Chapter 9: Whispers in the Static
Clara's POV
Lily. But not the Lily I knew, however. This Lily was cold, harsh, and unfriendly to my closest buddy. The earth shifted under my feet, and my whole universe shook on its axis.
"What?" With a shaky voice, I whispered. "That isn't feasible."
"Is it impossible?" Her eyes flashed as she mocked. "You took everything from me, including my brother and life." And you claim that it isn't feasible?
I raised my voice and yelled, "I didn't steal anything." "We fell in love."
With anger in her voice, she spat, "Love?" "You refer to it as love? Betraying me?
Telling me lies?
Olivia added, "We didn't mean to hurt you," in a steady, quiet voice. "However, we cannot alter our feelings."
Her voice was harsh as she questioned, "You think I care about your feelings?" "You ruined my life. You will now pay.
Jackson took a step forward, a sick, twisted joy shining in his eyes. His voice was low as he replied, "We have a little surprise for you, Clara."
He took his phone out and tapped the screen. On the wall behind them, a shaky film of Olivia and me together in his apartment sprang to life.
My throat tightened each breath. A private and sensitive moment of our life was captured in the film.
"You see?" Jackson replied in a derisive tone. Clara, you're mine now. As I said.
I was hit by a rush of nausea. They had been observing and filming us. They had stolen our closeness and intruded into our solitude.
I remarked in a shaky voice, "You're sick." "You two are ill."
"Unwell?" Lily repeated in a disbelieving tone. "We are simply reclaiming what is rightfully ours."
With icy rage in her eyes, she took a step closer. "You believe that you can simply enter our lives and take what you desire?"
Her voice was harsh as she inquired. "You think you'll get away with stealing my brother?"
With a shaky voice, I answered, "I didn't steal him." "I was his choice."
She raised her voice and said, "He was mine first." "He had always been mine."
Olivia responded, "He's not yours," in a firm voice. "He is independent."
"He's mine," she said again, trembling. "And you'll be held accountable for removing him from me."
Jackson came closer, his eyes shining with a wicked, twisted delight as she nodded to him. "Clara, it's time to stop this," he remarked quietly.
He extracted a little, silver flash disk from his pocket. His eyes gleamed in the bright light as he held it up.
"What is that?" My voice trembled as I asked.
"It's the original," he said in a soft voice. "The authentic version. The person who will ruin your life.
"You wouldn't," I said in a broken whisper.
His smile grew as he said, "Try me."
With the flash drive in his outstretched hand, he took a step closer. I paused, glancing back and forth between Olivia and him.
Olivia said in a low, menacing voice, "Give it to me, Clara." "I'll ruin it."
My fingers were shaking as I reached out. However, Lily moved forward and held out her hand before I could touch the flash drive.
"No," she said in a firm voice. "Now it's mine."
With dark, twisted pleasure shining in her eyes, she grabbed the flash drive out of Jackson's hand.
"Please, Lily," I pleaded, my voice cracking. "Avoid doing this."
"Too late," she murmured, her voice chilly. "It's already done."
She turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows. Jackson followed her, his eyes fixed on me, a cruel smile playing on his lips.
Olivia and I were left standing in the harsh glare of the lights, our bodies tense, our hearts pounding in our chests.
"We have to stop them," Olivia said, his voice hard. "We can't let them get away with this. "
"How?" I asked, my voice trembling. "They have the video. They have everything."
"We'll find a way," he said, his voice firm. "We always do."
We left the warehouse, the silence heavy and thick with unspoken words. The city lights blurred through the car window, a hazy glow in the darkness.
As the first rays of dawn painted the sky, we made our way back to Olivia's flat. The soft ticking of the clock was the only sound to break the deafening silence in the room.
"We need to think," Olivia said, his voice low. "We need a plan."
We sat in silence for a long time, our brains racing, our emotions burdened. Then, my phone buzzed. A text message from an unknown number.
Come see me. This evening. 10 p.m. The ancient theater downtown. By themselves.
My chest was thumping with my heart. Who was this? And why were they interested in meeting me?
"Who is it?" Olivia questioned, his voice harsh.
"An unknown number," I answered, my voice quivering. "They want to meet me tonight at the old theater."
Olivia squinted her eyes. "Don't leave," he stated firmly. "It's a trap."
