A Game of Lies
Tricia sat at her desk, Maya's journal open in front of her, its words running circles in her mind. "I didn't run away. I was taken." The weight of those words pressed down on her, but one thought gnawed at her more than anything, if Maya had been in danger, if she had known something, then why had no one believed her? Why had no one looked deeper?
She had trusted the police, the investigators, even Maya's own family when they told her to move on. But now, with every passing hour, she was beginning to see the truth, someone had been manipulating her from the very beginning.
Her phone buzzed. A message from Daniel.
Daniel Carter. Her ex-boyfriend. The one person who had been by her side through the worst of it. He had comforted her when Maya disappeared, insisted she let it go when she started asking too many questions. "Maya had secrets," he had said. "Some people just leave."
But Maya hadn't just left. She had been afraid. She had been running from something. And Daniel, he had always been too quick to shut Tricia down whenever she got close to the truth.
She opened the message.
DANIEL: Tricia, we need to talk. It's important. Meet me at the café.
Tricia hesitated. Was he trying to help? Or was he trying to steer her away again?
Something about all of this felt wrong. The anonymous letter, the phone call warning her to stop, Maya's journal pointing her to something buried under the oak tree. And now, just when she was finally putting the pieces together, Daniel wanted to meet?
She grabbed her coat and stuffed the journal into her bag. She would meet him, but she wouldn't trust him. Not yet. Because now she knew she was playing a game. A game of lies. And she wasn't going to lose.
The Stranger in the Mirror
Tricia stepped into the café, her eyes scanning the crowd until they landed on Daniel. He sat in a corner booth, his hands wrapped around a mug of coffee, his posture tense. The moment he saw her, his expression shifted, relief mixed with something she couldn't quite place.
She slid into the seat across from him, her bag clutched tightly in her lap, the weight of Maya's journal pressing against her leg.
"You came," Daniel said, his voice low.
"You said it was important," she replied, her tone cautious. "So talk."
Daniel glanced around nervously before leaning closer. "Tricia, you need to stop digging into this. It's not safe."
Her jaw tightened. "Funny, that's exactly what the person on the phone said. Who's pulling your strings, Daniel?"
His eyes widened. "You got a call?"
She didn't answer, leaning back and crossing her arms. "What aren't you telling me?"
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's complicated."
"Then uncomplicate it."
Daniel hesitated, his gaze darting to the bag in her lap. "You've been looking into Maya's disappearance, haven't you? And now you've found something."
Tricia's heart raced. He knew. Somehow, he already knew about the journal. "What do you know about Maya, Daniel? And don't lie to me."
He hesitated for a moment too long. "Maya was… involved in things she shouldn't have been. She found something dangerous, and she tried to protect you by keeping you out of it."
Tricia's breath caught. "Protect me? From what?"
Daniel swallowed hard. "From the people who took her. The same people who are watching you now."
Her stomach churned. "And what do they want?"
Daniel's face darkened. "To keep their secrets buried. And you're getting too close."
Tricia pulled the journal from her bag and slapped it on the table. "Does this have anything to do with it? Because if it does, you're going to tell me everything right now."
Daniel's eyes widened at the sight of the journal. He reached for it, but Tricia snatched it back. "Not until you talk."
He leaned back, his expression grim. "Tricia, where do you think you come from?"
The question caught her off guard. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Everything," he said. "You've always wondered about your adoption, haven't you? Why it felt like your past was wiped clean?"
She froze, her mind flashing to the name she'd found in Maya's journal, Lena Hathaway.
Daniel saw the recognition in her eyes and sighed. "Maya figured it out. She found out who you really are."
Her chest tightened. "And who am I, Daniel?"
He hesitated, then spoke in a whisper. "You're not Tricia Davies. You're Lena Hathaway's daughter, the baby who disappeared twenty-three years ago."
The words hit her like a punch to the gut. She stared at him, her world spinning. "How do you know that?"
"I've known for a while," Daniel admitted, guilt flickering across his face. "The people who took you, they've been watching you ever since. They wanted to make sure you never found out the truth. That's why Maya disappeared. She got too close."
Tricia's hands trembled. Her life, her identity, her very existence, it was all a lie. And now she was standing on the edge of a dangerous truth.
She stood abruptly, clutching the journal. "If you're so afraid for me, why are you telling me this now?"
"Because," Daniel said, his voice heavy, "you're already in too deep. And once you start down this path, there's no going back."
Tricia stood and walked out of the café, her mind a whirlwind of questions. Who was she really? And what had Maya uncovered that was worth dying for?
The reflection in the window as she passed didn't feel like hers anymore. She was a stranger to herself, and the truth waiting for her was darker than she ever imagined.
A Dangerous Encounter
Tricia stepped out of the café, her mind a chaotic storm. The city lights blurred as she walked, Daniel's words still ringing in her ears.
"You're not Tricia Davies. You're Lena Hathaway's daughter."
It couldn't be true. Her parents, her real parents, had raised her with love. They couldn't have been part of some elaborate lie. Could they?
And Maya… Maya had known. She had uncovered something about Tricia's past, something dangerous enough to get her killed.
Tricia pulled her coat tighter around her as a cold wind rushed through the streets. Her apartment was just a few blocks away, but suddenly, every shadow felt like it was watching her.
She checked her phone. No new messages. No missed calls. Silence.
Something about that felt wrong.
