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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfaNibPWfqn
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvme56fL6h
"Finally," Maddie teased as Chrissy dropped onto the sand. "We were about to send a search party."207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdzJfDGgLN6
Chrissy rolled her eyes, catching her breath. "Overslept." She reached for the book. "Anything interesting?"207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfYuvXFDeO
Maddie's eyes gleamed. "More than interesting. Listen to this." She cleared her throat and read aloud:207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi0g3lxZD0z
"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."207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDpkj0k3V41
Chrissy shivered despite the warm breeze. "Sounds like the lighthouse story."207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSEJzp5FTiS
Nick nodded. "The townspeople thought she was a mermaid. That's why they wanted the lighthouse keeper to give her up."207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBuppW7HazH
Maddie snapped the book shut. "And that means we need to go to the lighthouse."207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1phcWp5yAr
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPxj3cPfQR
"We have to," she said, surprising even herself. "If there are answers, they're there."207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUcN3vkVSR
Nick sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that."207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaDVHyyVMPT
The Lighthouse Exploration207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4F99scNq2F
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaJkFfMccs
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTBSDBY9X8x
"This place is straight-up haunted," Maddie whispered, running a hand along the peeling wallpaper.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtM8QJADgoa
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOjq3WB7g5D
"A Bible?" she murmured.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqISysP8eF
Nick, who had been rummaging through a nearby cabinet, glanced over. "Weird place to leave it."207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2K9uKmHgLb
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHfRAe5Ub1Z
Nick bent down and picked it up. His expression shifted from confusion to shock as he turned the picture toward Chrissy.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLi7uvYwsdt
"Uh... is this you?"207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHPswkokQr
Chrissy frowned, reaching for it. But the moment she saw the image, her breath hitched.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6mLd2lp2Ui
The woman in the photograph wasn't her. And yet... she could have been.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmEWo9PdAj
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnZKFgz8sr
Chrissy turned the photo over. Scribbled on the back, barely legible, were the letters: S & J.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1WKYzYpx4h
Maddie peered over her shoulder. "Who's 'S & J'?"207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUk6H1mNgY
Chrissy didn't answer. Her heart pounded as she stared at the image, the lighthouse's eerie silence pressing in around them.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfedzpgb2A
She wasn't sure what she'd been hoping to find here. But this... this was something more.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGEOT7ZpsB
Something personal.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHicWdHKWQS
Something unsettling.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcoFxFjXfyk
And she had no idea what it meant. 207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTFICGKvcv
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZrduRTF327
Why did she look like her?207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtpgPhRrENT
Why did she feel like the lighthouse was calling her?207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRgb9KuBdh
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLe5krB0Ef1
Like someone was watching.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjtQwHebcJ
She sat up quickly, heart pounding, and forced herself to look outside. Nothing. Just the trees swaying in the wind.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBpV1FUjmM
Still, she couldn't shake the unease.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWXsEYVsZR
Tomorrow, she'd tell Nick.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5BszJJqqM
Maybe then, they'd figure out what this all meant.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOd38mhQXmN
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGazuqwPFq
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqx3KcaUuE
Nick was already there when she arrived, standing near the water's edge, absently tossing small rocks into the surf.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUEZOh0sJZ
"Hey," she called, pulling her bag higher on her shoulder.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcshHqBV3a2
Nick turned, giving her a once-over like he was checking for something. Weird.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcH0AeT4J4e
"Hey," he said. "You good?"207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡteYjJOprvg
She hesitated. Should I even say anything? It was probably nothing. Just her mind playing tricks on her. But then again...207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaHxaXbWkQj
"I don't know," she admitted. "Last night, I had this weird feeling. Like I was being watched."207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgCMa1XDa1
That got his attention. He straightened, his easygoing expression shifting to something more serious. "Watched?"207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzkoWxd26tR
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."207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57i6GCHxsG
Nick's jaw tightened slightly, and his gaze flicked past her, scanning the area as if expecting to catch someone lurking in the dunes.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqCL4wq3Sr
"You see anything?" he asked, his voice quieter now.
"No. Just felt it."207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6rQJXwTLd
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?"207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqsslYsZrx
Chrissy shrugged. "I mean, I think so."207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZeYdjVisW
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?"207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KLIsZV2IK
"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."207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZkC8cUS4T
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.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG2El5uD6KU
Maybe she had imagined it.207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUscyKRJtVg
But if that was true... why did Nick look like he wasn't so sure?207Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqoLskuW6TA
