The first day of senior year didn't start like any other for 16-year-old Lena Vale. The air in Ashford High felt heavier than usual, as if the school itself was holding its breath. Walking past the courtyard, Lena noticed something strange: the ancient bell tower at the edge of the school grounds—the one everyone said was just decorative—was silent.
But it wasn't supposed to be. At exactly 8:00 a.m., the bell always rang. Today? Nothing.
Curious, Lena slipped through the iron gate leading to the tower. Her footsteps echoed unnaturally loud on the cracked stone stairs. When she reached the top, she found the bell… gone. Not cracked, not broken, completely gone. And in its place? A single black feather.
A chill ran down her spine.
"Hello?" she whispered. No reply.
From below, a faint scratching sound made her whip around. But it wasn't the wind. Something was watching her. Something that didn't belong in the ordinary world.
And that's when she realized… she wasn't alone.