The sky over Nezo High was a fading blue, the kind that slipped in without asking,whispering that day had passed and something older now stretched across the town. The breeze danced through the courtyard trees, rustling dry leaves and forgotten notes taped to lockers. Streetlights flickered on one by one, glowing orange against the deepening dusk like quiet, blinking eyes.
Sam and Godon sat on the low stone ledge behind the sports court, their backs resting against the wall, legs stretched long into the gravel. The distant echo of bouncing basketballs and laughter from inside the gym faded with the falling light.
It was quiet.
Not the awkward kind of quiet,just the type that grew between two people who didn't need words to breathe.
Godon tossed a pebble. It bounced twice and plunked into a shallow puddle.
"You ever wonder," Sam said suddenly, voice low, "why people hide who they really are?"
Godon glanced at him. "You mean like pretending you like math when you're flunking it?"
Sam smirked. "No, I mean for real. Like… people hiding parts of themselves so deep, even their friends never see it."
Godon didn't answer right away. The wind shifted. Leaves rolled across the gravel like whispering thoughts.
"Maybe they're afraid," he said finally, his voice soft. "Afraid that if they let anyone see those parts, they'll lose the little they've got."
Sam nodded. "Or maybe they don't even know who they are yet. Maybe they're just waiting for something to wake it up."
Godon looked down at his hands. That strange electricity he'd felt the night before it wasn't gone. Just buried again. Sleeping.
"Do you ever feel like something is watching you?" Sam asked, suddenly.
Godon's gaze lifted. "Watching?"
"Yeah." Sam picked at a crack in the stone. "Not like creeper-watching. Just… like Nezo itself has eyes. Like the town's hiding something."
Godon didn't respond. His chest tightened again.
Sam shifted. "Last week, I had this dream. We were in the woods behind the school. I saw you glow like, not glow-glow. Like… lightning trapped in skin. And then something screamed."
Godon turned to him slowly.
Sam held up a hand. "Don't read into it. I watch too many horror flicks. Probably my brain being weird."
"But you remember it?" Godon asked.
Sam hesitated. "Yeah. All of it."
The breeze picked up again, colder now.
Sam leaned back, staring up at the sky. "I swear, this place is weird. Maybe it's 'cause of my dad. All those cases he talks about at home.missing kids, strange reports, animals turning up where they don't belong. He acts like it's nothing, but I know he's lying."
He thinks I don't listen when he's on the phone. But I hear stuff. Stuff that doesn't make sense."he chipped in ",
He shrugged. "Anyway, guess we're all hiding something."
Elsewhere…
In the dim school hallway, lit only by the fading glow of daylight through the windows, Cynthia leaned against the lockers, laughing softly at something Daiana whispered into her ear.
Their fingers brushed just barely like the touch might burn or break if held too long.
"I swear, if Mrs. Kavanagh gives us one more pop quiz on ancient civilizations, I'm transferring to drama," Daiana said with a groan.
Cynthia smirked, brushing a strand of hair behind Daiana's ear. "You'd kill it in drama. You already act like you're not the smartest girl here."
Daiana tilted her head. "I like when you call me smart."
"Well, it's true." Cynthia leaned in closer, her voice dropping just a little. "Smart and beautiful."
Daiana flushed, tucking her face into her shoulder.
"You're not very subtle, you know," she whispered.
"Never claimed to be."
They both laughed. It was quiet and soft and full of the kind of happiness that came when two people just wanted to exist in the same space, even if only for a few minutes more.
Then faintly a flicker.
One of the hallway lights above them buzzed, dimmed, then came back brighter.
Daiana blinked.
Cynthia noticed. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Daiana said quickly. "Just static. Probably the wiring."
Cynthia raised a brow, but said nothing more. Instead, she took Daiana's hand this time not halfway or maybe. Full fingers intertwined.
"Wanna walk home with me?"
Daiana smiled. "Always."
Later That Night…
Behind the school, the basketball court was empty now. The bleachers were bare. Just the sound of wind rattling the chain-link fence.
Angela stepped out from the shadows near the gym, arms crossed.
Ahead of her, Timon leaned against the lockers, hands in his pockets, jaw tight.
"Still following me around?" she asked without looking at him.
Timon gave a low chuckle. "Just happened to be here. Thought I'd congratulate you for defending the quiet boy. Again."
Angela turned her head slightly. "Careful, Timon. That jealous tone doesn't suit you."
He stepped forward. "I don't get it, Angela. You've got options. You could have anyone. Why him?"
She smiled faintly, eyes locked on him. "Because he doesn't pretend to be someone he's not."
Timon's lips pressed into a thin line. But he said nothing more.
Angela walked away, leaving him in silence.
---
Far above, on the school rooftop, a raven landed on the ledge, feathers slick as oil.
It tilted its head. Watched
. Waited.
Its eyes shimmered,just for a heartbeat blood-red.
Then it leapt into the air and disappeared into the breeze.