Echoes of Mercy; Whispers of love (Episode 4)

Episode 4: The Midnight MeetingThe old university amphitheater was a place of ghosts and echoes. No one went there at night; it was too far from the brightly lit hostels.Mercy’s heart beat like a drum against her ribs. She checked her watch: 9:05 PM."You're late," a voice called out from the darkness.Mercy jumped. Daniel was sitting on the top concrete step, his long legs stretched out. He wasn't wearing his expensive designer jacket. He just had on a simple black hoodie. In the moonlight, he didn't look like a "prince." He looked like a boy carrying the weight of the world."I had to make sure Sarah was asleep," Mercy said, walking closer. "Daniel, why did you give me that bag? You almost got me expelled! Bella would have destroyed me."Daniel stood up and walked down the steps until he was standing right in front of her. The smell of his expensive cologne mixed with the cool night air."I saw your old bag," he said quietly. "The strap was held together by a safety pin. I thought... I thought I was doing something nice.""Nice?" Mercy let out a dry laugh. "In your world, a gift is nice. In my world, a gift like that is a target on my back. I’m a scholarship student, Daniel. I have to be invisible to survive. You just put a spotlight on me."Daniel looked down at his shoes. "I'm sorry. I don't know how to be... normal. Everyone wants something from me, so I thought giving things was the only way to talk to people."Mercy’s anger softened. She remembered the line from his diary: “Everyone loves the prince, but no one sees the prisoner.”"You don't have to buy my friendship, Daniel," she said softly.He looked up, his dark eyes searching hers. "Then how do I get it?""Just be the guy who wrote that diary. Not the guy who hangs out with Bella."Daniel took a step closer. For a moment, the air between them felt thick. He reached out, his hand hovering near her face, before he gently tucked a stray hair behind her ear."I've never told anyone the things I wrote in there," he whispered. "Why does it feel so easy to talk to you?"Mercy didn't have an answer. She felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff. One more step, and she would fall for him. And girls like her didn't end up with boys like him.CRACK.The sound of a dry branch breaking echoed through the quiet amphitheater.Daniel instantly stepped away from Mercy, his "golden boy" mask snapping back into place. "Who’s there?" he shouted into the darkness.No one answered. But in the distance, Mercy saw the flash of a phone screen and then the sound of running footsteps.Someone had been watching. Someone had seen them together."Go!" Daniel hissed at Mercy. "Run back to your hostel. Now!"Mercy didn't wait. She turned and ran, her lungs burning. But as she reached her room and climbed into bed, her phone buzzed.It was an anonymous message from a hidden number. It was a photo—blurry, but clear enough. It was a picture of Daniel’s hand on her face in the moonlight.The text underneath read:<blockquote style="text-align: justify; ">"How much is the scholarship girl charging the Prince for 'private lessons'? The whole school is going to love this."</blockquote>

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