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Chapter Four — The List on the Wall
The rain started not long after I saw my name on that wall.
Cold drops hit my skin as I traced the number 3 with trembling fingers. My name was there — Zara Myles — carved into the wood like it had been waiting for me all along.
Beneath it, faint but still visible, were the rest of the numbers.
1, 2, 3, 4… all the way to 13.
Some had names. Others didn't.
But I recognized one.
2 — River Hale.
He hadn't told me that part.
I stepped back, pulling my hood up as thunder rolled above. The rain washed across the paint, smearing the names slightly, as if trying to hide them again.
By the time I got to the road, I was soaked, shaking, and furious.
---
River was waiting under the tree the next morning, his hood up, eyes scanning the courtyard like he was counting shadows.
"You didn't tell me," I said, marching up to him.
His brow furrowed. "Tell you what?"
"That your name is on the list."
His face went pale. "Where did you see it?"
"Behind the sports shed. Thirteen names. Mine. Yours. And Eli's."
That made him freeze. "Eli's?"
"Yes." My voice cracked a little. "You said you didn't know him, River. But your name is right next to his. Explain that."
He opened his mouth, then closed it again. His eyes darted to the side, like the truth was written somewhere in the air but he didn't want me to read it.
"Zara, listen to me," he said quietly. "I didn't lie. I didn't know him. Not really. But… I think he knew about the list before anyone else did."
I stared. "What are you talking about?"
River sighed and looked around. "Not here. Follow me."
---
We ended up in the library, tucked away behind a wall of dusty encyclopedias no one touched anymore. Rain tapped softly against the tall windows, muffling our voices.
River took out a notebook from his bag — thick, worn, with frayed edges and a broken spine. On the cover were numbers scrawled in pen: 1–13.
"He made this," River said. "Your brother."
I blinked. "Eli made that?"
He nodded. "He came to me once. Said he'd found something — a pattern. Students connected by things no one was supposed to talk about. Accidents, rumors, fights, a fire that got covered up. He said if anything happened to him, I should hold onto this."
River opened the notebook. Inside were pages filled with notes, sketches, photos cut from old yearbooks. Every page had a name and a short description.
I found my brother's handwriting instantly.
#1 — Lara Kells.
Transferred schools after "the pool incident."
#2 — River Hale.
Was there that night. Never talked.
#3 — Zara Myles.
Doesn't know yet.
The air left my lungs. "Doesn't know what?" I whispered.
"That's what I've been trying to figure out," River said.
My hands shook as I turned another page. The later numbers had question marks — blank spaces, as if Eli hadn't finished his investigation.
Then, taped to the last page, was a small photo. Blurry. Taken at night. But I recognized the shape in it — the shed wall. The same wall where I'd seen my name.
"He took this," River said. "The night before he disappeared."
I sank into the chair. "He was trying to tell me something."
River closed the notebook gently. "Whoever made those notes — the ones you're getting — they have Eli's list. They're continuing what he started."
I looked up. "Then we need to find the rest. The others on the list."
He nodded slowly. "Agreed. But we start carefully. People here don't talk for a reason."
---
The next day, I found a new note in my locker.
Folded perfectly. Same paper. Same ink.
> "She remembers the fire."
No number this time. Just that.
I showed it to River after school, and his expression darkened.
"There was a fire," he said. "Last spring. At the old art building behind the gym. They said it was an accident, but…"
"But what?"
"One student never came back after that night."
I felt a chill crawl up my spine. "Who?"
River met my gaze, his voice barely a whisper.
"Number Four."
---
That night, I couldn't sleep. I lay awake staring at the ceiling, replaying every word, every note, every strange look in the hallway.
Thirteen numbers.
Thirteen names.
And one truth buried beneath all of them.
Somewhere in that list was the reason Eli disappeared.
And now, someone wanted me to uncover it — one number at a time.