what's the name?

Chapter 10

The morning after Lena's strange behavior, a subtle shift hung in the air. She was quieter, more withdrawn, her usual swagger replaced with a haunted look. I noticed, but dismissed it as a side effect of the experiment, the unsettling pills we were forced to take, and the general weirdness that permeated our school.

Days blurred into weeks, each one marked by a growing sense of unease. I found myself increasingly isolated, seeking solace in the familiar comfort of my own thoughts. During one particularly monotonous afternoon, I sat alone, listlessly munching on a burger, my gaze fixed on the flurry of activity outside. Students were bustling about, preparing for some school event, their enthusiasm a stark contrast to my apathy.

Suddenly, Hannah approached, breaking through my self-imposed solitude. "Hey, you're always alone. You alright?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

"Yeah," I replied, my tone flat as I chewed on my burger. I studied her intently, a strange feeling gnawing at my insides.

"Don't trust anyone," I blurted out, the words escaping my lips before I could fully process them.

Hannah tilted her head, her expression a mixture of confusion and curiosity. "What do you mean?"

I shrugged, unable to articulate the vague sense of unease that had been plaguing me. We spent the rest of the afternoon chatting about inconsequential things, the weight of my unspoken warning hanging heavy in the air.

As night fell, we were once again subjected to the scientists' pills, the metallic taste lingering on my tongue long after I swallowed. I drifted off to sleep, but my slumber was restless, filled with fragmented dreams and unsettling images.

I woke with a start in the middle of the night, my throat parched. I reached for the water bottle beside my bed, my eyes scanning the dimly lit room. Lena's bed was empty. Again. I hesitated for a moment, a flicker of curiosity warring with my desire to simply go back to sleep. Shrugging off my unease, I took a long drink of water and closed my eyes, succumbing to the pull of slumber.

The following morning, the campus was buzzing with a palpable sense of shock and horror. A major incident had occurred, casting a dark shadow over the entire school.

Mariel found me in the canteen, her face pale and her voice trembling. "Did you hear what happened?" she asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.

I shook my head, my appetite suddenly gone.

"It's the dancer girl," Mariel whispered, her voice barely audible above the din of the cafeteria. "Someone poured Zonrox on her head while she was sleeping. She's in the hospital, in serious condition."

A wave of nausea washed over me. "What?" I gasped, struggling to comprehend the horror of what she was saying.

"I don't know if it's just a rumor, but they said they heard the girl screaming something about a book," Mariel continued, her voice shaking. "But they couldn't understand much because she was in so much pain."

I stared at her, my mind racing. A book? What could that possibly mean? I pushed the thought aside, focusing on the immediate horror of the situation.

As Mariel continued to recount the details of the incident, I simply nodded, my mind numb with shock and disbelief. The unsettling events that had been plaguing our school had taken a dark and terrifying turn, and I couldn't shake the feeling that we were all in grave danger.