First Bell
959 Words
Luna woke before her alarm.
For a few seconds, she didn’t know where she was. The room felt too big. Too quiet. Then memory settled in,new house, new town, new life stitched together overnight.
She sat up slowly, rubbing sleep from her eyes.
The dream lingered in pieces she couldn’t hold onto. Moonlight. Footsteps. A voice calling her name—not loud, not urgent, just… certain. She shook her head, pushing the thought away.
Downstairs, the house was already awake.
She dressed carefully, nothing attention-grabbing. Jeans, a soft sweater, sneakers she’d worn a hundred times before.
When she stepped into the kitchen, her mom was already there, sipping coffee. David stood by the counter, scrolling through his phone.
“Morning,” her mom said, smiling too brightly.
“Morning,” Luna replied.
Kael leaned against the far counter, arms crossed, dark hoodie pulled on, keys dangling from his fingers. Shadow sat at his feet, alert and ready.
Kael looked up.
Their eyes met.
Just a second.
Then he looked away.
“Eat something,” her mom said, sliding a plate toward her.
Luna picked at the toast. “I will.”
David clapped his hands once. “Alright, team. Let’s go. Kael, you driving?”
Kael nodded. “Yeah.”
The word hit her again—driving.
Outside, the morning air was crisp. Kael unlocked the car and stepped back, letting her take the passenger seat without comment. Shadow stayed behind, watching from the porch.
As the car pulled away, silence settled between them.
Not awkward. Just… charged.
The town passed by in neat rows—trees, shops, sidewalks too clean to feel real. Then the school came into view.
Blackwood High.
It looked like every school she’d ever seen in movies—brick building, wide steps, clusters of students already gathering. But the moment Kael slowed near the entrance, something changed.
Heads turned.
Whispers followed.
Luna felt it before she understood it.
Kael parked. “We’re here.”
She nodded, fingers tightening around her bag strap.
They stepped out together.
That’s when it really started.
Eyes lingered on Kael—open, admiring, wary. Then they shifted to her.
Curious. Judging. Measuring.
“Who’s that?”
“New girl?”
“Why’s she with him?”
Kael didn’t react. Didn’t slow. Didn’t look at her.
But he adjusted his pace.
Just enough that she didn’t fall behind.
Inside the hallway, the noise hit harder—lockers slamming, laughter echoing, the buzz of a hundred conversations colliding.
Luna stayed close, though she didn’t mean to.
When the attention became too much,she realized they were staring daggers at her because of Kael she gently poked him on the shoulder.
Thank you Kael for bringing to school today,I think I'll take it from here,see you around,she turned and left.
The bell rang sharp and loud, slicing through the hallway noise.
Students scattered in practiced waves, lockers slamming as people rushed off like they knew exactly where they belonged.
Luna didn’t.
She stood frozen for a moment, schedule clutched in her hand, staring at the map printed on the back like it might rearrange itself into something clearer.
Admin office.
She followed the signs, moving against the flow of traffic, shoulders tightening every time someone brushed past her. Laughter echoed behind her. A few glances lingered too long.
By the time she reached the office door, her chest felt tight.
She stepped inside.
The room smelled like paper, coffee, and lemon cleaner. A woman with glasses perched low on her nose sat behind the counter, typing without looking up.
“Name?” she asked.
“Luna Hart,” Luna said softly.
The typing stopped.
The woman looked up, eyes flicking over her face, then her clothes, then her file. “Ah. New student.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Transfer?”
“Yes.”
She nodded, already rifling through papers. “You’re late.”
“I was told to come here first.”
“Mm.” She slid a clipboard across the counter. “Fill that out. Guidance will call you.”
Luna took a seat along the wall, the plastic chair cold beneath her. She filled in boxes she’d filled a hundred times before—address, phone number, emergency contact. New address. New numbers. Same name.
Across from her, two girls whispered openly, casting curious glances her way. One leaned in closer, voice not nearly as quiet as she thought.
“That’s her.”
“The one from this morning?”
“She came with him.”
Luna kept her eyes down.
A door opened.
“Luna Hart?”
She stood quickly, nearly dropping the clipboard.
A woman with kind eyes and a sharp blazer smiled at her. “I’m Mrs. Adler. Guidance counselor. Come on.”
The office hallway was quieter. Mrs. Adler walked at an easy pace, not rushing her.
“First days are always overwhelming,” she said. “We’ll get you settled.”
They stopped at a classroom door. “This is English. You’ll start here.”
Mrs. Adler knocked once and stepped inside, gesturing Luna forward.
The room fell silent.
Twenty pairs of eyes turned toward her.
“This is Luna Hart,” Mrs. Adler announced. “Please make her feel welcome.”
A few murmured hellos. A few stares. One smirk.
Luna scanned the room.
Kael wasn’t there.
Relief and disappointment tangled in her chest.
She took the empty seat near the back, cheeks warm, heart racing. As the teacher resumed the lesson, Luna tried to focus—but she felt it again.
That sensation.
Like she was being measured.
Watched.
Not from the room.
From somewhere else entirely.
She shifted in her seat, pushing the thought away.
It was just nerves.
It had to be.
- Writer
