CHAPTER ELEVEN
753 Words
The note felt heavier than paper.
Check Room 214 tonight.
Amelia folded it quickly and slipped it into her pocket before anyone else noticed.
“Manager!”
Coach Daniels’ voice echoed through the gym.
“Water bottles.”
She blinked, forcing herself back to reality.
“Coming.”
Practice ended just before sunset.
The players gathered at center court while Coach reviewed their upcoming match.
“You’ve all worked hard,” he said. “But the regional tournament is only three weeks away. Stay focused.”
Oliver’s eyes briefly met Amelia’s.
She looked away first.
The note burned against her pocket.
Back at the girls’ dormitory, Chloe was already sprawled across her bed with a bag of chips.
“So…”
She grinned mischievously.
“How was basketball practice?”
“It was basketball practice.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Amelia rolled her eyes.
“Nothing happened.”
“Really?”
Chloe sat upright.
“Because half the girls in school are saying Oliver Hayes smiled at you.”
Amelia nearly dropped the book she was holding.
“What?”
“I’m serious.”
“And now Claire looks ready to set the gym on fire.”
Amelia laughed despite herself.
“People here make up stories about everything.”
“They do.”
Chloe smiled knowingly.
“But sometimes… rumors start because there’s a little truth.”
Amelia didn’t answer.
Instead, she unpacked her bag.
The folded note slipped onto the floor.
Chloe bent to pick it up.
“What’s th…”
Amelia snatched it away.
“It’s… just homework.”
Chloe frowned.
“You’ve been acting strange lately.”
“I’m just tired.”
The smile faded from Chloe’s face.
“If something’s wrong…”
“You can tell me.”
For a moment, Amelia wanted to.
She wanted to tell Chloe about the anonymous notes.
About the East Wing.
About Daniel Cross.
About the hooded figures.
Instead, she forced a smile.
“I’m okay.”
It was a lie.
And they both knew it.
Later that evening…
The dormitory lights went out.
One by one, the rooms fell silent.
Amelia waited.
Ten minutes.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Finally, she climbed quietly out of bed.
She pulled on a hoodie, slipped her phone into her pocket, and crept into the empty hallway.
The academy looked completely different at night.
The cheerful corridors had become long, silent passageways lit only by emergency lights.
Every footstep echoed.
She reached the old academic building.
Room 214 stood at the end of the corridor.
The door was already open.
Her heart pounded.
“Hello?”
No answer.
She stepped inside.
Dust floated through the moonlight.
The classroom had clearly been abandoned for years.
Old desks were stacked against the walls.
A cracked chalkboard covered one side of the room.
At the teacher’s desk sat a single envelope.
Her name was written across the front.
Amelia Bennett.
With trembling fingers, she opened it.
Inside was a faded photograph.
Four boys stood outside the East Wing, laughing.
Oliver.
Liam.
Ethan.
Daniel.
Someone had circled Daniel’s face in red ink.
On the back of the photo, a message was written.
One of them is lying.
A floorboard creaked behind her.
Amelia spun around.
Oliver stood in the doorway.
His face was pale.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered.
“I should be asking you that.”
He stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
“I found the same note.”
Amelia stared at him.
“You did?”
He nodded.
“It told me to come alone.”
Silence settled between them.
Someone had lured them both here.
Then…
The classroom door slammed shut.
BANG!
The lights flickered.
A metallic click echoed through the room.
The door wouldn’t open.
They were locked in.
Amelia rushed to the handle.
“It’s stuck!”
Oliver pulled hard.
Nothing.
Suddenly, the old projector mounted on the ceiling whirred to life by itself.
A grainy video appeared on the cracked whiteboard.
The date in the corner read:
October 14… Two Years Ago.
Four boys walked into frame.
Oliver.
Ethan.
Daniel.
And one more student whose face was hidden by static.
The recording lasted only a few seconds before freezing.
Then a distorted voice echoed through the speakers.
“Watch carefully… this is where the lies began.”
The screen went black.
Amelia slowly turned toward Oliver.
His face had gone completely white.
He wasn’t surprised the video existed.
He looked terrified that she had seen it.
- Writer
