"David!!!!!"
I shot upright, shouting my brother's name. My chest rose and fell rapidly as I looked around the room, taking a few seconds to realize that I had fallen asleep in my chair. I let out a shaky breath and rubbed my face with both hands, trying to calm myself. After fixing my posture, I leaned back and stared at the ceiling. The nightmare had felt so real. Then I remembered—the necklace, the one David had placed in my hand moments before he died. I slowly reached for it, my fingers tightening around the pendant hanging from my neck. Why had he entrusted it to me? Was there something important about it, or was it simply the last thing he wanted me to keep? Questions flooded my mind once again. Who wanted Isabella dead? Why had David reopened her case? What had he discovered before he was murdered? And... why was my name mentioned in the threat? The more I thought about it, the more my head began to throb.
"This is driving me crazy..." I stood up from my chair and walked toward my bed before letting my body fall onto the mattress with a heavy sigh.
I should get some sleep first.
Tomorrow...
Before going to school, I decided I was going to see Isabella. I wasn't afraid of her. I didn't care if she was a ghost or something beyond my understanding. For some reason, I trusted her. And more than anything, I wanted to give her the justice she deserved. I closed my eyes and forced myself to stop thinking. Little by little, my thoughts faded, and sleep finally claimed me.
The next morning, before going to school, I returned to the forest. I searched everywhere for Isabelle.
"Isabelle!" I called.
Again and again, I shouted her name.
But no one answered.
I made my way to the lake, hoping she would appear like she always had, but she wasn't there. For some reason, disappointment settled heavily in my chest. I couldn't believe I actually felt lonely because I couldn't find her. If someone saw me wandering through the forest, calling the name of a girl who had supposedly died years ago, they'd probably think I had lost my mind. Who would search for someone who's already dead? I sighed and turned away from the lake. That's when I noticed it. The wind had suddenly grown stronger, and the once-calm water was now rippling violently. Dark clouds gathered overhead, swallowing the morning light, while a distant rumble of thunder echoed through the forest. It looked like a storm was coming. I took another step.
Then—Something grabbed my ankle.
"AHH!"
I crashed hard onto the wet ground, the impact knocking the breath out of me. Sharp nails dug into my skin, sending a burning pain through my leg. I desperately kicked and clawed at the earth, trying to hold on as whatever had grabbed me began dragging me toward the lake. My fingers dug into the wet soil, but I couldn't stop myself from being pulled closer to the water.
"N-No!"
My heart pounded wildly.
Only a pale hand was visible, reaching out from beneath the dark water. Its fingers were impossibly long, and its nails looked more like claws. It pulled harder, dragging me closer to the lake. Cold water soaked my shoes and the legs of my pants as I desperately struggled to escape, my heart pounding as I fought against whatever was pulling me beneath the surface.
Then...
A head slowly emerged from the water, long, tangled black hair covering its face. Water streamed from its body as it crawled onto the shore, revealing a filthy white dress ripped in several places and stained with mud. Every movement was unnatural, its joints bending in ways they shouldn't. My entire body froze as the memory hit me like lightning—the day I almost drowned. Something had pulled me into the lake. The wounds on my leg... they weren't from rocks. They were from this. The creature crawled closer, and one of its hands slid from my ankle to my thigh, its razor-sharp nails pressing through my jeans. Another crack of thunder shook the sky. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. The sound of dripping water grew louder, each drop echoing through the silence as the creature slowly....
Closer...
Closer...
I squeezed my eyes shut.
"Stay away from me!" I screamed.
Silence.
Slowly...
I opened my eyes to find the creature's face only inches from mine. I still couldn't see its features beneath the curtain of wet, tangled hair, but I could see its eyes. They burned with pure hatred, their cold, furious gaze fixed directly on me. Then... something caught my attention.
A sunflower hair clip was nestled in its tangled hair. My heart skipped a beat. I knew that hair clip. I had given one exactly like it to Isabel.
My lips trembled.
"...Isabel?"
The creature stopped moving.
For a moment...
Everything became eerily quiet.
"...Isabella," I whispered again.
It slowly lifted its head.
Without warning—
It let out an ear-piercing scream directly into my face.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!"
The sound was inhuman.
It felt as if the scream were piercing straight through my skull. I instinctively shut my eyes, covering my ears as the horrifying sound echoed around me. When I opened them again, the creature was gone. Only the sound of the wind remained, rustling through the trees. I looked around frantically, my heart pounding as I searched the shoreline for any sign of where it had disappeared.
My entire body trembled. Ignoring the pain from the cuts on my leg, I turned and ran as fast as I could out of the forest. By the time I arrived at school, I was still shaken. I couldn't understand a single word the professor was saying because my thoughts kept replaying what had happened at the lake.
The icy grip on my leg.
Its hand on my thigh.
Its hateful eyes.
And...
That sunflower hair clip.
No...
It can't be...
Could that really have been Isab—
"Ahem."
I flinched.
"Mr. Hernandez."
I looked up.
My professor was staring directly at me.
"Are you listening?"
I immediately stood.
"Y-Yes, ma'am," I stammered.