Chapter 3
Chrissy nearly tripped as she shoved her feet into her flip-flops, grabbing her still-brewing coffee before it had finished dripping into the pot. She didn't have time to wait—Nick and Maddie were already at the beach, and she didn't want to keep them waiting.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdBTxZVv6aF
By the time she reached the shore, the early morning mist was beginning to lift, revealing the endless stretch of ocean beyond. Maddie sat cross-legged on a beach towel, flipping through the pages of the old mermaid mythology book they'd found at the Book Nook. Nick stood nearby, tossing a rock into the waves.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuiI7DiAbVm
"Finally," Maddie teased as Chrissy dropped onto the sand. "We were about to send a search party."637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwQmMsUvZsP
Chrissy rolled her eyes, catching her breath. "Overslept." She reached for the book. "Anything interesting?"637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAF12snzi7G
Maddie's eyes gleamed. "More than interesting. Listen to this." She cleared her throat and read aloud:637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1wfxD3Nth
"There are whispers of a woman who emerged from the sea, enchanting all who crossed her path. Some say she was a lost soul seeking refuge. Others claim she was something more—something not meant to stay on land."637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPg29x2byE6
Chrissy shivered despite the warm breeze. "Sounds like the lighthouse story."637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7Rp5AjSjS
Nick nodded. "The townspeople thought she was a mermaid. That's why they wanted the lighthouse keeper to give her up."637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmfXcgtBsbl
Maddie snapped the book shut. "And that means we need to go to the lighthouse."637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmbZTLMmQE
Chrissy hesitated, staring out toward the rocky cliffs where the lighthouse stood abandoned. It had always given her an eerie feeling, like it was watching, waiting. But something inside her stirred—a pull, a strange sense of belonging.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXdS1wwIqD6
"We have to," she said, surprising even herself. "If there are answers, they're there."637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UKMuS7r2x
Nick sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that."637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgHWKfnnyC
The Lighthouse Exploration637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0PIzF4YFy
The hike up the cliffs was steep, the path overgrown from years of neglect. When they reached the lighthouse, its looming frame cast long shadows across the ground. The paint was peeling, the windows clouded with dust, and the heavy wooden door groaned in protest when Chrissy pushed it open.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡveC0cQccuH
Inside, the air was thick with the scent of salt and decay. Dust motes floated in the shafts of light filtering through the broken windows. The space was small—an old wooden table, a rusted stove, a bed pushed up against the far wall. Everything was left as if waiting for someone to return.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7LM4u0DtJZ
"This place is straight-up haunted," Maddie whispered, running a hand along the peeling wallpaper.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbbPXvuQHd
Chrissy's fingers trailed over the edge of the table when something caught her eye—a leather-bound book, nearly buried beneath dust. She reached for it and blew away the grime.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5xahKNs1a3
"A Bible?" she murmured.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgCHBfrUDq
Nick, who had been rummaging through a nearby cabinet, glanced over. "Weird place to leave it."637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCtf3gvngSr
Curious, Chrissy opened the cover. The pages were yellowed, the spine cracked from years of use. And then—something slipped from between the pages. A faded photograph fluttered to the floor.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8U0XMsAkFd
Nick bent down and picked it up. His expression shifted from confusion to shock as he turned the picture toward Chrissy.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgIxmXC7Zqj
"Uh... is this you?"637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKpsD0A1sQS
Chrissy frowned, reaching for it. But the moment she saw the image, her breath hitched.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNM2nfkxoKm
The woman in the photograph wasn't her. And yet... she could have been.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSVmJEtbxHs
The resemblance was uncanny—the same wavy dark hair, the same sharp eyes. The woman's expression was soft, almost wistful. Around her neck hung a delicate necklace.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EVQVOg0NL
Chrissy turned the photo over. Scribbled on the back, barely legible, were the letters: S & J.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOY5zVCCgm
Maddie peered over her shoulder. "Who's 'S & J'?"637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ793aEd4hvs
Chrissy didn't answer. Her heart pounded as she stared at the image, the lighthouse's eerie silence pressing in around them.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTMXHXV9AM7