With a shaky voice, I replied, "I have to go." "I need to identify this person."
He started to say, "Clara," but I interrupted him.
I begged, "Please," in my voice. "Let me do this, please."
With a look of fear on his face, he paused and then nodded. "All right," he murmured in an almost perceptible voice. "But I'm coming after you if you don't return."
With my heart racing in my chest, I nodded. I was aware that I was trapped. But I needed to find out who was responsible. I needed to know why.
I had the unshakeable impression that I was entering someplace far more perilous than I could have ever imagined as I left the flat.
A dilapidated remnant of a bygone age, the ancient theater loomed in the shadows.
A haunting reminder of aspirations wasted, the air was heavy with the stench of dust and death.
My footsteps reverberated on the faded carpet as I entered. Slivers of moonlight peeking through the dusty windows were the only illumination in the dense darkness.
"Hello?" With a shaky voice, I screamed out. "Who's here?"
I was met with a chilly, hollow quiet that made my skin crawl. As I moved farther into the auditorium, I looked about in the dark for any indication of life.
Then, in the gentle light of a single spotlight, I saw a person standing on the stage. They had a recognizable silhouette, tall and lean.
"Lily?" With a shaky voice, I whispered.
My breath froze in my throat as the person turned. Lily wasn't the one.
Someone else did it. Someone I had never seen before.
"Who are you?" My voice trembled as I asked. "Where is Lily?"
The young guy with black hair and sharp blue eyes emerged as the person moved into the light. Despite his recognizable appearance, I was unable to identify him.
"I'm Lily's friend," he murmured in a silky, quiet voice. "I was sent by her."
"Where should I send you?" My voice trembled as I asked. "Why?"
His brows narrowed as he replied, "She wanted you to see something." "Something significant."
He pointed to the screen behind him, and a picture appeared. Lily was in the photo, but her appearance had changed. older. More difficult.
"Who is that?" My voice trembled as I asked.
"That's Lily," he answered quietly. "Not the Lily you know, though."
The image shifted to another one as he touched the screen. It was Olivia this time, but he also had a new appearance. younger. more susceptible.
"What is this?" My voice trembled as I asked.
"Clara, it's the truth," he remarked in a firm voice. "The real story of Olivia and Lily. about you as well.
A video flared to life as he touched the screen once again. It was a tape of a private discussion between Lily and Olivia from many years ago.
"This cannot continue," Lily's voice said. "It's incorrect."
Olivia said in a quiet voice, "I know." But I'm unable to quit. I cherish you.
My throat tightened each breath. Those were phrases I had heard before. Not from Olivia, however. from Jackson.
"What is this?" My voice trembled as I asked.
"Clara, it's just the beginning," the young guy murmured softly. "The start of the end."
With a sick, twisted delight in his eyes, he took a step closer. His voice was silky as he replied, "You see, Clara." "You're not the original."
More video snippets, more whispered exchanges, and more snatched moments between Lily and Olivia were shown as the screen moved.
My universe started to fall apart, the meticulously built walls of my reality breaking into a million fragments.
"They were together," I said in a broken voice.
"Yes," the young guy said with bright eyes. "And they never stopped loving each other."
His voice was a low, menacing whisper as he moved closer. "Clara, you were only a diversion. A game. The game is now over.
The theater went black as the lights flickered and died. My arm was seized by a chilly hand, which dragged me into the darkness.
A whispering voice said, "It's time to go, Clara," in my ear. A voice that was uncannily similar.
My chest was thumping with my heart. My eyes adjusted to the darkness as I turned. I also caught sight of her. Lily. Not the Lily I knew, however.
This Lily was harsh, frigid, and unrecognizable to my dearest buddy.
"Where are we going?" My voice trembled as I asked.
"Home," she replied in a firm voice. "Where you belong."
Her hold was painfully strong as she dragged me further into the darkness. I fought her, my heart thumping with a horrible, dark terror, my thoughts racing.
Then I heard it—a faint, recognizable sound. the noise produced as a key turns in a lock. A person entered the low light as a door opened.
Olivia was the one. However, he had a new appearance. older. More difficult. His face was a gloomy mask, and his eyes were chilly.
"Welcome home, Clara," he whispered in a menacingly low voice. "We have been waiting for your arrival."