Chapter Two
840 Words
The folded note trembled in Amelia’s hand.
I know why you transferred here.
Her breathing hitched.
The words blurred as her heartbeat pounded in her ears.
No.
That couldn’t be possible.
She had made sure no one at St. Victoria’s knew anything about her previous school. Not the students. Not the teachers. Not even the principal had asked questions beyond the official transfer papers.
So who wrote it?
“…Miss Bennett?”
Amelia blinked.
The classroom came back into focus.
Mr. Anderson was standing in front of her desk, his arms crossed.
“I asked if you could solve the question on the board.”
A few students snickered.
Heat rushed to her cheeks.
“I’m… sorry.”
“It’s your first day,” he said kindly. “I’ll let it slide.”
She nodded quickly before slipping the note into her blazer pocket.
But she could still feel someone’s eyes on her.
Watching.
Waiting.
The bell rang.
Students poured into the hallway.
Within seconds, Amelia found herself swept into a sea of uniforms, conversations, and laughter.
“So…”
A cheerful voice appeared beside her.
“You’ve officially survived your first class.”
Amelia turned.
A blonde girl with bright hazel eyes smiled at her.
“I’m Chloe.”
“Amelia.”
“I know.”
Chloe laughed.
“The whole school knows.”
Amelia frowned.
“How?”
“You sat next to Oliver Hayes.”
As if that explained everything.
Chloe leaned closer.
“That’s basically headline news here.”
Before Amelia could reply, another voice interrupted.
“There you are.”
A tall boy with glasses approached them, carrying a stack of books.
“Mr. Anderson wants these taken to the library.”
Chloe groaned dramatically.
“On the first day?”
He shrugged.
“Welcome back.”
Chloe looked at Amelia hopefully.
“Want to come with us? It’ll help you learn your way around.”
Amelia hesitated.
She hadn’t planned on making friends.
But wandering around the academy alone didn’t sound much better.
“Sure.”
The library was unlike anything Amelia had ever seen.
Towering bookshelves stretched toward a glass ceiling, and winding staircases curled around the walls.
“It looks like something from a castle,” she whispered.
“It practically is,” Chloe grinned.
“St. Victoria’s is over a hundred years old.”
As they placed the books on the counter, voices drifted in from the reading area.
“…He deserved that slap.”
“I still don’t think Oliver cheated.”
“You only say that because you’re on the basketball team.”
Amelia glanced toward the voices.
Even here…
People were talking about him.
Everywhere she went…
His name followed.
When they stepped back into the hallway, Amelia almost walked straight into someone.
Strong hands caught her shoulders before she could fall.
“Easy.”
Her eyes widened.
Oliver.
He quickly let go and stepped back.
“Sorry.”
“It was my fault,” Amelia replied, brushing imaginary dust from her blazer.
For a moment…
Neither of them moved.
“You haven’t believed the rumors, have you?” Oliver asked quietly.
Amelia met his gaze.
“I don’t know you.”
“Fair answer.”
He smiled faintly.
“Then don’t believe them.”
Before she could respond, a sharp voice echoed down the corridor.
“Oliver!”
A girl with perfectly curled hair stormed toward them.
Claire.
The same girl from the courtyard.
Her eyes landed on Amelia.
Then on the small distance between Amelia and Oliver.
She laughed bitterly.
“Seriously?”
Oliver sighed.
“Claire, not now.”
“Oh, I think now is perfect.”
Students slowed their pace.
Some stopped walking altogether.
Phones quietly appeared again.
Claire folded her arms.
“You move on fast.”
Oliver’s jaw tightened.
“It isn’t like that.”
She ignored him.
Instead…
She looked directly at Amelia.
“If I were you…”
She smiled coldly.
“…I’d stay away from him.”
Without another word, she walked off.
The hallway buzzed with whispers.
Amelia exhaled slowly.
“I really don’t need this.”
Oliver rubbed the back of his neck.
“You and me both.”
That evening…
The boarding house finally grew quiet.
Rain tapped softly against Amelia’s bedroom window.
Her roommate, Chloe, had already fallen asleep.
Amelia reached into her blazer pocket and unfolded the anonymous note again.
She turned it over.
Nothing.
Just as she was about to put it away…
Something caught her eye.
Faint writing.
Almost invisible.
She held it under the desk lamp.
More words slowly appeared.
Meet me at the old clock tower.
11:00 p.m.
Come alone… if you want the truth.
A chill ran down her spine.
She looked at the clock.
10:52 p.m.
Only eight minutes remained.
Amelia has to decide whether to sneak out on her very first night at St. Victoria’s. Whoever sent the note claims to know the truth about why she transferred but walking into the dark alone could change everything.
- Writer
