CHAPTER 12 – THE FILE THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST
Kelvin didn't move for a long time after Keira left.
The hallway around him slowly filled again—students passing, laughing, talking—but all of it sounded distant, like it was happening behind thick glass.
Keira.
Her voice still lingered in his head.
Stop trusting what people tell you here.
He exhaled slowly.
"Kelvin?"
Laura's voice pulled him back.
He blinked. She had returned, watching him carefully like she was trying to read something written across his face.
"You're doing that thing again," she said.
"What thing?"
"The one where you disappear while standing still."
Kelvin gave a small, distracted nod. "I'm fine."
Laura didn't believe him. "No, you're not."
He didn't argue. Because arguing would only make him think less clearly, and right now, his thoughts were already too loud.
Keira wasn't just a name anymore.
She was a question.
And worse—
She felt like an answer he hadn't earned yet.
That evening, Kelvin didn't go to dinner.
Instead, he waited.
He waited until the corridors grew quieter, until teachers stopped patrolling, until the hostel lights dimmed into night mode.
Then he moved.
Carefully.
Quietly.
Like he belonged to the silence.
He had only one goal now.
Find out what the school was hiding about Keira.
And why his chest tightened every time he saw her.
The administrative block was locked.
Of course it was.
Kelvin stood in front of it for a moment, staring at the metal door like it might open out of sympathy.
It didn't.
He glanced around.
Empty corridor.
Good.
He slid his fingers along the edge of a nearby window frame. Loose.
Not fully secured.
A small gap.
Enough.
He pushed gently.
The window creaked open.
Kelvin paused.
Then climbed in.
Inside, the air smelled like paper and dust.
Filing cabinets lined the walls. Old documents stacked in labeled boxes. A faint humming light flickered above.
Kelvin exhaled slowly.
"This is insane," he whispered to himself.
But he was already walking.
His hands moved from drawer to drawer.
Admission records. Transfer logs. Student profiles.
Nothing unusual.
Nothing that explained Keira.
Then—
A folder caught his attention.
It wasn't labeled like the others.
No neat handwriting.
No clear category.
Just a plain white file.
Unmarked.
Kelvin hesitated.
That alone made it suspicious.
He pulled it out.
Inside were photocopies of documents.
Stamped.
Official.
And at the top of the page—
TRANSFER STUDENT FILE
His fingers tightened.
He flipped the page.
Name: Keira
Previous School: Redacted
Guardian Information: Redacted
Reason for Transfer: Confidential
Kelvin frowned.
Too many redactions.
Too many missing pieces.
Like someone had erased her life on purpose.
Then he saw something that made his breath catch.
A second document attached underneath.
Not a school form.
Something older.
A scanned report.
And at the top—
MEDICAL AND IDENTITY VERIFICATION REPORT
Kelvin's heart beat faster.
He read.
Lines blurred slightly as he scanned.
Then one sentence stood out like a crack in glass:
"Subject shows confirmed biological match to missing twin record under restricted file case: K-17."
Kelvin froze.
Twin record.
His hands went cold.
He read it again.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like the words might change if he stared long enough.
Missing twin record.
K-17.
Something inside his chest tightened painfully.
He stepped back slightly, gripping the edge of the desk.
"No…" he whispered.
Because it didn't make sense.
It couldn't.
But his mind didn't stop there.
It went further.
To memories he wasn't sure were real.
To questions he had buried.
To the reason he came here in the first place.
His twin sister.
The one he had never stopped searching for.
Kelvin's breathing grew uneven.
He flipped the file again, searching for more.
And then he saw it.
A partially visible photo, torn at the edges.
Two children.
A boy.
And a girl.
Standing side by side.
Smiling.
Young.
Familiar.
His hands trembled.
He didn't need the name written beside it.
He already knew.
The girl in the photo—
was Keira.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed outside the door.
Kelvin snapped upright.
His heart slammed against his ribs.
Closer.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Someone was coming.
He shoved the file into his bag quickly, panic rising in his throat.
The handle turned.
Kelvin moved instinctively—
slipping behind a tall cabinet just as the door opened.
Light spilled into the room.
A shadow entered.
Paused.
Then walked further inside.
Kelvin held his breath so hard it hurt.
He couldn't see the face clearly.
Only the outline.
A teacher?
Security?
Or worse—
someone who knew the truth already.
The shadow stopped near the desk.
Silence.
Then a voice spoke softly.
"I know someone has been searching here."
Kelvin's blood ran cold.
The voice wasn't loud.
But it was sharp.
Controlled.
Like it already knew everything.
A pause.
Then—
"Kelvin… you should come out now."
His heart stopped.
For a second, the world tilted.
How did they know his name?
Behind the cabinet, Kelvin pressed a hand against his mouth to keep from breathing too loudly.
The room felt smaller.
Tighter.
Dangerously quiet.
The shadow turned slightly.
Waiting.
Patient.
Like it had all night.
And Kelvin realized something terrifying—
This wasn't just about Keira anymore.
Someone had been watching him long before he ever stepped into that file room.
And now…
he had been caught.