Chapter 7: The Name Behind the Message
The name at the bottom of the message made my fingers go numb.
*Marcus Carter.*
For several seconds, I couldn’t breathe.
Malik was sitting beside me.
His brother’s name was on my screen.
The same brother everyone believed had disappeared from the school years ago.
The same brother whose complaint had been buried.
The same brother whose pain had started everything.
“Who sent that?”” Malik asked.
I locked my phone instantly.
Nobody noticed.
At least, I hoped nobody noticed.
“Olivia?”” Malik said again.
I looked at him.
“I don’t know.””
It was the second lie I had told him.
And it felt worse than the first.
Because Malik deserved the truth.
But I didn’t know what the truth was.
Dr. Carter stood up.
“We need to be careful with every message we receive.””
Her voice sounded calm.
Too calm.
I looked at her.
“You think someone is trying to trick us?””
“I think someone wants us distracted.””
The investigator across the table nodded.
“She’s right. Until we verify the source, don’t trust anything.””
But I couldn’t stop thinking about the message.
Marcus Carter.
If it really was him, why was he warning me?
And why did he say not to trust Dr. Carter?
On the way home, I replayed everything in my head.
The video.
The hidden audio.
The complaints.
The missing files.
Every piece connected.
But there was one piece that didn’t fit.
Dr. Carter.
She was Malik’s mother.
She was the person who came forward.
She was helping us.
So why would Marcus tell me not to trust her?
That night, I sat at my desk staring at my phone.
I wanted to call the number.
I wanted answers.
My finger hovered over the screen.
Then my phone buzzed.
Another message.
This time, there was a photo attached.
I opened it.
My heart dropped.
It was a picture of Marcus.
Older.
Different.
But definitely him.
He was standing outside a building.
A counseling center.
Under the picture was one sentence.
*He never disappeared. He was forced away.*
I immediately called the number.
It rang twice.
Then someone answered.
“Hello?””
The voice was older.
Tired.
But familiar.
“Marcus?””
Silence.
Then:
“Who gave you this number?””
I sat up.
“My name is Olivia Reed.””
Another pause.
“Olivia?””
“Yes.””
“How do you know about me?””
I swallowed.
“Because Mrs. Baxter hurt Malik.””
The silence afterward felt endless.
Then Marcus whispered:
“She did it again.””
My chest tightened.
“You knew?””
“I suspected.””
“Why didn’t you come back?””
A painful laugh came through the phone.
“Because I tried coming back before.””
I froze.
“What?””
“I reported her. I reported the principal. I gave them proof.””
“Then why did nothing happen?””
His voice changed.
Anger.
The kind that had been buried for years.
“Because my own mother convinced me to stop.””
I stopped breathing.
“Your mother?””
“Yes.””
I looked at my phone.
“Dr. Carter?””
Another silence.
Then Marcus said:
“She wanted to protect me.””
I frowned.
“That doesn’t make sense.””
“It didn’t to me either.””
The rain started tapping against my window.
“Explain.””
Marcus took a deep breath.
“She didn’t hide the complaint because she wanted Mrs. Baxter protected.””
“Then why?””
“Because she was afraid.””
“Of what?””
His answer was quiet.
“Of what would happen if the district found out how many people were involved.””
I gripped the phone.
“Who?””
“I don’t know everyone.””
“But you know someone.””
“Yes.””
“Who?””
Marcus didn’t answer.
Then I heard something in the background.
A door closing.
“Marcus?””
His voice suddenly became urgent.
“Olivia, listen to me carefully.””
“What?””
“Do not let them know you talked to me.””
“Who?””
But he had already hung up.
I stared at the phone.
Then my bedroom door opened.
My mother stood there.
“Olivia?””
I jumped.
“What?””
She looked concerned.
“You’ve been on that phone for twenty minutes.””
I forced a smile.
“I’m fine.””
She studied me.
“You haven’t slept. You’re barely eating. What is happening at school?””
I looked away.
Because I didn’t know how to explain that a simple classroom incident had turned into something much bigger.
A hidden system.
A buried complaint.
A family secret.
And now a warning from someone everyone thought was gone.
The next morning, I arrived at school early.
I needed answers.
But before I reached my locker, I saw something taped to it.
A folded piece of paper.
My name was written on the front.
I opened it.
Inside was one sentence.
*Meet me behind the auditorium. Come alone.*
And beneath it was a signature.
Not Marcus.
Not Dr. Carter.
Not Mrs. Baxter.
May you like
Someone else.
Someone who had been watching everything from the beginning.
