Priya Nair

I closed my eyes. Thought about that moment. The car. The push. The impact. All I had to do was not push. Let the moment stay as it was. Or push bac…

I stood in the middle of the square and turned slowly. Benches empty. Vendor carts gone. Office workers who cut through at 11—not here. Not one soul e…

"The sparrow," I said. It sounded stupid out loud. He smiled like I'd told a joke. "Oh. You're the watch guy. Been coming here nine years." How did …

Three days later, the water stopped rising. Receded. Sefu found me. Sefu: 'He did something down there. He must have.' Me: 'But we never even went.' S…

Sefu pulled a wooden box from under the floorboards. It was heavy. Sefu: 'He left this. And a key.' The key was brass. Still shiny like he'd cleaned i…

Sefu sat down on the wet floor. Sefu: 'He told me he was proud of you. Near the end.' Me: 'He said that?' Sefu: 'I listened when you weren't around.' …

My phone buzzed. A text from my mom: 'Where are you? Your grandma's lawyer just called. She left you something else. A letter. They want to give it to…

My hands were shaking. Twenty years. My grandma was a little girl when Harrison almost killed her. And now she spent her whole life mapping my disaste…

This was too weird to figure out alone. I called my best friend Kay. 'Found something that's gonna sound insane,' I said. 'Come over.'

The playground was exactly how I remembered it. The old swing set, the same oak tree. Everything frozen. But there, carved into the tree trunk: a date…

The blue pen answered with a name. 'I'm Sam. The gray house with the terrible lawn — that's on me, not the lawn's fault.' 'I found your book on my wor…

Under my 'WHO ARE YOU?' the blue pen wrote: 'Not yet. If I tell you, you'll picture someone, and then I have to live up to the picture.' 'Finish the b…

I don't write anything. Not yet. I want to know who I'm talking to. I put the book back in the box, exactly how I found it. Then I set up on my porch …

Under 'Did you miss me?' I write the true thing instead of the cool thing: 'I checked the box every day. Twice on Tuesdays.' Then, before I can stop m…

I pick the book I've never told anyone I love. The embarrassing one. And I fill the margins fresh — every dumb honest thought. On page 12 I write the …

I muted the chat and went to bed. Big mistake. Morning: 94 unread messages. A seating chart. A debate about chairs. Someone had written "Drinks — the …

I said nothing. Maybe they'd forget me. They did not forget me. Auntie Shazia: "The quiet one can bring drinks." Uncle Tariq: "Agreed. Drinks." Grandm…

I don't know why I did it. I panicked. Me: "I'll bring dessert." Three people liked it instantly. Grandma: "Good boy." Grandma called me good boy. I f…

Then a new message. From a number ending in 88. Bilal: "Guys I'm here?? This is my new number. Who have you been talking to??" The chat exploded. Two …

Me: "Sorry, I think you added the wrong number. I don't know this family." Uncle Tariq: "Very funny, Bilal." Me: "I'm not Bilal." Uncle Tariq: "This i…

I put the plate down slow. Me: "the thing in the chat says you're lying about grandpa" Mom closed the cabinet. Then she pulled out the sixth chair and…

Dad: "open the group settings. who's the admin?" I checked member info. Me, Mom, Dad, Zoe, Sam. It said "member" next to every one of our names. Next …

Dad's message finally came through. Dad: "the hallway ceiling vent is open. there's a phone taped up inside it. it's still recording." The police foun…

I back away from him, shaking my head. "I'm not pointing him at anyone." Mr. Avery's tired face goes hard. "Then he picks for himself," he says. "And …

I open the door. Marrow walks in slow and sure, hops onto the bed, and curls against Mr. Avery's chest. The old man lets out a long breath and smiles.…

I'm done being scared of a cat. I scoop Marrow up before he can settle and carry him to the far end of the hall. If he can't sleep by Room 14, maybe t…

I keep the door shut and cover my ears. The calling stops after a while. At dawn I open the door. Mr. Avery is fine, sleeping peacefully, color back i…

I push the door open and step inside. Mr. Avery is sitting up, breathing fine, watching the TV with the sound off. "You okay?" I ask. He smiles. "Bett…

Mara smashes the tank without reading a word. Fluid floods the floor and the hum chokes to silence. The frozen timer goes dark. She runs upstairs and …

She fires too late. Reyes is already through the door and the lights cut at 11:59 like always. But this time she follows the syringe, not the man, and…