The Midnight Messages

Chapter 1: The First Message

Kiera sat on her bed, legs crossed under her, staring at the dim glow of her laptop screen. It was late, far too late to still be up, but the eerie quiet of the night felt comforting. The house had long since gone still—her parents were asleep down the hall, the faint hum of the fridge in the kitchen the only sign of life. But she wasn’t tired. Instead, she found herself absorbed in her usual routine of bouncing between homework, random Google searches, and mindless online scrolling.

Tonight, though, something unusual caught her attention.

It started innocently enough—Kiera was researching for a history project. As she sifted through countless websites, she stumbled across an old chatroom that hadn’t been used in years, hidden deep within a forgotten corner of the high school’s digital archives. "The Clover Room", it was called, and it looked like something out of a different era. The last recorded messages dated back five years, posted by students who had long graduated and moved on. She’d read a few messages, chuckling at the old slang and gossip that seemed so irrelevant now.

But then she saw it.

A new message. Posted just minutes ago.

Her heart skipped a beat. The timestamp read 12:01 a.m., today’s date. But who would be using this now? The app was ancient, practically a relic from before social media took over, and no one she knew even talked about it anymore.

Her curiosity piqued, Kiera clicked on the message, and her screen blinked as it opened.

"She didn’t jump. She was pushed."

Kiera blinked at the words, her fingers hovering above the keyboard. The message was simple—short, direct—but it sent a chill down her spine. What was this about? It was the kind of cryptic statement you’d expect from a crime thriller, not some forgotten high school gossip forum.

Her immediate reaction was to dismiss it. Some troll, she thought. It had to be. Who else would post something like this in a place no one even knew existed anymore?

But something about it gnawed at her, lingering in the back of her mind.

What if it was real?

Kiera clicked around the chatroom, searching for more context. It was filled with old conversations—stupid stuff, really. Talk about parties, relationships, prom, all from a few years ago. But there was nothing even remotely connected to a tragedy or an accident. No one named. No follow-up messages. Just that one stark sentence, hanging in the digital ether like a ghost from the past.

Frowning, Kiera was about to close the tab when the chat blinked again.

Another message, same timestamp: 12:01 a.m. But this time, it was longer:

"Meet me where the clovers grow. Same place as last time."

Her heart thudded in her chest. Someone was definitely online. Someone was watching. But why this chatroom? It hadn’t been active for years, and no one used it anymore. Who was still lurking here, posting cryptic messages in the dead of night?

She hesitated, her fingers twitching over the keys. Her instincts told her to walk away. Close the laptop, go to sleep, forget about it. This wasn’t her business. But another part of her—the curious, investigative side that had always been drawn to mysteries—refused to let go.

Without thinking too much, she typed a response.

"Who are you? What do you mean?"

She hit send and waited, her breath held. The seconds ticked by in eerie silence, the soft blue glow of her screen the only light in her otherwise dark room. No reply.

Minutes passed. Still nothing.

She exhaled, trying to shake off the strange feeling that had settled over her. It was probably just a prank, someone messing around with an old chatroom for fun. And yet, as she closed the laptop and lay back on her bed, Kiera couldn’t stop thinking about it. The words repeated in her mind over and over, like a scratched record.

"She didn’t jump. She was pushed."

The next day at school, Kiera was distracted. She found herself replaying the strange messages in her head, wondering if she should mention them to someone. But who would she even tell? Her friends? They’d probably laugh it off or tell her she was overthinking it. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

During lunch, she sat alone in the library, laptop open, staring at the screen. The Clover Room chat was still there, quiet and unchanged. No new messages. Just the eerie reminder of what she’d read last night.

“Kiera?”

She jumped, startled, and looked up to see Finn standing by her table. He was new—had transferred in just a couple of months ago. Quiet, smart, and always wearing that dark hoodie, his face hidden beneath the shadow of the hood. He was the kind of guy who didn’t draw attention but somehow still carried an air of mystery that intrigued her.

“Hey, Finn,” she said, recovering from her surprise. She didn’t know him well, but they’d had a few brief conversations in class.

He glanced at her screen, eyes narrowing. “What are you working on?”

Kiera shrugged, trying to act casual. “Just some research for a project.” She hesitated. Should she tell him about the Clover Room? No, better to keep that to herself for now.

Finn didn’t say anything for a moment. He just stood there, his gaze fixed on her screen as if reading the old chatroom. Kiera felt a strange sensation, like he could see right through her thoughts.

Then, almost too casually, he said, “You should stay out of that.”

Kiera blinked, taken aback. “What?”

He met her eyes, his expression unreadable. “That chatroom. The Clover Room. You should stay out of it.”

Her heart sped up, a wave of suspicion washing over her. How did he know? She hadn’t mentioned anything to anyone, and yet here he was, acting like he knew exactly what she’d been looking at.

“Why?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Finn shrugged, pulling the hood lower over his face. “Some things are better left alone.”

And with that, he walked away, leaving Kiera more confused—and intrigued—than ever.

That night, Kiera lay awake, her mind spinning. Who was Finn? And how did he know about the chatroom? Was there something he wasn’t telling her?

Unable to sleep, she grabbed her laptop, opening it to the same chat. For a moment, she hesitated, her fingers hovering above the keys. But then, with a deep breath, she typed:

"I’m not going anywhere."

She hit send.

At exactly 12:01 a.m., a new message appeared:

"You’re getting close. Stop before it’s too late."

Kiera’s pulse quickened. This wasn’t just a game. Someone was watching her. And Finn… Finn knew something.

But there was no turning back now. Whatever this was, whatever secrets were buried in The Clover Room, Kiera was going to find out. Even if it meant uncovering the darkest truth of all.