chapter 5 | New friend

Morning sunlight barely reached the streets of Grayhaven.

The sky remained hidden beneath layers of pale gray clouds while cold wind drifted quietly between buildings.

Eleni Holden tightened her fingers around the bicycle handles as she slowly followed the road leading toward Grayford High.

The city still felt unfamiliar.

Too large.

Too quiet in certain places.

Her school bag rested lightly against her back while the wheels rolled over damp pavement left behind from last night's rain.

Around her, students walked toward school in groups, talking loudly about homework, teachers, and things that sounded normal enough to belong in ordinary lives.

Eleni listened without really listening.

Her thoughts kept drifting elsewhere.

Toward the strange feeling sitting heavily inside her chest ever since arriving in Grayhaven.

Eventually, the school gates came into view ahead.

Tall.

Black.

Crowded with students entering through them endlessly.

The moment Eleni's eyes landed on the building-

something inside her head pulsed sharply.



A sudden flash.

Rain.

A staircase.

The sound of hurried footsteps echoing through empty hallways.

Then-

another image.

A boy laughing softly beside her while holding a bicycle beside the school gate.

Blurred.

Unclear.

Gone almost instantly.

Eleni slowed her bicycle unconsciously.

Her breathing caught slightly.

For half a second, the entrance of Grayford High stopped looking unfamiliar.

It looked remembered.

Then the feeling disappeared just as quickly.

Eleni frowned faintly.

"...I'm seriously nervous, huh."

She let out a quiet breath afterward.

That had to be it.

New city.

New school.

New people.

Her mind was probably creating strange thoughts because of stress.

Nothing more.

So she forced herself forward again and entered through the gates.

Grayford High looked even larger from inside.

Long hallways stretched across several connected buildings while students filled nearly every corner of the campus.

Some laughed loudly.

Some slept against desks near open classroom windows.

Others rushed through corridors before the bell rang.

Everything felt alive.

Yet strangely distant at the same time.

Eleni checked the classroom number written on her transfer slip once again before quietly heading toward the grade 11 classrooms.

As she walked past the corridors, she noticed people glancing toward her occasionally.

Mostly because she was unfamiliar.

At least, that was what she assumed.

When she finally reached the classroom, the teacher standing inside noticed her immediately.

"You must be Eleni Holden."

Eleni nodded politely.

"Yes, ma'am."

The teacher gave a small smile before gesturing her inside.

The moment Eleni stepped into the classroom-

the conversations inside softened noticeably.

Not silence.

But attention.

Dozens of eyes turned toward her almost immediately.

A few students blinked.

Others stared openly before whispering to the people beside them.

"She's pretty..."

"Transfer student?"

"Wait, seriously?"

Eleni instantly felt awkward beneath the attention.

The teacher lightly tapped the desk beside her.

"Class, this is our new transfer student."

Then she looked toward Eleni.

"Go ahead and introduce yourself."

Eleni hesitated briefly before speaking softly.

"My name is Eleni Holden."

A small pause.

"I transferred here recently. Nice to meet you."

Simple.

Short.

But somehow, the classroom grew louder afterward instead of quieter.

Whispers spread immediately once she finished.

The teacher sighed tiredly.

"Alright, enough."

A few students straightened instantly while trying not to laugh.

"There's an empty seat near the window. You can sit there."

Eleni nodded gratefully before quickly walking toward the empty desk.

Even while sitting down, she could still feel people occasionally glancing toward her curiously.

She lowered her gaze slightly and quietly unpacked her books.

Then suddenly-

someone dropped into the seat beside her.

"Well this is perfect."

Eleni looked up slightly.

A girl with soft brown hair grinned brightly at her without hesitation.

"I was hoping the new transfer student would sit near me."

Eleni blinked once, slightly surprised.

The girl extended her hand dramatically.

"I'm Romi Adler."

Romi

Then she added immediately:

"And before you reject me, yes, I already decided we're becoming friends."

Eleni stared at her for a second before letting out the smallest laugh unintentionally.

Romi smiled proudly afterward.

"See? We're already progressing."

"You talk a lot," Eleni murmured softly.

"I know. Most people survive it eventually."

That made Eleni smile slightly again.

The tension inside her chest loosened just a little.

Romi leaned slightly closer afterward.

"So where did you transfer from?"

"Lunareth."

"Ohhh, coastal city."

Romi nodded dramatically.

"That explains why you look like someone straight out of a movie."

Eleni immediately looked embarrassed.

"That doesn't even make sense."

"It makes perfect sense actually."

Romi rested her chin against her hand.

"People here look sleep-deprived and stressed all the time."

"That's a horrible advertisement for the school."

"It's also accurate."

Eleni laughed quietly again before glancing around the classroom.

Then after a moment,

she asked softly:

"What's this school like?"

Romi immediately pointed toward herself proudly.

"Well first of all, you now have me, which already improves your survival chances by at least forty percent."

Eleni smiled faintly.

"But seriously?"

Romi relaxed slightly afterward.

"Well... Grayford is weird sometimes."

"Weird?"

"Not bad weird. Mostly."

That answer made Eleni blink.

"Mostly?"

Romi lowered her voice slightly.

"There are a lot of rumors here."

"Rumors?"

"Ghost stories. Fights. Rich kids acting untouchable. Teachers pretending not to notice things."

Eleni listened quietly.

Romi continued casually:

"Most students avoid the third floor too."

The moment those words left her mouth-

something flashed violently through Eleni's head again.

A locked door.

Darkness.

Rain hitting windows.

Someone grabbing her wrist suddenly-

Eleni flinched slightly.

Romi immediately noticed.

"...You okay?"

The memory vanished instantly before Eleni could understand it.

"...Yeah."

"You sure?"

Eleni nodded slowly.

"Just dizzy for a second."

Romi frowned slightly before continuing more carefully.

"Anyway... there's this abandoned room there."

Eleni's fingers tightened unconsciously around her pen.

"Room 302."

Another flash.

Broken glass across white floor tiles.

Heavy breathing.

A voice-

"Eleni, run-"

The image shattered immediately.

Gone.

Eleni lowered her eyes quickly.

Her heartbeat felt strangely uneven now.

But after a second, she forced herself to relax again.

Stress.

It had to be stress.

Nothing else made sense.

Meanwhile, Romi continued talking completely unaware.

"People say a student died there two years ago."

The classroom noise around Eleni suddenly felt distant for a brief moment.

Like her mind had stepped somewhere else entirely.

Then the bell rang sharply across the room.

The sound snapped everything apart instantly.

Students groaned loudly while teachers entered the corridor outside.

Romi sighed dramatically.

"And there goes our freedom."

Eleni let out a small breath afterward.

The strange feeling still remained inside her chest quietly.

Heavy.

Uncomfortable.

Like something inside Grayford High recognized her-

even if she no longer recognized it back.

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