PART 4 — LUCAS’S FINAL MESSAGE
PART 4 — LUCAS’S FINAL MESSAGE
The photograph was old.
Older than the ones Maya carried.
Older than the memories Ethan had just discovered.
The person holding it stared across the cafeteria at Ethan and Maya.
Watching.
Waiting.
Because they knew something nobody else knew.
Lucas hadn't left only one message.
He had left another.
A message that was never meant to be found until the right moment.
After lunch, Ethan walked Maya to her next class.
It was strange.
Before yesterday, they barely walked together.
Now everyone noticed.
But Ethan didn't care.
The whispers that once bothered Maya now sounded smaller.
Because the truth was finally louder.
As they reached the classroom door, Ethan stopped.
"Maya."
She turned.
"What?"
He held up the photograph.
The one with Lucas's handwriting.
"Can I ask you something?"
She nodded.
"Anything."
"Did Lucas ever talk about me?"
Maya smiled slightly.
"All the time."
Ethan looked surprised.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"What did he say?"
Maya thought for a moment.
Then:
"He worried about you."
Ethan laughed quietly.
"That sounds like Lucas."
"He said you pretended you were fine."
The smile faded.
"He said you were carrying more pain than you admitted."
Ethan looked away.
Because Lucas had been right.
Everyone thought Ethan was okay after losing his brother.
He played sports.
He smiled.
He showed up.
But nobody saw the nights he sat in his room staring at Lucas’s empty bed.
Nobody saw him replaying the last phone call he missed.
Nobody saw the guilt.
"What was the last thing Lucas said to you?"
Maya asked.
The question hit harder than she expected.
Ethan looked down.
"I don't remember."
Maya frowned.
"You don't?"
He shook his head.
"We argued."
A pause.
"The day before the accident."
Maya stayed quiet.
Ethan continued.
"He wanted me to visit him."
"I was busy."
"I told him I had practice."
His voice lowered.
"And I said I couldn't keep dropping everything because he was having a bad day."
The words hurt even saying them.
Maya understood.
Because regret was something she knew.
"Then what happened?"
"He called me later."
"I didn't answer."
A pause.
"And then..."
He couldn't finish.
He didn't have to.
Maya knew.
That night, Ethan couldn't sleep.
The photo sat on his desk.
Lucas smiling.
Lucas alive.
Lucas.
He opened the back of the photograph.
The handwriting.
She saved me too.
He had read it dozens of times.
But something bothered him.
The sentence.
Why "too"?
Who else did Lucas save?
What did he mean?
The next morning, Ethan received a message.
Unknown number.
No name.
Only a picture.
His heart stopped.
It was Lucas.
But not the Lucas from Maya's photos.
This one was taken outside Oakridge High.
Three days before his death.
Ethan stared.
Because Lucas had never been there.
Not according to everyone.
He zoomed in.
Lucas was standing near the school entrance.
Talking to someone.
Someone familiar.
Ethan's face changed.
The person beside Lucas was...
His father.
Ethan immediately called Maya.
She answered quickly.
"Hello?"
"Maya."
She heard his voice.
"What happened?"
"I found something."
A pause.
"Lucas came to Oakridge."
Silence.
"What?"
"Three days before he died."
Maya didn't answer.
Because that didn't make sense.
Lucas never told her.
"He never mentioned it."
Ethan looked at the picture.
"Who is he meeting?"
Maya asked.
"I don't know."
A pause.
"But I think we need to find out."
They started searching.
Old messages.
Old records.
Anything connected to Lucas.
And then they found something.
A hidden folder.
Inside Lucas's old cloud account.
A folder named:
For Ethan.
Ethan stared at the screen.
His hands shook.
"Why didn't I know this existed?"
Maya looked at him.
"Maybe he wanted you to find it later."
Slowly...
Ethan opened it.
The first file was a video.
Created two days before Lucas died.
Ethan pressed play.
The screen showed Lucas sitting alone.
Older.
Tired.
But smiling.
Ethan stopped breathing.
Because his brother looked directly into the camera.
"Hey, idiot."
Ethan covered his mouth.
That was Lucas.
Always joking.
Always annoying.
Always himself.
The video continued.
"If you're watching this, it means something happened."
Lucas paused.
His smile faded.
"Ethan, I need you to listen."
The room became silent.
"I know you're angry."
"I know you think I hid things from you."
A pause.
"But I did it because I was trying to protect you."
Ethan's eyes filled.
Lucas continued.
"There's someone you need to meet."
The video froze for a second.
Then Lucas said:
"Her name is Maya."
Ethan looked at Maya.
She covered her mouth.
Lucas continued:
"She's one of the strongest people I've ever met."
"But not because she survived."
A pause.
"Because she kept caring after everything tried to make her stop."
Maya looked down.
Tears forming.
"She doesn't know I'm making this video."
Lucas smiled.
"She would probably tell me I'm being dramatic."
A small laugh.
Then his expression changed.
"That's why I trust her."
Ethan couldn't look away.
Lucas looked directly into the camera.
"After I’m gone..."
The words were impossible.
Even now.
Even knowing.
It hurt.
"Don't blame yourself."
Ethan closed his eyes.
Because those were exactly the words he needed.
And exactly the words he never got.
Lucas continued:
"You always think you have to save everyone."
A pause.
"But sometimes people just need you to stand beside them."
Then the final sentence:
"Take care of Maya."
The video ended.
Nobody spoke.
The silence was unbearable.
Then Ethan whispered:
"He knew."
Maya looked at him.
"Knew what?"
"He knew he was going to die."
She had no answer.
Because that realization hurt.
Lucas had known.
And he still spent his last days helping others.
Suddenly, another file appeared.
A notification.
A scheduled message.
The computer showed:
Delivery date: Today.
Ethan frowned.
"What is this?"
Maya looked closer.
A final message.
From Lucas.
Created two years ago.
Scheduled to send after certain conditions were met.
Ethan opened it.
Only one sentence appeared.
If Maya and Ethan are together, show them this.
Both froze.
"What?"
The next line loaded.
Because the person who caused my accident is still watching.
Ethan stood.
His face changed.
"What does that mean?"
Then another sentence appeared.
And they know the truth about Maya.
The room became cold.
Because Lucas hadn't only left a message.
He had left a warning.
May you like
And whoever he was afraid of...
Was still out there.
