The morning sun shone against the school walls, and the parking lot was already crowded.
Students filled the sidewalks, laughing and talking loudly as though nothing bad had ever happened there.
But the moment Kai looked at the building, that uncomfortable feeling returned.
The memories.
The blood.
The screaming.
For a brief second, he could almost hear it all over again.
"You good?"
Noah's voice snapped him out of it.
Kai blinked.
"Yeah."
He hoped his voice sounded convincing enough.
Together, they headed inside.
The school looked different.
Not physically.
The same brick walls stood beneath the morning sunlight. The same windows reflected the pale blue sky. The same students crowded the hallways, their voices bouncing off the walls as though the past few weeks had never happened.
But Kai couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Maybe it was because he remembered what had happened there.
Maybe it was because every hallway seemed to carry an echo of the screams he'd heard weeks ago.
Or maybe...
He simply didn't trust this place anymore.
He no longer felt safe here.
He had thought he was finally getting past the horror, but perhaps the horror had gotten past him first, working its way into the way he saw the world.
Kai tightened his grip on his backpack strap and continued walking.
He wasn't sure which possibility bothered him more.
---
By the time they reached their classroom, Kai was already regretting coming back.
He headed straight for his usual seat near the back, with Noah following close behind.
Noah dropped into the chair beside him with a sigh.
"Man, I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually glad to be back."
Kai glanced at him.
"You're insane."
"Not at all. I just missed having something to complain about."
Kai shook his head, baffled.
Well, at least Noah was still Noah.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
That was something.
The classroom gradually filled with students until the familiar noise of conversations and scraping chairs filled the room.
For a few minutes, everything felt almost normal.
Almost.
Then the classroom door opened.
Their homeroom teacher stepped inside, carrying a stack of papers.
The room slowly quieted.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning, sir," the students replied.
The teacher placed his papers on the desk and adjusted his glasses.
"Before we begin, there's something I'd like to address."
The remaining conversations faded.
"As you all know, the past few weeks have been difficult for everyone. The school has reopened, but that doesn't mean we should forget what happened."
Kai's expression hardened slightly.
Principal Hart.
He still wasn't comfortable hearing about him.
The teacher continued, reminding everyone to look after one another and report anything unusual to a member of staff.
Kai stared at his desk, only half listening.
Then the teacher paused.
"I also want to inform you that the funeral service for Principal Hart will take place after school today. Members of the school community are welcome to attend and pay their respects."
The room fell silent.
Even the students who usually joked about everything seemed uncomfortable.
"The school has also arranged for counsellors to be available for anyone who needs support," the teacher added gently. "Please don't hesitate to speak to someone if you're struggling."
Kai lowered his gaze.
For a fleeting moment, an image of the principal's body flashed through his mind.
He immediately shoved the thought away.
He didn't want to remember.
He didn't want to think about what had happened in that office.
And he certainly didn't want to spend the rest of the day listening to people talk about it.
The teacher cleared his throat.
"Now, on a different note, we have a new student joining us today."
Kai leaned back in his chair and stared blankly at him.
A new student?
Who was foolish enough to transfer schools in the middle of the term, especially at a time like this?
If it were him, he'd leave Willow Creak and never look back.
Not that he had much choice in the matter.
But still.
If someone had the opportunity to get away from this town, they should take it.
Run.
Forget the place ever existed.
And never, ever come back.
"I wonder who it is," Noah whispered, turning towards him. "Hopefully, they'll make this school a little more bearable."
Kai shrugged.
"I'm sure it's going to be someone stupid."
Noah snickered.
"You're giving them a chance already. How generous."
"Shut up."
Noah chuckled before turning his attention back to the front.
Their teacher adjusted his glasses.
"She's recently moved into town, so I'd like everyone to make her feel welcome."
Kai barely paid attention.
"Come in," the teacher called towards the door.
It opened.
Kai looked up.
And froze.
Nyx.
No.
No, no, no.
Absolutely not.
For a moment, he could only stare.
Of all the people who could have walked through that door, it had to be her.
The girl who always seemed to be around when something strange happened.
The girl who somehow knew about his peach allergy.
The girl he still couldn't quite figure out.
Nyx stepped into the classroom, wearing the school uniform perfectly. Her hair was neatly arranged, and her expression was bright and pleasant.
She looked like any other ordinary student.
That was almost worse.
Beside Kai, Noah's eyes widened.
Then a grin slowly spread across his face.
He leaned towards Kai.
"No way."
Kai didn't answer.
Noah pressed a hand over his mouth, desperately trying to suppress his laughter.
Kai slowly turned towards him.
"This isn't funny anymore, Noah. This is seriously getting too weird to be a coincidence."
Noah's shoulders shook.
"And don't you dare laugh," Kai warned. "If you laugh, I'll bury you six feet under before your time."
"I'm sorry!" Noah whispered, barely holding it together. "It's just so unexpected."
"You don't mean it."
"I don't."
Kai stared at him.
Noah promptly looked away, his grin growing wider.
Traitor.
The teacher gestured towards the girl standing beside his desk.
"Everyone, this is Nyx. As I mentioned, she's new in town, so please make her feel welcome."
Nyx smiled at the class.
"Hi, everyone. It's nice to meet you."
Several students greeted her in return.
She seemed perfectly comfortable standing in front of a room full of strangers, her smile warm and her demeanour pleasant.
Kai wasn't convinced.
Not even a little.
The teacher glanced around the classroom.
"There should be an empty seat near the window at the front. You can sit there."
Kai nearly sighed with relief.
Thank God.
At least she was sitting nowhere near him.
He could deal with her being in the same classroom.
Probably.
As long as she stayed on her side of the room, he could pretend she wasn't there.
Nyx picked up her bag and began walking towards the empty seat near the window.
As she made her way through the classroom, her eyes wandered over the rows of unfamiliar faces, taking in her new classmates.
Then her gaze reached the back of the room.
She paused briefly when she spotted Kai and Noah sitting together.
A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
There they were.
Her smile widened, and she instinctively lifted her hand, almost as though she were about to wave at them.
Then she seemed to reconsider.
Lowering her hand, she continued towards her seat as though nothing had happened.
Kai frowned.
What a creep.
He folded his arms across his chest and looked away with an irritated huff.
"Ugh."
Nyx reached her seat and settled in, seemingly unbothered as she arranged her things on the desk.
Kai faced the front again, hoping that would be the end of it.
It wasn't.
Noah leaned towards him.
"This is going to be so much fun."
Kai scoffed.
"Fun, my foot. This is going to be a nightmare."
Noah raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, I know."
Kai turned to him.
"What?"
"I said I know it's going to be a nightmare for you." Noah shrugged, looking far too pleased with himself. "I was talking about me. This is going to be so much fun for me."
Kai slowly turned towards him.
"Thanks a lot."
He flashed Noah a sarcastic smile.
"It's my pleasure."
Noah grinned.
Kai rolled his eyes and turned back towards the front of the classroom.
He had a terrible feeling this was going to be a very, very long day.
And somehow, he suspected Nyx was going to make sure of it...