She glanced over her shoulder. The street behind her was empty, too empty. The café was still in sight, its warm glow spilling onto the sidewalk. Daniel was probably still inside. Maybe she should turn back, Then she heard it. Footsteps. Deliberate. Measured. Following her.
Tricia's pulse spiked. She picked up her pace, turning the corner onto a side street. The footsteps followed.
Her instincts screamed at her, run.
She broke into a sprint.
Behind her, the footsteps quickened.
She darted into an alley, her breath ragged. Trash bins lined the narrow passage, a fire escape ladder hung just out of reach. If she could just,
A hand clamped over her mouth.
She thrashed, but the grip was iron-tight, yanking her backward into the shadows. Another hand grabbed her wrist, twisting her arm painfully.
"Stop fighting," a low voice warned. "You've been asking too many questions, Tricia."
Her blood turned to ice. They knew her name.
She slammed her heel down onto her attacker's foot. The grip loosened just enough. She twisted free and spun around, catching a glimpse of a man in a dark hoodie. His face was obscured, but she saw the glint of something metallic in his hand, a knife.
"Walk away," he said, his voice eerily calm. "Forget Maya. Forget everything."
Tricia's heart pounded. "Who are you?"
The man tilted his head. "Someone trying to keep you alive."
Then he lunged.
She barely dodged in time, the knife slicing through the air inches from her ribs. Adrenaline took over. She grabbed the nearest trash can and hurled it at him. He staggered, giving her just enough time to bolt.
She didn't stop running. Not when she reached the main road. Not when she saw the headlights of an oncoming car. Not even when she heard the echo of her attacker's final words,
"Forget everything."
But she couldn't. Not now. Not ever.
An Hour Later
Tricia sat in a dingy motel room on the outskirts of the city, her back pressed against the door. Her hands still shook as she gripped her phone, debating who to call.
The police? No. She couldn't trust them.
Daniel? Maybe. But how much did he really know?
She looked down at the journal in her lap, Maya's last words, her last warnings.
Her life was a lie. Someone wanted her dead.
And now, Tricia Davies no longer existed.
She had to disappear before they made her vanish for good.
Letters Never Sent
Tricia sat on the creaky motel bed, gripping Maya's journal like a lifeline. The attack had shaken her, but it had also solidified one thing, she couldn't run from this. Whoever wanted her gone wasn't just trying to scare her. They were willing to kill.
She had barely escaped. But for how long?
Her phone lay beside her, turned off. If they were tracking her, she couldn't afford to make mistakes.
She exhaled and opened the journal again. She had read the entries over and over, dissecting every word, searching for something, anything, that would lead her to the truth. But maybe she was missing something.
She flipped to the back, running her fingers along the worn binding. Wait.
The spine felt uneven. Like something was hidden inside.
Heart pounding, she pressed her fingers along the edge and tugged. A small, folded envelope slid out.
She stared at it. Maya had hidden this.
With trembling hands, she unfolded the paper.
It wasn't one letter. It was several.
Letters Maya had written but never sent.
The First Letter
Tricia,
If you're reading this, it means I never got the chance to tell you the truth myself. And I'm sorry for that. I never wanted to drag you into this, but you have to know what's been happening.
You've always trusted your family. But Tricia, they aren't who they say they are. Neither is Daniel.
Tricia's stomach twisted. Daniel?
She kept reading.
I overheard them talking, Trish. Daniel and your parents. They were arguing about keeping secrets from you. About your past. Your real past. I didn't hear everything, but I heard enough.
"She can't find out."
"She doesn't need to know."
I don't know what they were talking about, but I started digging. And what I found… it scared me. Someone took you, Tricia. Someone erased your history, and your parents helped cover it up. I think Daniel knows the truth, but he's been feeding you lies.
And now, they know I know.
I don't think I have much time left. But if something happens to me, promise me one thing, don't trust anyone. Not even the people you think love you. Especially them.
Maya
Tricia's hands shook as she lowered the letter. Daniel, Her parents.
They had all told her to stop looking. They had all tried to convince her Maya ran away. But Maya didn't run. They had silenced her.
Tricia clenched the letter in her fist. Everything had been a lie.
She wasn't safe. She had never been safe.
And now, the people she had once trusted, were the ones who wanted her to disappear.
The Code Within the Words
Tricia stared at Maya's letter, her mind racing. Daniel. Her parents. Lies. She wanted to believe there was some mistake, that Maya had misunderstood. But deep down, she knew the truth. They had been keeping secrets from her. And now, they wanted her to stop looking.
But Maya had risked everything to warn her. And Tricia wasn't about to stop now.
She spread the letters across the motel bed, reading them again, slower this time. The words burned into her mind:
"You've always trusted your family. But Tricia, they aren't who they say they are."
"I overheard them talking, Trish. Daniel and your parents."
"I don't think I have much time left."
Something felt… off.
She traced the sentences with her finger. The wording was strange. Too deliberate. Like Maya had been trying to say something without actually saying it.
Then it hit her.
She grabbed a pen and circled the first letter of every sentence in the first letter. Then she did the same with the second letter. Then the third.
At first, it seemed like nonsense. But as she scanned the pattern, her breath caught.
Tricia's pulse pounded. The oak tree.
Maya had mentioned it in her journal before she disappeared. "The roots. That's where I hid it."
Whatever she had discovered, she had hidden it there. And now Tricia knew exactly where to look.
She stuffed the letters back into the envelope, shoved it into her bag, and grabbed her coat.
She wasn't running anymore. She was hunting for the truth.