The Next Day
In Vienna’s Room
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The first rays of sunlight were streaming through the leaky curtains in Vienna’s room. Vienna was sitting cross-legged on her bed and Nox was in her chair. They were both still in their pajamas. Kieran stood with his back against the closed door. His gaze was fixed on Nox, who was rocking back and forth. His gaze was fixed straight ahead.
“Nox, please tell us what you remembered when…” Vienna didn’t finish; she knew the boy knew what she was talking about. Kieran stepped closer and crouched down in front of his friends.
“Nox, please, anything you say could lead us closer to discovering the truth.”
Nox moved slightly, but didn’t respond. His lips only quivered. Almost as if he wanted to say something, but something held him back. Perhaps fear. But that was something only Nox knew.
Vienna nodded and sighed as she looked at Kieran. “He hasn’t spoken since we got back yesterday. He didn’t sleep all night, just rocking back and forth, clutching his pillow to his chest.”
Kieran looked back at Nox, who was watching them from under his hair, still slowly rocking.
“So, on your way back from the concert, you witnessed that girl being taken away. And did he remember similar events from the past?”
Vienna nodded. She listened to the footsteps of her mother as she climbed the stairs.
The door opened, and her mother entered with a plate of toast and three glasses of juice.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
Vienna nodded, but her gaze quickly wandered to Nox, who was texting someone on his phone. Vienna guessed he was texting his father.
“I brought you breakfast.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Carson.”
Kieran walked over and took the plate and glasses from Vienna’s mother, setting them on the desk. Her mother smiled warmly at them and ushered them out of the room. Kieran and Vienna looked back at Nox, who had turned off his phone and looked at them.
“At my last school… Those girls would disappear…” he whispered.
Vienna looked at Kieran, who raised an eyebrow.
“Wait, how did they disappear?”
Nox buried his face in his knees and muttered something incomprehensible.
“Nox, we don’t understand what you’re saying…”
Nox lifted his head toward them, but his gaze continued to wander to the wall behind them. To a poster of an old 90s movie.
“I said those girls… the ones who disappeared never came back… Not some of them were found dead after weeks, even months.” His voice broke, and Kieran began rocking back and forth again. Vienna took a step closer, wanting to embrace Nox, but Kieran stopped her.
“Leave him alone, your closeness could make everything worse now,” he whispered in her ear.
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Nox saw the faces from the missing persons photos again, all somehow similar. Their eyes were amber brown, their smiles the same, and their clothing styles similar. The boy began to breathe faster, and each subsequent breath seemed more labored. Nox abruptly jumped to his feet.
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“Nox?”
“Mom?…”
“What is it? What’s going on?” Kieran walked to the door to call Vienna’s mother, but Nox stopped him. Nox quickly approached Kieran and pushed him slightly against the wall.
“No…You don’t understand, all these girls…As strange as it may sound, they had something in their appearance that my mother had. The same smile, the same eyes.”
“Wait, this is starting to look like whoever is murdering these girls could have known your mother,” Vienna replied, feeling a chill run down her spine.
Nox just nodded. Kieran scratched his chin thoughtfully.
“If the murderer really knew your mother, then it’s possible he’s the same person who killed you, Nox.”
“But I don’t understand… What’s with the words that I shouldn’t get involved?”
“Maybe the murderer was afraid you knew something and would betray him.”
Nox just sighed and sat back down in the chair by Vienna’s desk.
“So, guys, what’s next? Nox remembered something again, and this situation is getting more and more complicated.”
“Mhm… And I have a feeling the truth is hiding in my… in my old town.”
Kieran and Vienna looked at Nox in surprise.
“Wait, do you mean to…” Kieran began in disbelief, but Nox interrupted him.
“Yes, I want to go back to where it all started…”
“Ehm.” Vienna looked at the boys. “Remember, the school exists. What are we going to do about it?”
A shy smile appeared on Nox’s face.
“Let’s take a cue from Kieran, the model student of the year, and skip class.”
Vienna burst out laughing, and Kieran looked at him in disbelief. After a moment, he slapped Nox on the back of the head.
“Hey, asshole, I have good reasons for that.”
“Sure…Genius, we both believe you.”
ns216.73.216.13da2
and then Add to home screen.