Chris sat on Twilight's sofa, still clutching the bottle of water Lily had brought. Her hands trembled slightly, and her voice cracked as she explained everything that had happened the night before.
The woods.
The masked man.
The fainting.
Waking up in Twilight's house.
The panic.
The escape.
By the time she finished, Lily's expression changed from shocked → angry → scared → confused → and back to angry again.
"Chris… what the hell?!" Lily said, gripping her shoulder. "Are you okay? Did that masked freak hurt you? Did Twilight hurt you? Did ANYONE hurt you?"
Twilight rolled his eyes. "Wow. Thanks for the trust."
"Shut up," Lily snapped at him.
Chris swallowed. "I'm fine. Twilight helped me. He… saved me earlier too."
Lily opened her mouth to say something, but her phone rang suddenly.
She jumped.
Henry's name flashed on the screen.
Chris raised a brow.
"Oh? Why is Henry calling you?"
Lily froze. "Uhh… because—because—"
Then she whispered, "He helped me last night, okay? When you were missing, he searched with me."
Chris grinned evilly, leaning closer.
"So… you and Henry are friends now?"
"NEVER!" Lily snapped instantly.
Chris laughed. Twilight laughed even louder.
Twilight pushed his hair back and smirked.
"You know… I think you're that girl Henry told me about."
Lily blinked. "What girl?"
Twilight shrugged casually. "The girl who got disqualified from the football team because of him. He talked about you a lot that day. Said you were too stubborn, too loud, and too competitive."
Lily's mouth fell open. "HE SAID THAT?!"
Twilight nodded innocently. "A lot. Actually, he talked for like 15 minutes."
Lily looked like she was about to explode.
Chris held her stomach, laughing. "You two really hate each other, huh?"
"YES!" Lily yelled.
"Never seen two people so destined to fight forever," Twilight added.
Lily glared at him. "Shut up, Twily."
"Hey," Twilight replied. "Only you get to call me that."
Chris rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay, let's calm down."
The argument dissolved slowly, and somehow… without planning it… the four of them ended up becoming something close to a group.
Henry started sitting with Chris and Lily more often.
Twilight joined their lunch table.
Lily complained about both of them but still walked with them after school.
And Chris—she didn't mind. For the first time, she actually felt like she had people around her.
But that didn't change one thing.
Chris still wanted to find that masked guy.
She didn't tell anyone about this. She didn't want them to stop her, or worse, worry about her. Something deep in her chest whispered that whoever that man was… he had some connection to the murders.
And she needed answers.
Whenever Henry laughed with Twilight, whenever Lily shouted at Henry, whenever they all walked home as a group—
Chris glanced at every shadow.
Every alley.
Every rooftop.
Every dark corner.
Because she knew someone was watching her.
She felt it.
All the time.
And she was right.
Across the street, on the roof of an old building, a figure in a black cloak stood completely still. His mask reflected the pale sunlight. His head tilted slightly, as if studying the group.
Studying Chris.
He didn't blink.
He didn't move.
He only watched.
And the moment Chris turned to look behind her—
He vanished.
Not walked.
Not jumped.
Vanished.
After school that day, Lily and Chris decided to have a sleepover at Chris's apartment. It had been a long week — scary, confusing, chaotic — and both of them desperately needed time alone together.
Lily crashed onto Chris's bed dramatically.
"I swear Henry is the most annoying person on this planet."
Chris tied her hair up, sitting beside her. "You fought with him again?"
"He started it!" Lily shouted.
Chris gave her a look.
"No. You started it. You threw the basketball at his head."
"He was talking too much!" Lily protested.
Chris chuckled softly. Something warm filled her chest. For the first time since the incident, she felt safe.
They opened chips, put on a movie, and talked about everything — old school days, teachers they hated, stupid crushes. Lily made fun of Twilight's 'flashlight eyes' again. Chris shoved a pillow at her.
Hours passed before Lily finally turned serious.
"Chris…" Lily whispered. "Tell me honestly. Are you still after that masked guy?"
The room fell silent. Even the movie noise felt distant.
Chris took a deep breath and leaned her head against the headboard.
Her voice came out tired.
"Yes."
Lily stared at her, worry tightening her face.
"Chris… please stop chasing him. He's dangerous."
"I know," Chris said quietly.
"Then why—why do you want to find him?" Lily's voice cracked.
Chris looked down at her hands.
"I don't know… something about him… something about the way he looked at me… the way he vanished… the timing of the murders…"
Her eyes darkened.
"He knows something, Lily. Something I need to know."
Lily grabbed her hands immediately.
"Chris, please… promise me you'll be careful."
Chris gave a small smile.
"I'll try."
But she didn't promise.
Because deep down… she knew she wouldn't stop.
Not until she found him.
Not until she knew who he was.
Not until she understood why he saved her that night in the woods.
And somewhere, far from her apartment, high above the silent town—
The masked man stood on another rooftop.
Watching the same window where Chris sat.
Her image reflected faintly on his mask.
And he whispered into the cold air:
"…Soon."