The sound of the phone ringing jolted Zara out of her thoughts. She sat on the edge of her bed, absently flipping through the pages of her chemistry textbook, but her mind was elsewhere. Ever since her mom's strange visit with that man, the tension in the house had only gotten thicker. Her mother had been distant, often staring out of the window, lost in thoughts Zara couldn't quite grasp.
Her phone buzzed again—this time a text from Mia: "Hey, you coming over? We can study together. Also, I need to talk about something."
Zara stared at the message, her fingers hovering over the screen. Something about Mia's tone seemed off, but maybe that was just her imagination. It wasn't like Mia to sound cryptic. The last few days had been a rollercoaster of emotions, with the phone calls and texts from the unknown number, the whispers of secrets she wasn't meant to know, and the sudden disappearance of her mom's carefree attitude.
Zara hesitated for a moment, then replied: "Sure. I'll be there soon."
She grabbed her jacket and slipped out of the house, her footsteps echoing in the quiet hallway. As she stepped outside, the cool air hit her face like a slap. She breathed in deeply, trying to clear her mind, but it was hard to focus. The house felt colder without her father there, and her mom seemed lost in her own world.
Zara arrived at Mia's house a few minutes later, knocking softly on the door before it opened to reveal Mia standing with an unreadable expression.
"Hey," Mia said, stepping aside to let Zara in. "Thanks for coming."
Zara nodded but couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. They walked into Mia's room, where the soft glow of the desk lamp illuminated the scattered papers and books. Mia had set up a study session, but the tense energy in the room suggested it was for something else entirely.
Zara sat down, watching as Mia paced back and forth, her arms crossed.
"What's going on, Mia?" Zara asked, her voice low, trying not to sound too worried.
Mia finally stopped pacing and looked at her. "Zara, there's something I need to tell you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know if you've noticed, but... something's been off with your mom lately. She's been acting strange, and I... I think she's hiding something."
Zara's heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"
Mia hesitated. "I don't know all the details, but there's something about your mom's recent actions. She's been receiving these weird calls. I overheard her talking to someone late at night, and it didn't sound like someone you should trust."
Zara stood up, her mind racing. "What? Are you sure? My mom would never—"
"I know it sounds crazy," Mia interrupted, "but I've been noticing things. And I think you deserve to know. You've been worried about her, haven't you? You've been trying to figure out what's going on, right?"
Zara took a deep breath, her hands shaking. "Yeah, I've been trying, but it's all... it's all a mess."
Mia nodded. "I think whatever this is—it's bigger than you realize. But you can't face it alone. You need to keep an eye on her, Zara. I know this might be hard to hear, but something's not right. I just don't know what it is yet."
Zara was silent for a moment, the weight of Mia's words sinking in. She wanted to believe her mom was still the same person she knew, but after everything that had been happening, Zara couldn't ignore the creeping doubt in her mind.
"I'll keep an eye on her," Zara said softly. "But I need you to promise me something. If anything else happens—if you notice anything strange—tell me immediately, okay?"
Mia gave her a tight smile, but there was something about it that seemed forced. "I promise."
As Zara left Mia's house, her thoughts were a whirlwind. She felt torn between wanting to trust her mom and the unsettling feeling that maybe her mom was hiding something deeper than Zara had realized. Mia's words echoed in her mind: something's not right.
Back home, the house felt emptier than ever. Zara stepped inside, her eyes scanning the room for any sign of her mother. But the house was quiet, and her mom wasn't in sight.
As Zara walked to her room, her phone buzzed again. It was a message from an unknown number.
"You're getting too close, Zara. Stay out of it, or things will get worse. This is your only warning."
Her heart stopped.
Zara dropped her phone onto the bed, her mind racing. Who was this person? And what did they know