CHAPTER TEN
842 Words
Amelia’s scream never came.
The gloved hand covering her mouth tightened for only a second before a familiar voice whispered,
“Don’t panic.”
Oliver.
He slowly removed his hand as Amelia spun around, her heart racing.
“What are you doing?” she hissed. “You scared me!”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
His eyes dropped to Claire’s abandoned phone on the stone bench.
“I told you not to come here alone.”
Amelia folded her arms.
“I came because Claire asked me to.”
Oliver’s expression darkened.
“Claire?”
“She said she knew what happened to Daniel Cross.”
Oliver stared at the phone before picking it up.
The screen was shattered, but it was still on.
There was only one unread message.
UNKNOWN NUMBER
Wrong place. Wrong time.
Oliver’s grip tightened around the phone.
“This isn’t Claire.”
“What do you mean?”
He looked around the empty chapel grounds.
“Claire would never leave her phone behind.”
A cold breeze swept through the trees.
The festival music echoed faintly in the distance, but the chapel grounds were silent.
Too silent.
Suddenly,
A twig snapped.
Both of them turned.
Nothing.
Only shadows.
Oliver grabbed Amelia’s wrist.
“We’re leaving.”
Back at the festival, the fireworks had ended, but the celebration was still alive.
Students laughed around bonfires while music played from the outdoor stage.
No one noticed Oliver and Amelia slipping back into the crowd.
Except Liam.
He walked over with two cups of hot chocolate.
“There you are.”
He handed one to Amelia.
“I’ve been looking everywhere.”
She accepted it with a grateful smile.
“Thanks.”
Oliver watched the exchange without saying a word.
Liam noticed.
“You okay, man?”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“I’m just tired.”
Liam shrugged, unconvinced.
“Coach wants us at practice tomorrow morning.”
Oliver nodded.
“I’ll be there.”
As Liam walked away, Amelia took a sip of her drink.
“You know…”
“What?”
“I think he likes you.”
Oliver’s eyes widened.
“Liam?”
She laughed.
“No.”
“You.”
Oliver blinked.
“Me?”
“Liam keeps trying to make sure we’re okay.”
Oliver chuckled softly.
“For a second I thought you meant…..”
He stopped himself.
Amelia smiled.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
For the first time in days,
They laughed together.
The following Monday, St. Victoria’s Academy returned to its normal schedule.
Or at least it pretended to.
The mysterious projector incident had become yesterday’s gossip.
Now everyone was talking about something else.
“The basketball team is choosing a student manager.”
“Apparently Coach wants someone responsible.”
“Who’d volunteer for that?”
Coach Daniels stood at the front of Amelia’s English class.
“I need one volunteer.”
Silence.
He sighed.
“Fine.”
His eyes scanned the room before stopping on Amelia.
“Miss Bennett.”
Amelia’s eyes widened.
“Me?”
“You’ve got excellent grades.”
“I’ve only been here a week.”
“Exactly.”
Before she could protest, the class erupted into applause.
“Congratulations!”
Chloe grinned.
“You’ll spend every afternoon with the basketball team.”
Amelia shot her a glare.
“This isn’t helping.”
Across the room, Oliver slowly lowered his head onto his desk.
Coach noticed.
“Problem, Hayes?”
Oliver sighed dramatically.
“No, Coach.”
Inside, he was thinking something entirely different.
This is either going to be the best decision or the worst mistake we’ve ever made.
Practice began that afternoon.
The gym echoed with bouncing basketballs and squeaking sneakers.
Amelia sat on the bench with a clipboard, trying to ignore the players’ curious glances.
Liam jogged over.
“So, Manager Bennett.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Don’t start.”
He laughed.
“Relax. We don’t bite.”
Before Amelia could answer, Oliver called from the court.
“Liam!”
“Coming!”
The practice match began.
Oliver moved effortlessly across the court, calling plays and directing his teammates.
Amelia couldn’t help but watch.
He wasn’t just talented.
He was a leader.
Confident.
Focused.
Completely different from the guarded boy she knew outside the gym.
Coach blew the whistle.
“Break!”
Oliver grabbed a bottle of water and walked toward the bench.
“You surviving?”
“Barely.”
He smiled.
“It gets easier.”
Before Amelia could reply, a basketball rolled toward her feet.
She bent to pick it up.
Taped beneath it was a folded note.
Her smile disappeared.
She opened it carefully.
Only four words were written inside.
Check Room 214 tonight.
Her breath caught.
Room 214.
The room where everything had begun.
She looked up.
Across the gym, someone in the bleachers stood and quietly walked out.
Amelia couldn’t see their face.
But she had the unmistakable feeling…
They had been watching her all along.
- Writer
