We were getting too close. The watcher knew it.
Two days later, I found a note tucked into the air vent of my locker. The paper was expensive, thick cream stationery. The message was typed in a crisp, elegant font.
"Curiosity is a commendable trait in a student. But some histories are best left unread. For the sake of your family's well-being, and your own future, consider your project concluded. - A Friend."
It was a threat. Polished, polite, and utterly terrifying. My hands shook as I crumpled the paper. They knew my name. They knew where my locker was. The mention of my family felt like a punch to the gut.
I showed it to Leo at lunch, our heads bent together under the noisy cacophony of the canteen.
"Whoa," he breathed, his eyes wide. "This is some serious godfather stuff." The thrill was gone from his voice, replaced by genuine fear. "JM, maybe… maybe we should back off."
I thought of Luna's fading form, of her terrified whisper: "He saw me watching." Backing off meant abandoning her to oblivion. It meant letting them win.
"We can't," I said, my voice low and firm. "We're the only ones who can do this for her."
That afternoon, I met Luna at our spot under the acacia tree. I didn't show her the note—I didn't have to. She could see the fear on my face.
"They threatened you," she stated, her voice flat with a cold anger I'd never heard from her before. Her form seemed to grow sharper, the air around her chilling several degrees. "Because of me."
"It's not your fault," I said instantly.
"I have to leave," she said, her decision final. "I'll stay away from you. It's not safe."
"No!" The word came out louder than I intended. "That's what they want. If you leave, you fade. They win. We have to be smarter, that's all."
I reached out, an impulsive gesture to stop her. My fingers, for the first time, didn't pass through her arm. Instead, they met a shocking, solid coldness, like touching polished ice. We both flinched back, stunned.
A connection had been made. The barrier between our worlds had thinned just enough for a moment of real contact. Her wide, shocked eyes met mine.
The warning had backfired. It hadn't scared me away. It had made me more determined than ever.