The Shadow of Past desires

Silvia sat across from Thea at their usual spot in the cafeteria, her fingers drumming anxiously against the table. She had spent the last few days searching for information about Ariana, and what she had uncovered was deeply unsettling.

"Thea," Silvia began, her voice barely above a whisper, "I spoke to one of Ariana's old friends."

Thea looked up from her notes, her brows furrowing. "And?"

Silvia hesitated for a moment before leaning in. "Ariana was never dating Harrison."

Thea blinked, her grip tightening around her pen. "What? But everyone thought—"

"Harrison left because he found out Ariana liked someone else," Silvia interrupted. "He couldn't handle it, so he distanced himself. But for some reason, Ariana never corrected the rumors. It was almost like she wanted people to believe she was with him."

A chill ran down Thea's spine. "But why? And who was she really in love with?"

Silvia shook her head. "That's what we don't know. But it changes everything."

Thea exhaled, trying to process this new information. Her mind raced, piecing together fragments of Ariana's past. Then, an idea struck her.

"I need to check something," she muttered, already standing up.

"Where are you going?" Silvia asked, concern flickering in her eyes.

"The records room."

---

The records room was eerily quiet, the dim yellow light casting long shadows across the dusty shelves. Thea moved quickly, pulling out old attendance logs, yearbooks, anything that might offer some kind of clue.

Her fingers froze as she flipped through a familiar ledger. Ariana's name was listed next to another student's—a name that sent a shiver through her entire body.

Before she could process it, soft footsteps echoed through the aisle behind her. Thea turned sharply, her pulse hammering. A shadow moved between the shelves. For a moment, it felt like she was standing in a memory rather than reality.

And then, she saw him.

A man stood at the end of the aisle, his face obscured by the dim lighting. But Thea's eyes were drawn downward—to his shoes.

Her breath caught in her throat.

They were the same shoes from the photograph found on Ariana's phone. The one where two pairs of feet were captured—one belonging to Ariana, the other to someone unknown. Until now.

The man met Thea's gaze, his expression unreadable, before turning and disappearing into the maze of shelves.

"Thea?" Silvia's voice broke through the eerie silence, making Thea jolt.

She turned back to her friend, her hands trembling. "We were wrong, Silvia. We were so wrong."

Silvia's face paled. "What do you mean?"

Thea swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest. "Ariana didn't take her own life because of Harrison. Someone else was in her story—someone she kept hidden. And I think... I think that person is still here."

A shiver passed between them as they left the records room. Thea could feel it—something unseen lurking in the shadows, whispering secrets of the past.

The truth wasn't just buried.

It was waiting to be found.