LightReader

Chapter 2 - CHAPTER 2

Chapter 2 – The Locker of Shadows

The morning sun filtered softly through the curtains of Luck's small bedroom. Birds chirped somewhere in the distance, but he didn't notice. He had woken up early, much earlier than usual. Yet, despite yesterday's strange discovery—the old key from his mother's secret locker—it had completely slipped his mind the moment he opened his eyes.

His room still held the silence of dawn. Yawning, Luck stretched and rubbed his eyes. He reached for his phone and without much thought, dialed Lisa's number.

"Morning already?" Lisa's voice was sleepy but warm.

"Yeah," he replied. "Kevin awake?"

"Give me ten minutes," she groaned. "Meet at the usual spot?"

"The park."

Within the hour, the three of them sat together under the familiar tree at their common park, where their laughter and arguments had filled many childhood afternoons. Kevin tossed pebbles into the grass while Lisa sipped iced tea. Luck was quieter than usual, lost in thought.

"I heard the local fair opened up today near the riverside," Lisa said. "We should totally go!"

"Finally, something not boring," Kevin added, nudging Luck. "You in?"

Luck nodded slowly, but something gnawed at him. His gaze drifted toward the eastern edge of the park, where the town began to blur into more official buildings. One in particular stood out: Northgate College—the place where his father once worked as a science teacher before the accident.

"Wait," Luck said, his voice breaking the chatter. "What if… we visit Northgate? You know, the college where my dad used to teach?"

Lisa frowned. "Now? It's Saturday. And that place gives me old-library vibes."

Kevin laughed. "What are we gonna do there? Sit in dusty classrooms?"

"I don't know," Luck replied. "I just… I want to see it."

There was a pause. Lisa exchanged a glance with Kevin. She could see something in Luck's eyes—something she hadn't seen in a while. A strange pull. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe it was something more.

"Alright," she sighed. "Fair first. Then we visit your ghost-college."

"Deal," Kevin agreed.

Evening rolled in, the fair a flurry of colors, laughter, and sizzling snacks. But Luck remained distant, his smile forced as the lights danced in his eyes. His thoughts were already wandering ahead—to the college, to the past, and to the key he'd already forgotten.

Just as the sky turned a deep violet, the trio made their way through the quiet roads leading to Northgate College. The place stood still in the twilight, worn by time, with empty corridors and shuttered windows. The gate was loosely locked but easy to climb, which Kevin did first, waving them in with a grin.

The campus was eerily silent, as if frozen in a memory. They explored the front garden, then made their way into the main building, where long hallways stretched into shadows.

"Creepy," Lisa whispered.

They passed classrooms filled with dust-covered desks, the old pool that hadn't seen water in years, and finally the library—its doors creaking open to reveal shelves of untouched books. It was like walking through a forgotten world.

Then, as they passed the science wing, Luck suddenly stopped.

"This was his area," he said.

He turned into the physics lab. The door groaned as he pushed it open. Inside, the air was thick with dust and darkness. No lights. Only the faint glow from Luck's phone flashlight illuminated the space.

Everything was untouched—tables with old notebooks, cupboards lined with rusted tools, and in the far corner, a desk that looked like it hadn't been opened in years.

Kevin and Lisa wandered off toward the chemical cabinets and chalkboards, joking and inspecting the abandoned equipment. But Luck's gaze remained fixed.

"My dad's locker must be here," he muttered to himself.

He walked slowly, hand brushing across the tables. His fingers paused when he felt something—a thin, old photo frame lying face down on one of the desks.

But just as he reached for it, Kevin bumped into him from behind.

"Oops! Didn't see you there."

The bump pushed Luck forward, and his hand landed flat on the photograph. He flipped it instinctively and looked at it.

It was his father, standing beside a group of students in the very same lab. But something about the picture made him glance upward.

And that's when he saw it.

Above the shelf, half-hidden in the ceiling beam, was a small golden safe. A glint of metal reflected from its lock.

Luck's breath caught in his throat.

"That's it," he whispered. "That has to be it."

The lock looked old—and definitely required a key. And suddenly, the memory came flooding back.

The key.

The one he'd found in his mother's secret locker.

But he had left it at home.

Without explaining, Luck grabbed the golden box from the shelf and rushed out of the lab.

"Whoa—where are you going?" Lisa called out.

Luck didn't answer. He was already halfway across the grounds, the safe clutched tightly in his hands, his mind racing.

Back home, night had fallen.

He burst into his room and turned it upside down, tossing clothes, books, and drawers around in a frenzy. Panic began to rise. What if he had lost it?

But then—under his bed, inside a rolled-up sock—he found it.

The key.

His hands trembled as he inserted it into the lock on the golden safe. A click echoed in the room.

Inside, he found a thin, leather-bound book, and just below it, a small glowing cube, shimmering blue with an almost living light.

"What… is this?" he breathed, staring into the cube's glow.

He opened the book—only to find that every page was blank.

Completely empty.

Only one thing rested inside the back cover: a sealed letter, with his name written on it in neat handwriting.

Luck tore it open.

"To my son, Luck...

If you've found this, you've taken the first step. This book may be blank now, but it will speak to you only when you are ready. When you are worthy. Until then, protect it. What lies within it is more powerful than you know."

Luck's mind swirled. Worthy? A glowing cube? A blank book that waits?

It didn't make sense.

But he knew one thing—he trusted his friends.

The next morning, he showed the items to Kevin and Lisa. They stared in disbelief, examining the glowing cube and flipping through the empty book.

"This... doesn't feel normal," Kevin said. "At all."

Lisa frowned, holding the book up to the sunlight. "Are you sure it's not some kind of scientific gadget? Maybe your dad was working on something secret."

Luck looked at them both.

"I don't know what this is," he said, "but I don't think it belongs to this world."

End of Chapter 2

More Chapters