Warning: This story contains themes of self-harm, mental health issues, and suicide.
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Chapter 1: The Ghost in the Hal
The school library had always been my refuge. Rows of towering bookshelves shielded me from the noise of the outside world, their musty scent wrapping around me like a familiar embrace. Here, I could lose myself in stories, escape into other worlds where people's whispers didn't crawl under my skin, where loneliness felt like a choice rather than a condition.
I didn't talk much, not since everything changed two years ago. People had stopped trying, too. Most either pitied me or avoided me altogether. That was fine. I preferred the quiet, the solitude. If I wasn't reading, I had my headphones in, music blaring loud enough to drown out the real world. And if neither of those worked, there was always football—though I would never join the school team. The idea of running drills with a bunch of strangers, being forced to interact, made my stomach twist.
The only person who ever truly got me was my sister, Mia. She was everything I wasn't—outgoing, confident, the kind of person who lit up a room just by walking into it. A champion volleyball player, a cheerleader, and, by her own admission, "the life of the party." She dragged me to school events, nudged me into conversations I could barely keep up with, and swore I'd read every book in the world before I willingly spoke to another person. Still, she never gave up on me.
But there are some things even Mia couldn't fix.
The hallways of Summerville High used to be full of life—laughter echoing against the lockers, students rushing past in chaotic clusters. That was before. Now, the air felt heavier, like the school itself was weighed down by an unspoken grief. Two years had passed, but the ghost of that tragedy still lingered.
And then there was her.
I saw her every day, always wearing the same black hoodie and ripped jeans. Long brown waves framed her face, her piercing green eyes watching me from across the hall, from the edge of the crowd, from places I shouldn't be seeing her.
At first, I thought she was just another student, maybe a transfer who hadn't found her place yet. But as the days passed, a chilling realization crept over me—no one else seemed to notice her. She was always there, always watching, yet never acknowledged by a single soul.
I wanted to speak to her, to ask who are you? But every time I tried, something inside me locked up.
She looked too familiar. Too familiar. And that terrified me.
Today was no different. As I walked down the hallway, that same uneasy feeling settled in my chest. She stood by the lockers, her gaze locked onto mine.
For a moment, time seemed to slow. The world faded, and it was just the two of us.
Then she smiled.
And just like that, she disappeared into the crowd.
I stood frozen, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. Had I imagined her? Was my mind playing tricks on me?
No. She had been there. I was sure of it.
And yet, the hallway was empty.
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