Chapter 1
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The morning sun streamed through the windows of Willow Creek High, warming the rows of lockers and catching dust motes in the air. Laughter echoed through the hallways. It was the last week before midterm break, and the students were buzzing with the kind of energy only freedom could bring.
Jayden Chen was already in his seat, half-listening to the morning announcements and half distracted by his phone under the desk. His earbuds dangled from his hoodie pocket, and he smirked as he texted something in the group chat.
> Jayden: Operation "Fake Camp" is a go 😎
Zoe Parker, sitting three rows behind him, stifled a laugh and kicked her feet up onto the desk. Her neon green sneakers squeaked against the metal. She didn't care. Rules weren't really her thing especially not with something this exciting just days away.
Across the courtyard, Leo was struggling with his locker. Again.
He slapped the handle. "Come on, you cursed piece of junk," he muttered. The door finally popped open with a screech. Inside, his science notebook looked like it had been attacked by a pack of wolves. Or maybe just forgotten for three months.
Meanwhile, Ash sat alone under the big oak tree by the basketball court, sketching the school's front gate in his worn out notebook. He glanced up occasionally, watching people filter in. His pencil moved fast, outlining faces and shadows like he knew something about them no one else did.
Then came Mira sprinting down the hallway with a granola bar in one hand and her backpack slipping off one shoulder.
"Move!" she shouted, dodging two sophomores and skidding into her locker. "I'm not getting another tardy for science!"
She yanked it open, grabbed her binder, slammed the door shut, and bolted down the hall. Her ponytail whipped behind her like a warning flag.
In class, Mr. Feldman didn't even glance up. "Nice of you to join us, Mira."
"I was..." she started, breathless.
"Late," he said flatly. "Sit."
Jayden offered her a silent high five as she passed. Mira ignored it and flopped into the chair beside him.
"You're gonna get detention one of these days," Jayden whispered.
"And you're gonna get hacked if you don't stop texting in class," she shot back, smirking.
Later that day…
"Miss Rowe," said a shrill voice behind her.
Mira froze.
No one ever wanted to hear Mrs. Poof's voice. The assistant headmistress, with her tight gray bun and beady eyes, had the personality of a rusty stapler and the temper of a wasp nest.
Mira turned slowly. "Yes, Mrs. Poof?"
"You have been late to my class three times this month," she said, waving a clipboard as if it were a sword. "And today, you disrupted the lesson by slamming your books and shouting across the room."
"I didn't shout..."
"Don't interrupt. You will stay after school today for an additional two hours. We'll see if silence improves your ability to be on time."
Mira's face dropped. "But ..."
"Two hours," Mrs. Poof said again, then marched off like a vulture in a hurry.
---
3:05 PM
The final bell rang. Students poured into the halls like a jailbreak. Mira, still sitting at her desk in an empty classroom, let her forehead fall dramatically onto her textbook.
The others were waiting outside the building.
"Well," Zoe said, arms crossed. "What did she do this time? Feed Poof a peanut?"
"She gave me two hours of quiet time," Mira muttered.
Jayden snorted. "What are you, five?"
"Shut up," Mira groaned. "You guys are so lucky."
Ash stood nearby, sketchbook in hand, quietly flipping a page. "We'll cover for you," he said softly. "You'll need to be free Friday."
"Right," Zoe said with a mischievous grin. "Our camping trip."
Leo looked around nervously. "Can we not say that out loud?"
Mira lifted her head and smiled, just a little. "Don't worry. I'll be there."
As they walked off, Mira stayed behind and glanced toward the school gates. Clouds were forming again thicker than this morning. She frowned.
For a moment, she thought she saw a shape standing by the fence pale, thin, unmoving.
She blinked. It was gone.
"Great," she muttered. "Now I'm seeing ghosts."
---
Miles away, across dark waters and windless seas, something ancient stirr
ed. The air grew colder around a piece of land not drawn on any map.
It was waiting.
---
Tbc