She wasn't sure what she'd been hoping to find here. But this... this was something more.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNsFxuCo7A
Something personal.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegCaTs4jxI
Something unsettling.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqvGyQ95UH
And she had no idea what it meant. 637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡasBaRo7Ast
That night, back in her bedroom, Chrissy lay on her bed, the photograph held tight in her hands. She traced the woman's face with her thumb, searching for something—some clue, some explanation.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6t212IfpFg
Why did she look like her?637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6TJ1sfmaQq
Why did she feel like the lighthouse was calling her?637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdIHZULaR4c
A shiver crawled down her spine. She glanced toward her window, the curtains rustling with the evening breeze. For a split second, the feeling from earlier crept back.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6lBEnEXRD
Like someone was watching.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKav2UL84g2
She sat up quickly, heart pounding, and forced herself to look outside. Nothing. Just the trees swaying in the wind.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcFi0RQZpmC
Still, she couldn't shake the unease.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJctCd1X9N
Tomorrow, she'd tell Nick.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwV0IHTj1tB
Maybe then, they'd figure out what this all meant.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QOH1vpXQD
Chrissy tugged her hoodie tighter around herself as she walked barefoot down the narrow path leading to the beach. The morning air still clung to a crispness that hadn't yet burned off with the rising sun, and the damp sand felt cool beneath her feet. The ocean stretched out in front of her, endless and restless, but her mind wasn't on the waves today.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUyzYbuzTgo
She hadn't slept well. The photograph was still tucked safely in her bag, but its image was burned into her thoughts. The woman's face. The necklace. The resemblance. And the eerie sensation that had crept up her spine last night—the feeling of being watched.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBk9mh881GT
Nick was already there when she arrived, standing near the water's edge, absently tossing small rocks into the surf.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLLtfFiBmz
"Hey," she called, pulling her bag higher on her shoulder.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXN9QTXGfRz
Nick turned, giving her a once-over like he was checking for something. Weird.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfMj3WHmef
"Hey," he said. "You good?"637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMsOKyKv7y
She hesitated. Should I even say anything? It was probably nothing. Just her mind playing tricks on her. But then again...637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQX0jwsCfTw
"I don't know," she admitted. "Last night, I had this weird feeling. Like I was being watched."637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCINbkfi1Y
That got his attention. He straightened, his easygoing expression shifting to something more serious. "Watched?"637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH8MFw4cnzL
Chrissy nodded. "I don't know how to explain it. It wasn't like I saw anyone, but it felt like someone was there. Just... watching me."637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUkPTuunSV
Nick's jaw tightened slightly, and his gaze flicked past her, scanning the area as if expecting to catch someone lurking in the dunes.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpyk2wSdVM3
"You see anything?" he asked, his voice quieter now.
"No. Just felt it."637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpIrgQHkkiq
Nick didn't answer right away. He looked out at the beach, then up toward the boardwalk, his brows drawn together. Finally, he muttered, "Probably nothing, but... you sure you were alone?"637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6JZztIAWu
Chrissy shrugged. "I mean, I think so."637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0s4Li02PP
Nick exhaled sharply through his nose, then rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, if you ever get that feeling again, don't ignore it, okay?" His tone was casual, but the way his eyes kept darting around the beach told a different story.
Chrissy frowned. "You think someone was watching me?"637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgvE0ZM9C7r
"I think it's better to be careful," he said, then glanced back toward the boardwalk one last time. "Come on. Maddie's probably waiting for us."637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZhKqz2hN4
As they started walking, Chrissy noticed how Nick's posture had shifted—more alert, more aware. He kept checking over his shoulder, subtly at first, then more obviously when he thought she wasn't looking.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXC9VrmvhL0
Maybe she had imagined it.637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVfsG5vX75a
But if that was true... why did Nick look like he wasn't so sure?637Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxY1DSjoLoF
and then Add to home screen.