Before she could respond, a sudden tremor rippled through the ground. A sharp sound followed — like glass cracking — and students screamed as the large mirror in the courtyard shattered from within.
Emily's head snapped up. For just an instant, reflected in one of the broken shards, she saw her own face — and behind it, a figure cloaked in shadow, whispering something she couldn't hear.
Her breath hitched.
Perry moved closer, his voice low. "You saw it too, didn't you?"
Emily met his gaze, her expression cold but her pulse racing. "This school," she said slowly, "is starting to wake up something that should've stayed buried."
He smiled faintly. "Then I suppose we'll be here to watch it burn."
---
The mirror shards had been cleared by morning, but the tension in the air lingered like smoke. Rumors spread faster than the cleanup crew could sweep.
> "They said it shattered by itself."
"No—someone saw a shadow inside the glass before it broke."
"You mean like... a ghost?"
Emily walked past the murmurs with her usual calm, but her mind was far from quiet. The image she'd seen — that dark reflection whispering behind her face — had not been an illusion. She knew what hallucinations from trauma looked like. This was different. This was real.
She stopped by the notice board near the hallway, pretending to read the daily bulletins. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted it — another note, slipped beneath the edge of a poster.
Her hand moved swiftly, pulling it free.
> "Don't trust the one who smiles in your reflection."
Her heartbeat quickened for the first time that day. The same handwriting. The same ink. Whoever was watching her wasn't done.
---
At lunch, Clara sat surrounded by classmates, laughter floating around her like perfume. Adrian sat beside her, handing her a drink, his attention fixed on her every movement.
"Emily," Clara called when she noticed her entering. "Join us!"
Emily paused, her eyes flickering to the group. "No, thanks."
Clara pouted. "You're so distant these days. Don't tell me you're still upset about before?"
"Before?" Emily's voice was soft, almost lazy. "You mean the part where I was replaced?"
Clara's expression froze for a split second — then she laughed lightly, covering it up. "You say such strange things sometimes."
Adrian glanced between them, uneasy. "Clara, maybe drop it."
Clara's smile didn't reach her eyes. "I was only joking. Right, sister?"
Emily's lips curved faintly. "Of course."
She walked away before anyone could say more.
---
The corridors were empty by dusk, the light outside fading to violet. She was halfway to her dorm when she heard soft footsteps echoing behind her — too light to be a threat, too familiar to ignore.
"I didn't expect you to come alone."
Perry's voice. Calm. Smooth. Infuriatingly steady.
Emily didn't turn. "You seem to appear whenever something happens. Stalker?"
He smirked, stepping closer until his shadow stretched alongside hers. "Let's say I'm... concerned."
"About what?"
"You."
The word hung in the air like a secret.
He held up a small shard of glass between his fingers — a piece from the shattered courtyard mirror. In the reflection, faint traces of crimson light shimmered and vanished.
"This was left at your door," he said. "Whoever wrote that note is sending a message."
Emily took it from him, her fingertips brushing his — a brief spark that made the air pulse faintly.