Chapter 1 — The Notebook on the Last Bench
The last bell rang, and the classroom slowly emptied with the usual noise — chairs scraping, bags zipping, friends calling out goodbyes. Aarav packed his books slowly, waiting for the rush to clear. He never liked crowded hallways.
Outside, the sky was turning orange. Most students had already left for home, but Aarav had to stay back for basketball practice. He stood up, slung his bag over his shoulder, and was about to leave when something caught his eye.
A notebook.
It was lying on the last bench.
That was strange. Nobody sat there anymore. The seat had been empty ever since Rohan stopped coming to school last week.
Aarav walked toward it.
The notebook didn't look new. The cover was dark blue, slightly torn at the edges, with no name written on it. He picked it up, expecting it to belong to someone who forgot it in a hurry.
But when he opened it, his heartbeat slowed.
The first page had only one sentence.
"If you're reading this, don't tell anyone."
Aarav frowned.
"Some joke," he muttered.
He flipped to the next page.
There were names. Students' names. Written neatly.
And beside each name… secrets.
Aditya — failed math test, lied at home.
Riya — cries during lunch in the washroom.
Kabir — broke the lab equipment, blamed junior.
Aarav's fingers froze.
These weren't random guesses. These were real things. Things people didn't talk about.
He quickly turned another page.
More names.
More secrets.
Then he saw one that made his stomach drop.
Aarav — scared of stage speaking, pretends to be confident.
He snapped the notebook shut.
"How…?"
No one knew that. Not even his closest friends. He had always acted brave in class, always volunteered, always smiled.
But inside, he hated speaking in front of people.
So how did someone write this?
A cold feeling crept into his chest.
He looked around the classroom. Empty. Silent. The fan above creaked slowly.
For a moment, it felt like someone was watching him.
Aarav shook his head. "Stop being stupid," he whispered to himself.
Still… this wasn't normal.
He opened the notebook again, this time flipping through quickly.
Every page had more secrets. Different students. Different incidents.
And then—
The last written page.
Only three lines were there.
He knows.
He watches.
Next will disappear.
Aarav stared at the words, trying to understand.
Disappear?
Just like…
Rohan.
Rohan hadn't come to school for a week. Teachers said he was "sick," but nobody had seen him online either. His phone was off. Even his best friend didn't know anything.
Aarav slowly closed the notebook.
This couldn't be a coincidence.
Someone was writing about students. Watching them. Knowing things no one else knew.
And now… someone had already disappeared.
A sudden sound made him jump.
Footsteps in the corridor.
Aarav quickly stuffed the notebook into his bag.
The classroom door creaked open.
It was Meera from his class, holding her water bottle.
"Oh. You're still here?" she asked.
"Yeah… practice," Aarav replied, trying to sound normal.
She nodded and walked to her desk, picked up her notebook, then paused.
"Hey… did you see a blue notebook here? I thought someone left one."
Aarav's heart skipped.
Blue notebook.
So she had seen it too.
He tried to keep his voice steady. "No… I didn't notice."
Meera looked around the classroom once more, then shrugged. "Weird. It was here earlier."
She left.
Aarav exhaled slowly.
So the notebook had been here before he arrived. Anyone could've picked it up.
Or… maybe someone wanted it to be found.
The thought made his skin crawl.
He walked out of the classroom and into the hallway. The school felt different in the evening — quieter, almost eerie. Lights flickered in some rooms. The basketball court echoed in the distance.
As he reached the stairs, his phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
He hesitated… then opened the message.
"You found it."
Aarav froze.
Another message appeared.
"Don't try to be smart."
His hands trembled slightly as he typed back.
Who is this?
The reply came instantly.
"Keep the notebook safe."
"Or you might disappear too."
The screen went silent.
No more messages.
No typing.
Nothing.
Aarav stood there, staring at his phone, his heart pounding loudly in his ears.
This wasn't a joke anymore.
Someone knew he had the notebook.
Someone was watching.
And whoever it was… had already made one student vanish.
Aarav tightened his grip on his bag.
For the first time, he realized—
He wasn't just reading a mystery.
He was inside one now.