The morning smelled of wet jackets and dust, of hallway lights and pencil lead. Lina zipped up her backpack while turning the key in her locker. Metal squeaked. Behind her, the usual giggling.
"Make some room," Jana called in a half-whisper, even though there was plenty of space.
Mia stood beside her, phone half in her pocket, display secretly active. "Maybe she wants to make a reel," said Jana. "Hashtag Breakfast Ghost."
"Even better: #LinaLurks." Mia grinned widely.
Lina put her German textbook in the locker, took out Math, closed the door without looking at them. Her hands trembled slightly.
"Good morning," said Mr. Vogel as he walked by. His gaze lingered briefly on Jana, then moved on. Nothing more.
Lina pressed the books tighter against her chest and walked toward the classroom.
In her jacket pocket, she felt the stone. It was cold again. And smooth like something that watches.
---
The classroom was noisy. Chairs squeaked, backpacks slammed onto desks. Ms. Haller arranged her folder, her hair tied back in a strict ponytail.
"Sit down," she called, but it took a while for quiet to settle in.
Lina sat in the second row – at the front.
Exactly as the message had said.
A queasy feeling crept into her stomach.
"Morning," whispered Mira as she sat down. "You're sitting differently today."
"Just because," Lina mumbled.
"There's no 'just because' with you," Mira grinned. "But okay."
The door opened.
Not with a bang, not with pushing. Just open.
And the room tilted. Voices fell silent, heads turned.
A boy stood in the doorway.
He was tall, slender, his face half in the shadow of his hood. Dark hair fell across his face, the eyes beneath sharp, dark, as if they had seen too many things. His hands were buried deep in his pockets, his walk slow, not uncertain, rather indifferent.
"This is Alaric," Ms. Haller said after a brief hesitation. "Your new classmate."
He nodded. "Morning." The voice was deep, raspy, as if it had been silent for a long time.
Jana grinned immediately. "Cool name."
"Sit back there," Ms. Haller directed.
He walked through the rows.
His gaze slid over everyone – not curious, not judgmental, more examining.
As he passed Lina, she raised her head.
For a fraction of a second, their eyes met. No smile. No nod. Just that look – steady, calm, too long to be coincidence.
Her breath stopped.
Then he sat down – directly behind her.
---
The class began. Ms. Haller talked about plant cells, cell nuclei, and chloroplasts.
Lina barely listened.
Behind her, she sensed him. Not just his presence, but this... weight.
Like a shadow leaning against her spine.
"Alaric, have you covered this before?" Ms. Haller asked at some point.
"Don't know," he said.
A few people laughed. Jana half-turned, smiling sweetly. "Then you'll have to catch up."
He didn't react. Not a muscle moved.
"We're working from the book," said Ms. Haller. "Page forty-two. Just follow along."
"Yes."
Lina wrote mechanically, stroke by stroke.
Then – a movement.
A shadow over her notebook.
A small, gray stone suddenly lay at the edge of the page.
Just like the one in her pocket.
She turned around abruptly.
Alaric looked at her. No expression, just that calm, incomprehensible gaze.
Then he whispered, barely audible: "Don't be scared."
"What?"
"Not yet."
Before she could say anything, Ms. Haller continued talking. The moment was gone.
Only the stone remained.
---
The courtyard was loud during break.
Lina sat on the wall, bread in hand, appetite long gone.
Mira approached, with Jonas in tow.
"You look like you're about to fall into a parallel universe," said Mira, sitting down beside her.
"Maybe that wouldn't be so bad," Lina murmured.
Jonas grinned. "Depends on whether there's WiFi there."
Lina smiled weakly.
A few meters away stood Alaric.
A circle of voices around him. Jana, Mia, two girls from the parallel class, a boy trying to be funny.
"Where are you from?" asked Jana.
"Away from here."
"Haha." Jana laughed too loudly. "I mean, from which city?"
"Many."
"Do you have Insta?" asked Mia.
"No."
"Snap?"
"No."
"Oh my God, you're so mysterious," giggled Jana. "Taken already?"
"No."
"So single," called Mia.
"No," he said.
"Huh?" Jana laughed, confused. "What do you mean, 'no'?"
"I'm not 'single,'" he replied calmly. "I am me."
The laughter collapsed in on itself.
"Intense," someone murmured.
Lina observed him stealthily.
Then he raised his head – and saw her. Directly.
This time he didn't look away.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Then he turned away.
"Hey, Mermaid," Jana suddenly appeared beside her, Mia in tow. "Like our new guy?"
Lina said nothing.
"Would be cute," giggled Mia. "Dark and quiet. Fits."
"Right?" Jana grinned. "Maybe he'll start writing you love letters. With seashells."
They laughed.
Lina stood up, the crumpled bread in her hand.
She walked to the trash can, threw it in.
"Again?" Mia called out. "Eat something, or you'll starve!"
"Maybe she wants to be thin for him," said Jana.
The laughter stung.
Lina walked away. Not fast, not slow. Just away.
Behind her, she heard another laugh – deeper this time, brief, hard to locate.
She turned around.
Alaric stood there.
Not with Jana. Not with Mia.
He was watching her leave.
Just for a moment.
Then he turned and walked away.
---
In the afternoon, she sat by the window, homework untouched.
The sky was gray, the rain steady.
In her bag lay the second stone.
Both side by side.
Identical.
Except for one thing:
On the new one, the engraved line was deeper. Like a wound.
Her phone vibrated.
A picture.
Her classroom – empty.
At the front, on the teacher's desk: an open page in a notebook.
On it, her handwriting. And three words she never wrote:
He is here.
Her breath caught.
Then another message.
Do you see him now?
She looked toward the window.
Outside, at the edge of the courtyard, under the old beech tree – someone was standing.
Dark hood.
Silent.
Lina blinked. The spot was empty.
The phone vibrated again.
Don't blink.
She dropped the phone.
And swore that in that moment, a fleeting shadow passed across the glass –
as if someone had been standing right there.