Lydia walked briskly, clutching the mysterious letter she had received earlier inside the box. The image of the broken mirror flashed in her mind, but she hadn’t told the teachers about the letter. Something about it made her uneasy—curious, even. She wanted to know who had sent it, but she didn’t want anyone else involved. The contents of the letter had led her here, to the abandoned building just outside the school grounds, a place long forgotten and avoided by most students.
The building loomed ahead of her, dark and crumbling with age. It seemed even more ominous now, in the fading daylight. Vines crept up the weathered walls, and broken windows gaped like the mouths of ghosts. The air was thick with silence, broken only by the sound of her footsteps on the gravel path.
As she reached the door of the building, Lydia hesitated for a brief moment, glancing around. The letter had been cryptic, but it had piqued her curiosity too much to ignore. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the rusted door handle. But just as she pushed it open, her foot slipped on the uneven ground, and she stumbled forward, falling hard to the cold, dusty floor.
Pain shot through her knees as she hit the ground. Groaning softly, Lydia tried to get her bearings. Before she could fully stand up, a voice cut through the stillness, smooth and dripping with amusement.
"My, my. You should be careful, you know."
Startled, Lydia squinted her eyes, trying to make out the figure standing in front of her. The air was thick with billowing cigarette smoke, which made it even harder for her to see clearly. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the dim light inside the decrepit building. The smell of smoke mixed with the stale scent of decay, creating an almost suffocating atmosphere.
Through the haze, she could just make out a figure—a woman, casually smoking as if she had all the time in the world. The woman exhaled slowly, sending another plume of smoke spiraling into the air. Her presence was commanding, though the dark shadows of the abandoned building obscured most of her features.
As Lydia struggled to push herself up, her eyes followed the movement of the woman’s hand as she flicked the remaining cigarette to the ground. The glowing ember flared briefly before the woman crushed it beneath her heel with a deliberate, almost menacing motion. The metallic clink of her heels against the floor echoed eerily in the empty space as she stepped forward.
Lydia blinked again, and this time, as the woman brushed the lingering smoke away from her face, she saw her more clearly. The girl in front of her was strikingly beautiful but in a dangerous, untouchable way. She was dressed in a sleek, black mini dress that hugged her slender figure, and her long, wavy silver hair cascaded down her back, catching the faint light from the broken windows above. A pair of black stilettos clicked sharply against the ground as she moved toward a lone chair in the corner.
The woman sat down gracefully, crossing her legs with practiced elegance, as if this abandoned, dusty place were her throne. Her eyes gleamed in the dim light, piercing and cold as they locked onto Lydia. She held a small bottle in her hand, shaking it lightly, the contents making a soft clinking sound.
Lydia’s heart pounded in her chest as she slowly stood up, her knees still aching from the fall. She eyed the mysterious girl warily, not sure what to make of the situation. "Who are you?" Lydia asked, her voice wavering slightly. "And what do you want from me?"
The woman smiled, a slow, mocking grin that didn’t reach her eyes. Her fingers twirled the small bottle as she laughed softly, the sound echoing off the crumbling walls. It was a laugh that sent chills down Lydia’s spine, filled with cold amusement, as if Lydia's questions were trivial.
"Who…?" The woman repeated, almost teasingly, raising an eyebrow as if Lydia had asked something foolish. "Well, I guess people don’t really know who I am, do they?"
Lydia frowned, confusion knitting her brow. "What do you mean? I don’t understand."
The woman let out a soft chuckle, her eyes never leaving Lydia’s face. "Did you know the guy you confessed to?" she asked, her voice dripping with condescension.
"Aiden?" Lydia's confusion deepened. "What does Aiden have to do with this? What do you want?"
The woman’s smile widened, her lips curling into something more sinister. "Oh, Aiden has everything to do with this," she said coolly, standing up from the chair with graceful ease. She stepped closer, the sound of her heels tapping against the floor filling the tense silence between them. "I’m sure the entire school already knows he has a girlfriend."
Lydia’s breath caught in her throat, her pulse quickening as the pieces began to fall into place. The letter, the broken mirror, the dark invitation to this abandoned building… it wasn’t random. It was a trap. Her mind raced, trying to make sense of it all. And then, it hit her—like a slow, creeping realization.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the woman before her, recognition dawning on her face. "Ma…bel?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
The girl in front of her smirked, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Took you long enough," Mabella said, her voice filled with cold amusement. She held up the small bottle she had been shaking earlier, letting it dangle loosely from her fingers. "Now, let’s talk about what happens when someone steps out of line, shall we?"
Lydia’s heart raced as fear gripped her. She had heard rumors about Mabella—vague whispers of the girl who seemed shy and sweet on the outside but was something far more dangerous beneath the surface. She had never believed them. Until now.
Mabella’s smirk deepened as she watched Lydia’s growing realization.
“Surprised.” Mabella whisper.