(Daniel's POV)
I sat in the corner of the library, my knee bouncing anxiously under the table. The words I had rehearsed in my head a dozen times over felt tangled, impossible to say aloud. Yet, I knew it was time. I couldn't keep this to myself anymore.
Trevor leaned against the chair beside me, absentmindedly flipping a pencil between his fingers. "Alright, Dan. You've been acting weird for weeks, and now you're making us have a library meeting? Spill it already."
Ella, sitting across from me, nodded with her trademark intensity. "Yeah. You look like you've seen a ghost. Or several. What's going on?"
Alex, who'd joined us with surprising ease despite never hanging out with Ella before, tilted his head curiously. "If this is about that basement thing, man, you've gotta stop letting it mess with you. Creepy stuff gets worse when you obsess over it."
They didn't know how right Alex was.
I swallowed hard and glanced around the library. A few students were scattered at tables, but no one was close enough to overhear.
"This isn't just about me," I said, my voice quieter than I intended. "It's about all of us. And... what's in my house."
Ella narrowed her eyes. "What's in your house?"
Trevor straightened up, his playful demeanor shifting into concern. "You're not saying it's haunted, are you?"
"It's not haunted," I said quickly. "At least, not in the way you think. It's... something else. Something alive."
For a moment, no one said anything. Trevor scratched his head, Alex frowned, and Ella's lips parted like she wanted to speak but didn't know how.
"Look," I said, leaning forward. "I know it sounds crazy. But you've seen how William's been acting, right? He's not just 'off.' He saw something back in our hometown, and ever since we moved here, it's followed him. And now, it's following me too."
Ella's face paled. "What do you mean by 'something alive'? Like a person? An animal?"
"No," I said firmly. "It's... I don't even know how to describe it. It's like a shadow, but it feels... wrong. And it's not just shadows. It whispers. It moves things. It watches."
Trevor let out a low whistle. "Dude, if this is your way of spicing up life, you've nailed it. But seriously, you're scaring me."
"I'm serious, Trevor!" I snapped, slamming my hand on the table. "This isn't a joke. It's real. And if I don't figure out what it wants, something bad is going to happen. To all of us."
Ella exchanged a glance with Alex, who folded his arms and leaned back. "Alright," Alex said, his tone skeptical but steady. "Let's say we believe you. What do you want us to do about it?"
I hesitated. "Come with me. To my house. I'll show you."
Trevor snorted. "Oh, yeah. That sounds like a great idea. Let's all go hang out in the creepy house with the shadow monster."
"Trevor," Ella said sharply, cutting him off. "If Dan says something's wrong, we should at least check it out. What kind of friends would we be if we didn't?"
Trevor raised his hands in surrender. "Fine. But if I get eaten by a shadow monster, I'm haunting all of you."
The walk to my house felt longer than usual. The air was heavy, the sky a dull gray that seemed to press down on us.
We didn't say much as we walked, but I could feel their unease. Alex kept glancing at the trees lining the road, as if expecting something to jump out. Trevor stuck close to Ella, his usual bravado noticeably absent.
When we reached the house, I hesitated on the porch, my hand hovering over the doorknob.
"You okay?" Ella asked gently.
I nodded, though my heart was pounding. "Yeah. Just... stay close, okay?"
Trevor muttered something under his breath, but I didn't catch it.
I opened the door and stepped inside.
The house was cold, colder than it should have been. The shadows seemed deeper, more pronounced, even though the lights were on.
Ella shivered. "Is it always this cold in here?"
"No," I said, my voice tight.
Alex glanced around, his expression unreadable. "Where's William?"
"Probably in his room," I said. "But he won't talk about this stuff anymore. It's like he's given up."
"Great," Trevor muttered. "Love the optimism."
I ignored him and led them to the basement door.
"This is where it's strongest," I said, my hand resting on the doorknob.
Ella frowned. "What's 'it'?"
"You'll see," I said, my stomach twisting.
I opened the door, and the four of us descended the stairs.
The basement smelled musty, like old books and damp concrete. The shelves were lined with dusty trinkets and forgotten memories, but none of it felt familiar anymore.
As we reached the bottom, I felt it—that same oppressive presence, like the air was thicker down here.
Trevor tugged on my sleeve. "Uh, Dan? Did you forget to mention how creepy this place is?"
"Shh," I said, my eyes scanning the room.
The shadows in the corners seemed to shift, almost imperceptibly, but enough to make my skin crawl.
Ella stepped closer to me. "I don't see anything," she whispered.
"Just wait," I said, my voice shaking.
And then, it happened.
The shadows coalesced, gathering into a single, writhing mass in the far corner of the room.
Ella gasped, grabbing my arm.
Trevor froze, his eyes wide. "What the hell is that?"
Alex took a step back, his face pale. "Dan, what the—"
The mass began to move, sliding across the floor like smoke, but with weight. It didn't make a sound, but the air seemed to hum with its presence.
It stopped a few feet away from us, shifting and pulsating as if it were alive.
I could feel its eyes on me, though it had none.
Ella clutched my arm tighter. "Dan," she whispered. "What is that?"
"I don't know," I said, my voice barely audible. "But it knows us now."
The entity flickered, its form splitting into fragments before reforming.
Trevor took a step forward, holding up his phone like it was a weapon. "Stay back!" he shouted, his voice cracking.
The entity didn't move. It just... watched.
And then, as suddenly as it had appeared, it was gone.
The basement was silent again, but the air still felt heavy, like it was holding its breath.
Ella let go of my arm, her face pale. "That wasn't real," she said, her voice trembling. "It couldn't be."
"It was," Alex said quietly. "We all saw it."
Trevor shook his head, his hands trembling. "Okay, Dan. You win. I believe you. But what the hell do we do now?"
I didn't have an answer.
All I knew was that we were in this together now.
And whatever that thing was, it wasn't going to stop.
"They See It Too".