Chapter 4: The Smile in the Dark

The quiet that followed the intruder's sudden disappearance was more chilling than the tense moments before. Liora’s breath still came in sharp gasps, her body trembling, as she stood frozen in the kitchen. Her parents had already called the police, but the unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach didn’t ease. She couldn’t shake the image of the thief’s eyes—the cold, predatory gaze he had locked on hers. The memory of his creepy smile haunted her, the twisted expression lingering in her mind long after he had vanished.

When the police arrived, they searched every room, every corner, but the thief was elusive, like a ghost slipping through the cracks. Liora watched from the hallway as officers moved methodically through the house, their flashlights cutting through the dark, their voices a muffled hum. Her parents were talking to one of the officers, but Liora couldn’t focus on their words. All she could think about was the look—the way the thief had smiled at her, almost knowingly, as if he’d been toying with her.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they found him. The thief was hiding in the attic, crouched in the shadows, trying to remain unseen. When the police cornered him, he didn’t struggle, didn’t run. Instead, he gave Liora one last look, his lips curling into a twisted smile that sent a shiver down her spine. It was almost as if he were enjoying the fear he had instilled in her, savoring the control he had held over the situation.

Liora wanted to scream, to ask why he had done it, but the words caught in her throat. The officer restrained the thief, and the house was finally secure, but the unease still lingered in the air, thick and suffocating.

The rest of the night was a blur of jumbled thoughts, the tension hanging in the air like a storm cloud that refused to dissipate. Liora couldn’t sleep. Every creak of the floorboards, every rustle of the wind outside, made her pulse race. Her body refused to rest, as though her mind couldn’t escape the lingering images of the night—the thief’s face, his smile, the way his eyes had pierced through the darkness.

When the first light of dawn finally crept through the blinds, Liora hadn’t slept a wink. She felt as if she hadn’t closed her eyes in days. The exhaustion was heavy on her shoulders, but there was no time for rest. It was the weekend, and she had to go to tuition class.

Her mother made sure she ate something before leaving the house, but it all felt like a distant blur—Liora’s mind was still reeling from the events of the night. The familiar motions of brushing her teeth, getting dressed, and stepping out into the cold morning air felt robotic, a mere distraction from the chaos inside her head. She couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling, the sense that something was still off. The day ahead felt like another hurdle she wasn’t ready to face.

But somehow, as Liora walked through the familiar streets, the anticipation of the day ahead—the routine, the mundane—grounded her. The normalcy of it all, the predictable rhythm of tuition class, was the only thing that seemed to offer her any comfort. She could lose herself in it, focus on something that wasn’t the lingering dread from the previous night.

Arriving at the tuition center, the sight of the familiar building and the other students gathered there felt like a much-needed respite. She entered the classroom and, almost instinctively, her gaze swept across the room. And there, sitting as cool and composed as ever, was Kaito.

For a moment, it felt as though the world around her had slowed down. She didn’t need him to do anything special, to look her way, to even acknowledge her. It was just the way he was—his quiet confidence, the calm that seemed to surround him no matter what. There was something in his presence, something steady and grounding, that made everything feel just a little less chaotic.

Liora stood there, momentarily caught in the stillness. Her body, still tense from the previous night, relaxed just a fraction. She felt a flicker of relief—tiny, almost imperceptible—but it was there. The storm in her mind seemed to settle, and for the first time since the thief had been in her house, she could breathe a little easier. Kaito, without saying a word, had become a silent anchor for her, offering a strange kind of reassurance.

Liora walked to her seat, her eyes flicking briefly back to Kaito. He hadn’t noticed her, and that was fine. She didn’t need him to. She wasn’t sure what it was about his presence—how it could bring such an odd sense of calm—but she found herself grateful for it. He didn’t need to do anything or say anything. Just being there, existing in the same space, was enough to give her a moment of peace.

She sat next to Nova, who immediately noticed the faint tension in Liora’s shoulders. Nova gave her a concerned glance, but Liora simply nodded, offering her a small, reassuring smile. It wasn’t much, but it was the best she could offer. Her mind kept returning to Kaito, and how just seeing him had made her feel slightly less overwhelmed. For the first time in what felt like forever, Liora felt a flicker of something close to normalcy. It wasn’t much, but in that moment, it was enough.

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