Sophie’s POV

The bookstore had always been a quiet place. A sanctuary. A world where stories unfolded neatly between pages, where reality couldn’t twist itself into something unrecognizable.

Tonight, it felt different.

I had been here for hours, pretending to rearrange books, pretending not to notice the way Amina’s hands shook when she found that letter. The way Rayhan had walked out, tense, like he had seen something no one else had. The way Elias watched everything without really watching.

Something was happening.

Something none of them were saying out loud.

I stacked another book onto the shelf, glancing at Amina. She was gripping the edges of a novel like it was the only thing keeping her steady. She hadn’t turned a page in the last ten minutes.

Rayhan, who had just re-entered the store, leaned against a shelf, his expression unreadable. But I knew him well enough to recognize the way his eyes darted—tracking movements, searching for answers.

And then there was Elias. His pen had stilled. He was watching Amina, his fingers barely tapping the counter. Waiting. Calculating.

The air was too still.

I hated silence.

"So..." I said, forcing a casual tone. "Who wants to tell me what the hell is going on?"

Amina flinched. Just slightly. But I saw it.

Elias sighed, rubbing his temple. "You’re imagining things, Sophie."

I narrowed my eyes. "Am I?"

I pointed to Amina. "She’s been staring at the same page for ten minutes." I nodded toward Rayhan. "He just walked back in like he saw a ghost." My gaze landed on Elias. "And you—you’re always writing in that stupid ledger, but you haven't moved your pen in the last five minutes."

Silence.

Amina was the first to speak. "It’s nothing."

I let out a dry laugh. "You’re a terrible liar, Amina."

She exhaled sharply, gripping the book tighter. "I found a letter."

Rayhan’s head snapped up at that. Elias didn’t react.

That told me something.

I folded my arms. "And?"

Amina hesitated. Then, finally, she pulled out the letter, unfolding it with careful fingers. I leaned in. The ink was smudged, but the words were still clear.

You don’t know who to trust.

I felt the chill sink into my bones.

"...Well, that’s not ominous at all," I muttered.

Rayhan’s jaw clenched. "When did you find this?"

"A few minutes ago." Amina’s voice was barely above a whisper.

"And no one else could’ve put it there?" I asked.

Amina shook her head. "I don’t know."

I glanced at Elias. He was still too still. Too quiet.

"Do you know something?" I asked him.

His gaze lifted to meet mine, and for the first time in a long while, I couldn’t read what was behind his eyes.

"...No," he said.

Liar.

I pressed my lips together, heart pounding slightly. Something was wrong with all of this.

The letter. The tension. The feeling that someone was moving the pieces of a game we didn’t even know we were playing.

And then—

The bell above the door chimed.

I turned just in time to see Max walk in.

Completely unaware.

His usual clumsy self, knocking into a display table, nearly toppling over a stack of books. He grinned, completely oblivious to the heavy air suffocating the room.

But then—his eyes darted around.

And he noticed.

Noticed the way Amina was pale.

Noticed the way Rayhan’s hands were in fists.

Noticed the way Elias hadn’t moved at all.

Max wasn’t an idiot.

He was a fool. But not an idiot.

His grin faded slightly. "Uh… Did I miss something?"

No one answered.

But the weight in the room had shifted.

Because Max had walked into the middle of something he didn’t understand.

And suddenly, he wasn’t just an outsider anymore.