WebNovels

Chapter 20 - The Shadow Behind Her

The sky had deepened into a rich cobalt, and the lights of Hollywood shimmered like scattered glass beneath the weight of night.

The group stood near a Metro entrance, a small cluster of warmth in the cooling city.

Lucas stretched with cartoonish flair. "I'm officially eighty-seven years old. I need a nap and possibly a foot massage."

William checked the time. "Same. I've got work early, and I still haven't finished that disaster of an assignment. Ryuu, you're walking Emily back, yeah?"

Ryunosuke nodded. "Obviously. Who else would?"

Lucas gave Emily a mock-serious look. "Don't let him brood too hard. He needs snacks and naps but won't admit it."

William pointed at Ryunosuke. "Turns into a moody cat if left alone too long."

"Go away," Ryunosuke muttered, already turning.

Their laughter faded into the subway tunnel below.

Just the two of them now.

Emily and Ryunosuke stood in place for a moment, watching the taillights of a passing tour bus smear red and gold down the boulevard.

The city had quieted.

Emily spoke softly. "You really have good friends."

Ryunosuke looked over, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah. They're idiots. But they're mine."

They started walking—neon flickering in puddles, store signs blinking their last goodbyes.

"Thanks for today," Emily said, hugging her jacket closer. "That was the most fun I've had in a long time."

"You fit in easy."

She turned her head. "Did you think I wouldn't?"

"I didn't know what to expect. It's just been me and Mom for so long… I guess I forgot what it's like to share space."

Emily didn't answer right away. They passed a mural of angel wings tagged with graffiti, the golden halo tilted like it had slipped.

"I know what that's like," she said. "Being new. I think I got used to fading into the background."

"You didn't fade today."

She smiled. "Maybe that's thanks to you."

They walked in silence, the city murmuring around them. A bus carried them part of the way home. They stepped off just before their street.

Emily stopped to glance up at the narrow slice of stars. "Do you think she was real?"

He didn't need to ask who.

Instead, he opened his sketchbook and showed her—the woman in lavender. Violet eyes. Stillness caught in graphite.

"I don't know," he whispered.

Emily looked but said nothing.

They turned down the block. Their building glowed faintly, warm amber windows flickering like quiet beacons. Upstairs, a neighbor's old jazz record drifted down—soft saxophone notes like smoke.

Inside, Emily kicked off her shoes with a sigh. "Home sweet... slightly crowded home."

"You'll get used to it."

In the kitchen, Amelia's prep was still laid out—sliced vegetables, a cooling pot of broth, roasted garlic clinging to the air.

"She's still out?" Emily asked.

"Probably. Said she was dropping something off."

They climbed the stairs. Emily flopped onto the futon with the grace of someone used to making do. Ryunosuke tossed his sketchbook on the desk and sat at the edge of his bed.

"Today was good," she murmured.

"Yeah. It was."

She rolled over. "You're not so bad, brooding artist."

He didn't respond—but he smiled.

Sometime after midnight, Ryunosuke stirred.

He blinked into the dark. The glow of the city seeped through the blinds like diluted moonlight.

Then—A feeling.

Not fear exactly.But a presence.

He scanned the ceiling, the walls, the slightly cracked window.

Nothing.

But something in his chest felt tight.

Careful not to wake Emily, he slid out of bed and crossed the room.

Still nothing.

He closed the window anyway. The air inside felt heavier now.

He turned toward his desk—And stopped.

His sketchbook was open.

He hadn't left it that way.

And on the page—the sketch of her—someone had added a second figure.

Behind her.Smaller.Shadowed.Faceless.

Ryunosuke's breath caught.

He stared. The reflection of his face hovered in the window beside the desk—half shadow, half boy.

A breeze touched the back of his neck.

The window was closed.

He turned the page.Blank.

Another.Blank.

Back again—

The shadow was gone.

Just her now. Alone.

He closed the sketchbook, slow and careful, as if it might bite.

The wrongness clung to his skin like mist. Not terror—just a dissonance. Like a song played in the wrong key.

He stepped quietly into the hallway. The apartment was dark except for the faint green glow of the stove clock.

Downstairs, he moved silently—bare feet on cold wood.

By the coat rack, he retrieved an old wooden bat, tape fraying on the handle. The one his father had used. The one Amelia kept hidden but never thrown away.

He swept the apartment.Kitchen.Pantry.Behind the counter.Storage room.

Nothing.

The silence was thick—too thick. The kind that made your heartbeat sound louder than footsteps.

The light above him flickered once.

He tightened his grip.

Still, nothing moved.

But someone had touched the sketchbook.

He returned the bat. Turned back upstairs.

Caught his reflection in the hallway mirror.

Paused.

His face looked normal.Tired.Still himself.

But his eyes—

For just a second—A flicker of violet.

He blinked.

Gone.

Back in his room, Emily was still asleep. Her hair fanned across the pillow, her breathing soft and even.

Ryunosuke sat on the edge of his bed and stared at the closed sketchbook.

He didn't need to open it.

Because the image—the woman and the shadow—was already etched into his mind.

And no matter how quiet the night became…he couldn't shake the feelingthat something had looked back.

More Chapters