Time didn't feel real anymore.
Days blurred into each other after the diary incident. The house looked the same—but everything inside it had changed.
No one said it out loud.
But we all felt it.
The watching.
The waiting.
And worst of all—
The countdown.
I sat by the window, my fingers lightly gripping the edge of the frame.
The forest wasn't visible from here.
Not really.
But I could feel it.
Closer now.
Closer than it should be.
"You're doing it again."
I didn't turn.
"I know," I replied softly.
Noah stepped beside me, folding his arms. "You've been staring out there for the past hour."
"It's not just staring," I said. "It's like… it's getting clearer."
He didn't respond immediately.
And that scared me.
More than anything else.
Behind us, Olivia and Rachel were whispering, while Daniel paced the room like he hadn't slept in days.
"Tomorrow," Rachel said quietly.
Olivia swallowed. "Her birthday…"
"And something else," Daniel muttered.
Everyone went quiet.
Because we all knew what he meant.
The diary hadn't opened again.
But that didn't matter.
Not when the whispers hadn't stopped.
Not when I had started seeing things—
Not just in my mind.
But in reflections.
In shadows.
In moments where reality felt… thin.
"I still don't understand," Olivia said, her voice trembling slightly. "Why does it feel like something's going to happen tomorrow?"
"Because something is," Daniel replied sharply.
I turned from the window.
"And you know what that is?" I asked.
Daniel hesitated.
For once—
He didn't have an answer.
A knock echoed through the house.
Sharp.
Sudden.
Wrong.
We all froze.
No one moved.
The knock came again.
Slower this time.
Deliberate.
"I'll check," Daniel said immediately.
"No," Noah cut in. "We check together."
My chest tightened.
Something about the knock—
It felt familiar.
Too familiar.
We moved as a group toward the door.
Each step heavy.
Careful.
The air thickened with every inch closer.
Daniel reached the door first.
His hand hovered over the handle.
"Ready?" he asked quietly.
Noah nodded.
Rachel pulled Olivia slightly behind her.
I stood still.
Heart racing.
That rhythm again.
Not mine.
The door opened.
And everything changed.
A boy stood there.
Tall.
Calm.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
"Hey," he said with a small, easy smile. "Took you guys long enough."
Olivia gasped.
"No way…"
Rachel's eyes widened.
Daniel froze.
Noah's expression darkened instantly.
I couldn't breathe.
Because I knew that face.
That voice.
That presence.
"Derick?" I whispered.
He smiled wider.
"Miss me?"
Silence exploded through the room.
Olivia ran forward first. "Oh my God, where have you been?!"
He laughed lightly, stepping inside. "It's a long story."
Rachel followed, relief flooding her face. "You disappeared—we thought something happened to you."
Daniel still hadn't moved.
Neither had Noah.
And I—
I stood frozen.
Because something—
Was wrong.
Derick turned to me.
And for a split second—
His smile faltered.
"You're quiet," he said. "Not happy to see me?"
I swallowed.
"I… am," I said slowly.
But the words felt heavy.
Wrong.
Noah stepped closer to me, his voice low. "That's not him."
My heart skipped.
"You see it too?" I whispered.
"Yeah," he replied. "Something's off."
Across the room, Derick laughed again, effortlessly blending in.
Too effortlessly.
"So," he said, clapping his hands lightly. "Big day tomorrow."
Everyone stiffened.
My stomach dropped.
"How do you know that?" I asked.
Derick tilted his head slightly.
Still smiling.
"I wouldn't miss your eighteenth birthday," he said.
A pause.
Then—
"Or your wedding."
The room went cold.
"What wedding?" Olivia asked, confused.
Rachel shook her head. "That's not funny."
Daniel stepped forward, his voice sharp. "Explain. Now."
Derick didn't react.
Didn't flinch.
Didn't break.
Instead—
He looked directly at me.
"You didn't tell them?" he asked softly.
My chest tightened.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
His smile changed.
Just slightly.
Less human.
"You will," he said.
And for the first time—
I felt it clearly.
That pull.
Stronger than ever.
Coming from him.
Not the forest.
Not the diary.
Him.
Noah stepped in front of me immediately.
"Stay away from her."
Derick chuckled.
"Relax," he said. "I'm here to help."
"No," Noah replied coldly. "You're not."
A long silence stretched.
Then Derick sighed.
"Fine," he said. "We'll do this the hard way."
The lights flickered.
The air dropped.
And somewhere—
Far away—
The forest stirred.