The notebook felt heavier than it looked.
Elara sat on the edge of Evelyn's bed, the crimson blanket soft beneath her, though she barely noticed it. All her attention was fixed on the slanted, looping handwriting spilling across each yellowed page. The words read more like confessions than journal entries raw, frantic and unfinished thoughts.
"They watch me when they think I don't notice. Especially him. I used to trust him. Now I wonder if he's the one who slipped something into my tea that night…"
"There's a locked room in the east wing. No one ever talks about it. I asked Mother once and she slapped me so hard I couldn't eat for a day."
"I heard them arguing about me. I shouldn't have been born. 'Too weak, too much trouble,' she said. 'Just like her father.' I've never seen him. Maybe he left for a reason."
Elara turned the page. More names began to appear.
Kade.
Lia.
Jasper.
The names were underlined. Some were circled. And one had a deep, angry scratch through it.
Jasper.
She leaned back against the headboard, lips pursed. The notebook wasn't just a diary it was a breadcrumb trail. Evelyn had known something was wrong in her world. Someone close to her had wanted her gone, and she'd made sure to leave clues for whoever came next.
Whoever or whatever she thought that might be.
Elara flipped to the very back of the notebook. Tucked inside the back cover was a photograph, crinkled at the edges. It showed Evelyn alive and smiling and three others beside her.
Kade was unmistakable, standing with a hand draped over Evelyn's shoulder. On the other side of her stood a girl with jet-black hair and olive skin, flashing the camera a knowing smirk. And in the background, slightly removed, stood a boy with blond curls and an unreadable expression.
Jasper, most likely.
The photo was labeled on the back in Evelyn's handwriting:
"The ones who know too much."
Before she could reflect further, a loud knock startled her. Sharp, quick and urgent.
She stashed the notebook beneath the bed and quickly crossed the room, smoothing down her hair and brushing away the dust from her sweater. The doorknob felt cool in her palm.
She opened the door.
A girl stood in the hallway perhaps her age, maybe a bit younger. Her black hair was tied in a tight ponytail, and she wore a school uniform beneath a long trench coat. Her makeup was flawless, her brows arched in suspicion.
"You're alive," the girl said flatly.
Elara blinked. "Excuse me?"
The girl pushed past her and entered the room without permission, eyes scanning every inch with military efficiency.
"No one told me," she muttered. "One second, you're a ghost haunting the morning assembly, the next you're back in the manor like nothing happened."
Elara shut the door behind them. "Do I… know you?"
The girl froze.
Her eyes narrowed.
"El, this isn't funny," she said. "It's me. Lia. We've been best friends since we were eleven. Or is this another one of your stupid games?"
Elara forced a weak smile. "Sorry. My memory's been… hazy since I woke up."
Lia tilted her head, watching her like a hawk. "Hazy," she repeated slowly. "Right."
She moved to the desk and picked up the notebook, flipping through it before Elara could stop her. Her expression tightened.
"You found it," she said.
Elara said nothing.
"She told me she was writing things down," Lia murmured. "Things she wasn't supposed to say out loud. But she never let me read any of it. Said it would be too dangerous."
Lia's gaze sharpened. "She didn't trust anyone. Not even me. Not after Jasper started... sniffing around."
"What do you mean?" Elara asked.
"Jasper was obsessed with her," Lia said. "He said he wanted to protect her. But something changed a few months ago. She stopped talking to him. Started watching everyone. Locking her door at night. She told me she'd seen someone in the east wing. Someone that shouldn't have been there."
Elara's skin prickled.
That room again.
Lia sat down on the bed, the edges of her confident posture starting to crumble.
"She was scared, El. She told me she felt like something was pulling her apart. That she didn't belong in her own skin anymore. And then she… jumped."
Elara stayed silent, unsure of how much truth she could get away with.
Lia looked up suddenly. "But now you're back. And different. I don't know if it's the trauma or something else, but you're not her."
Elara stiffened.
Lia leaned forward.
"I don't know who you are," she said. "But if you're going to pretend to be Evelyn, you better figure out fast who was trying to erase her. Because they're going to come after you too."