"Why don't you go to the bathroom? So you can wash your face or something," Faye suggested as I slowly calmed down. She stayed by my side until I settled. The problem was still there, but we both knew it was better to take it step by step.

"Sure," I said, standing and moving towards the door. Before closing it behind me, I stopped and asked, "Um, where...?"

"Second door to the right."

"Thanks."

I took the chance to take in the odd beauty of the house. It must be their parents who love this kind of design because it absolutely doesn't match Faye. Much less Hamish. I wonder what his room looks like now that I think about it.

Anyway, I reached the bathroom door and washed my face.

In the mirror, I caught a glance of my face. Subtle traces of eye bags were forming below my eyes. I groaned internally. It must be because quality sleep hasn't been in my routine for years if I take count of it. I either wake up agitated when I decide to sleep early, or just stay awake on my phone until late at night.

These weeks I have tried my best to actually have some sleep, but at night, it feels almost impossible. I sighed and walked out of the bathroom, remembering the way back to Faye's room.

Just when I was about to enter, I heard a conversation, slightly muffled from the door between us.

"Huh?" I peeked in to realize Hamish was there.

Unintentionally, I kept listening...

"So," Hamish began, his tone cautious, "do you like him or not?"

Faye replied with a serious and stern voice. "I don't. We're just becoming good friends, and that's all."

There was a slight silence before Hamish's voice came again, seemingly pondering his thoughts for a moment before asking, "Well, do you think he's cute?" I noticed through a crack between the door how he brushed his hair as he asked that. What kind of interrogatory was this?

I caught a hint of how Faye changed her look at him, raising an eyebrow. Hamish hesitated, looking a bit shy. Dead silence filled the room. Her eyes then opened with shock, and she pointed at him almost accusingly.

"No way! You-"

"No? Okay! I'm leaving then. Enjoy your room!" Hamish cut her off and turned. I didn't have time to react or even see him coming before he threw open the door, almost hitting me with it. We briefly locked eyes, and I stepped aside as he rushed past, looking hurried. Faye's door remained ajar.

My heart raced. What the hell was that? What exactly did I just stumble into?

"Um..." I couldn't even muster a word, just stood there probably looking like an idiot.

"Just pretend you heard nothing about that."

"O-okay?" I replied, still stunned.

Faye sighed and then focused back on her phone. "At least he won't be bothering me anymore." She mumbled to herself, though I still caught her words. Then she looked at me with pity. "Hm, what do you think about my brother?"

"A-about Hamish? What do you mean?"

She groaned, "Never mind."

I shrugged it off and entered at once, closing the door behind me. If I had to describe him, I would only need one word... irritating.

⎯⎯⎯✧࿓☾⎯⎯⎯

Not long after, my mom came to pick me up. Faye's parents had arrived a while ago, and her mom had invited me to stay for dinner, but I refused. Luckily, my mom didn't take long after that. They happened to click immediately though, and she made me promise them that I would stay for dinner some other day.

"Please don't tell anyone about this," I whispered to Faye before leaving. I had the feeling she wouldn't, but I still wanted to make things clear.

"I definitely won't."

I managed to give her a smile and waved at her before finally leaving. As I stepped outside, I saw Hamish lingering near the front door, but catching up to me before I got inside my mom's car.

"Hey," he said casually. "Leaving already?"

"Yeah, my mom's here," I replied, even if it was pretty obvious.

He glanced at my mom and then back at me. "Cool. See you around."

I nodded. "Yeah, see you."

As I was about to get into the car, Hamish said, "Have a good night."

"Thanks? You too." That's probably the politest I've ever heard him speak.

My mom watched the exchange with mild interest. "Who's that?" she asked once I got in the car, and he went back into his house.

"That's Hamish. Faye's brother."

"He seems nice," she commented, starting the engine.

"Yeah, he's... something," I said, glancing back at the house as we drove away. The conversation I overheard replayed in my mind, and I couldn't help but wonder what he was really thinking.

