders slumped.
“But I wasn’t the one controlling it,” she whispered.
Mia stepped forward.
“Controlling what?”
Sophia looked like she might cry.
“Someone made me do it.”
Scarlett’s eyes narrowed.
“Who?”
Sophia shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
Scarlett laughed bitterly.
“You expect me to believe that?”
Sophia’s voice cracked.
“They sent me messages. Photos. Threats.”
Scarlett felt a chill crawl up her spine.
“What kind of threats?”
Sophia looked straight at her.
“The kind that ruin lives.”
Mia crossed her arms.
“So you decided ruining Scarlett’s life was easier?”
Sophia’s eyes filled with tears.
“I thought it was just harmless stuff at first. Moving things. Messing with her head.”
Scarlett’s jaw clenched.
“And the uniform?”
“They told me exactly when to go in.”
Sophia wiped her face.
“I swear I didn’t know about the photos in the wall.”
Scarlett studied her carefully.
Sophia was many things.
Competitive.
Manipulative.
But right now she looked genuinely scared.
“Who sent the messages?” Scarlett asked again.
Sophia shook her head helplessly.
“Anonymous numbers. Always different.”
Scarlett felt anger rising again.
“You expect me to believe you’re just a pawn?”
Sophia whispered something so quietly Scarlett almost missed it.
“I think there’s more than one of them.”
The room went silent.
Before Scarlett could respond, the front door creaked open behind them.
All three girls turned.
Ethan Moore stepped inside.
Like he had been invited.
Like he belonged there.
Scarlett frowned.
“How did you—”
“Back door was unlocked,” he said calmly.
He held up a small metal key.
“I needed to show you something.”
Scarlett’s irritation flared.
“Now’s not the time.”
Ethan’s gaze flicked briefly to Sophia.
Then back to Scarlett.
“Actually,” he said quietly.
“It’s exactly the time.”
He tossed something onto the coffee table.
A small storage locker key.
Scarlett stared at it.
“What is that?”
Ethan met her eyes.
“My locker.”
Sophia looked confused.
“So?”
Ethan’s voice turned colder.
“Because everything you’re looking for…”
He paused.
“…is inside.”
Scarlett followed him outside ten minutes later.
The night air was sharp.
Westview High loomed dark and silent ahead of them.
They reached the storage area behind the gym.
Ethan unlocked one of the small metal lockers.
The door creaked open.
Scarlett leaned closer.
Her breath caught.
Inside were dozens of files.
Photos.
Printouts.
Maps of the school.
Red circles marking camera blind spots.
And a newspaper clipping pinned to the inside door.
Emily Carter.
Missing.
Nine years ago.
Scarlett turned slowly toward Ethan.
“You’ve been investigating this.”
Ethan nodded once.
“For years.”
Scarlett’s heart pounded.
“How many people are involved?”
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
“More than you think.”
Scarlett felt the weight of the conspiracy settling around her.
She thought the enemy was one stalker.
One jealous rival.
But this?
This was bigger.
Far bigger.
And somewhere in the darkness of Westview High—
Someone was still watching.