Chapter 2: The Phone Behind The Wall
The second phone kept ringing.
Nobody moved.
The sound echoed through the auditorium, bouncing between the empty stage and rows of frozen guests.
My fingers tightened around my mother’s phone.
“Mom?”” I said again.
Nothing.
Only the other phone.
Hidden.
Waiting.
My father slowly stepped forward.
“Maya, give me the phone.””
I didn’t move.
“Why?””
His face softened.
“Because something is wrong.””
I stared at him.
“Something has been wrong.””
The words came out before I could stop them.
Marcus looked hurt.
“Maya—”
“She missed my award ceremony,” I said.
“She sent a message telling us not to go home. She said people know she found something. And Vanessa has her phone.””
The entire room went silent.
Vanessa lowered her eyes.
That was answer enough.
My father turned toward her.
“Explain.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“I can’t.””
The anger in his face disappeared.
It was replaced by something worse.
Fear.
“You can’t?””
A few guests nearby started whispering. Teachers looked uncomfortable. Nobody knew whether to stay or leave.
Then the ringing stopped.
The silence afterward felt heavier.
I looked toward the wall.
“Where is that phone?””
Vanessa immediately stepped forward.
“Maya, don’t.””
That made me stop.
Not because she told me to.
Because she sounded desperate.
I had known Vanessa since I was eight years old. She wasn’t my biological mother, but she was the woman who packed my lunches, helped me with homework, and sat beside my hospital bed when I had the flu.
But that woman was gone tonight.
Tonight, she looked like someone protecting a secret.
“What are you hiding?”” I asked.
Vanessa looked at Marcus.
Then at me.
“I’m trying to protect you.””
My father’s voice became cold.
“From what?””
Vanessa didn’t answer.
I walked toward the back of the auditorium.
The school’s emergency lights cast a soft glow along the walls. The celebration decorations still hung above us. A giant banner behind the stage read:
*CONGRATULATIONS, SENIORS. YOUR FUTURE STARTS NOW.*
But my future suddenly felt like it was built on a lie.
I reached the wall.
Nothing.
No phone.
No person.
Just a plain section of painted drywall.
Then I noticed something.
A small gap near the bottom.
Like a door that wasn’t supposed to be there.
My father saw it too.
“Maya.””
I turned.
His face had gone pale.
“You know something,” I said.
Marcus looked away.
That hurt more than anger.
My own father couldn’t look me in the eyes.
Vanessa walked closer.
“Your mother wanted to tell you everything herself.””
“When?””
She swallowed.
“I don’t know.””
“Before tonight?””
Silence.
“Before my award?””
Another silence.
My eyes burned.
“How long have you both known something was wrong?””
Marcus finally spoke.
“Not long.””
I laughed once.
It wasn’t because anything was funny.
It was because I didn’t know what else to do.
“Everyone keeps saying they’re protecting me.””
I looked between them.
“But nobody is telling me anything.””
The auditorium doors suddenly opened.
A security guard walked in.
“Is everything okay?””
Marcus quickly stepped in front of me.
“Yes. We’re fine.””
I stared at him.
We were not fine.
The guard looked around.
“Someone reported hearing a phone ringing backstage.””
Vanessa immediately looked at the wall.
The guard noticed.
“What?””
“Nothing,” she said.
Too quickly.
The guard frowned.
I reached for the location pin again.
The map was still open.
The signal pulsed.
The same spot.
The same building.
My mother was close.
And whatever she discovered was close too.
Then my phone vibrated.
A new message.
Unknown number.
My stomach dropped.
I opened it.
One sentence.
*ASK YOUR FATHER WHY HE LIED ABOUT THE NIGHT YOU WERE BORN.*
I stopped breathing.
Marcus saw my expression.
“Maya?””
I looked at him.
“Dad…”
His face changed.
Like he already knew what I had read.
May you like
Vanessa covered her mouth.
And before anyone could explain, the hidden phone behind the wall began ringing again.