"So," my mom said as we were on the road. "Did you have fun?"

"It was all right."

"Oh come on, tell me something, tell me what you did." I took a moment to think since she was insisting.

"We... we read a book."

She chuckled. "Yeah, sounds like you."

We both stared at the road as rain began to fall, soaking the glass. She activated the windshields and air. The petrichor reached us even inside the car.

"Remember the day when we were still at our old home and it started raining like this?" she asked, "you were still in middle school."

I looked at her. I don't think I remembered it. Maybe she was trying to keep a conversation going.

"You don't remember?" she asked.

"Can you be more specific?" I requested.

"Sure. You had just started your first year in middle school, and it was that day right before we moved to Agathe's house."

"Oh. I think I remember now."

"Yeah, you wanted to see what the new house was going to look like, so you wanted to explore it even though we were not supposed to go in yet. But, it started raining heavily just like this, and you got lost for a while."

I sighed. Now I remember. It was pointless to remember it, though.

My reason for going out was not exactly to find out what the new house looked like. Not that I could tell her what really happened.

"I was so scared. I thought you were missing," she continued, this time taking in her words. I noticed her grip tightening on the steering wheel.

I remained silent.

"I had just lost your dad, and if I ever lost you too..."

I remember her tearing up back then. It was around that same time when things changed drastically for us. That night, when she found me, I had been chasing a shadow. I never mentioned it to anyone because I was already too scared. And with everything that happened, I just thought it was just my imagination. It was also too long ago for me to bother.

But I knew it was real. That night I felt watched, and no matter where I would turn, it was right there. Over time, I convinced myself it was just my imagination-my mom says I used to had imaginary friends as a child that I don't remember. Deep down I had a feeling that night, it had been something real. Has it always been following me?

"Sorry about that," my mom whispered.

I didn't respond. I knew it hurt her, and that pain might be why she's so overprotective. I tried to empathize with her, but I couldn't find the words to comfort her. I felt a chasm between us, one that seemed impossible to bridge. She would never truly understand me, and I couldn't reach out to her the way I wished. She focused back on the road, and we didn't spoke another word to each other for the night, as usual.

(Extra) -Later that night-

As I was about to drift off to sleep, my phone buzzed. It was strange since I rarely used the messaging app, but I was certain that was what made the sound.

I turned on my phone and saw that Faye had added my number. She had also sent a message, so I quickly saved her contact.

Faye: Remember, let's stay in touch if we find anything new.

Me: Got it.

I saw the "typing" indicator for a while, then nothing. After a few seconds, she sent a link.

Me: What's this? 🤔

Faye: If I sent it, you're supposed to find out yourself. -_-

Sigh, seriously? I pulsed on the link, and it took me directly to a forum about dark, obscure subjects. It prompted me to log in or create a username. Another message from Faye popped up.

Faye: Create a profile.

And add me.

My username is Finsternis.

Me: Will you please tell me what this is for?

Faye: Investigation, obviously.

It's the platform where I've discovered a lot of things. You might as well engage with others and see if someone has had a similar experience or knowledge on the subject. Keep it anonymous.

Me: ofc

Faye: Oh, and... there's something else.

Me: Yeah?

Faye: Well, I think my brother might have phished my phone to get your number.

Beware.

I didn't like those last texts.

I was about to reply, asking how she could let this happen, when a new notification popped up on my phone. I didn't even have to open it to read the messages I would undoubtedly ignore.

+44 7911 654 321 Hey there, Rands, it's me, Hamish.

Front seat mate ;)

*****

-Author note & disclaim- The phone numbers in this story are fictional, any resemblance to actual numbers is purely coincidental.

Btw, lol. Who do you think will drive Randy insane first, the shadow or Hamish? Place your bets!

And, to finally close this chapter, I want to give special thanks to my sister, and first reader ( @/_.gamychan._ on instagram) she's helped me throughout this writing process a lot, and I dedicate this chapter to her, since she gave me one of the most important ideas for building it (one day I'll finally convince her to join wattpad).