Mira didn't move. Her body was frozen, her breath shallow. The figure in the lake stood perfectly still, water lapping at her waist. She didn't blink. Didn't waver.
Just pointed.
Mira stepped back from the window, heart hammering in her chest.
She looked again. The figure was gone.
She rushed to lock the front door, then all the windows. The silence pressed against the house like a weight. Somewhere deep inside, she felt something ancient… watching.
Morning came, but sleep didn't.
Mira stepped outside to clear her head, the ground damp beneath her shoes. The lake rippled innocently, as if mocking her fear. She walked to the dock, her eyes scanning the water.
Nothing.
But on the wood near the edge, something glistened—wet footprints. Bare and recent.
She knelt, running her fingers over the boards. Still damp.
"You saw her, didn't you?"
Mira turned sharply. Jin stood on the trail behind her, hands in his pockets, eyes serious.
"Who was that?" she asked.
He walked closer. "They say she was the first—decades ago. A girl who drowned during a full moon. Since then, the lake's taken more. They don't all disappear. Some… come back."
Mira's skin crawled. "You think she came back last night?"
Jin nodded. "She appears before the lake claims someone."
Mira's mouth went dry. "You mean… me?"
He looked away. "That's why I warned you."
A cold breeze swept over the water.
Mira stared at the lake, pulse racing.
And for the first time, she truly believed it was alive.
Watching.
Waiting.
---