The Secret Room In My School

Maya’s POV Blackthorn Academy was supposed to be like every other school I'd attended before. At least that’s what I thought, until everything changed and I realized it was not an ordinary school. The day I found my name on a list that wasn’t supposed to exist. My mother had always said the school would be a big change for me. She didn’t specify, but it definitely wasn't this. At the start, I was invisible, the girl no one noticed. *** “Move it! Watch where you’re going.” My books were knocked from my hands and my glasses were kicked down the hall. They laughed. Their laughter was loud and sharp enough to make you cover your ears. “I…I’m sorry.” I scrambled to gather my books and grab my glasses before they got trampled on. “Of course you should,” Tamara, the school’s Queen Bee said. Her designer heels clicked against the polished floor, paired with a white silk Saint Laurent blouse, and designer straight-leg black jeans. “Scholarship students shouldn’t be breathing in the same air as us!” Plethora sneered, a smirk spreading across her face. My stomach dropped as I stared down at my old Nike sneakers. The hallway was too silent, which wasn’t normal. But whenever Tamara and her clique targeted someone, everyone knew to step away. Blackthorn wasn’t for everyone. It was a school for kids who wore only designer clothes, had private drivers, and never had to worry about where their next meal would come from. This was no place for a second-hand uniform or a mother who worked three jobs to keep food on the table. As I reached for the last book. A shoe stepped on my hand. Damn! “Oops, I didn’t see it,” another girl said with a fake smile plastered across her face as she straightened her feathered jacket. “Let’s leave her. I fear her bad luck might rub off on us,” Tamara said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. And with that, Tamara and her minions left. Their laughter and the words hurt, but I couldn’t fight back. It would only make things worse. I hugged myself tightly as I walked down the hallway. The bell rang and my first class was AP Calculus. “It’ll be fine,” I told myself. I just needed to get through the day, then the next few months. *** The bell rang. It was time for lunch. I never ate in the school cafeteria but instead in the bathroom. It was the perfect place to avoid my bullies. Avoiding the cafeteria meant avoiding my bullies. But today, I didn’t feel like hiding in the bathroom. I walked quickly as if slowing down would give me a reason to turn back. I found myself behind the basketball court. The court was always lively and crowded with people. But behind it, was a place I’d never seen before. Patches of dry grass broke through the cracked concrete on the uneven ground. It didn’t look like it belonged to the rest of the campus. Then I saw it– An old building. Maybe I should turn back, but instead I took a step forward toward the abandoned building. The walls were stained with paint peeling off from the surface. The windows were clouded with dust, some cracked and others shattered. Why would the school have this kind of building? Rust had eaten deep into the main door in front of me, and the railings that had once been gold were black with rust. The door creaked as I slowly pushed it open. I took a deep breath and stepped in carefully. Dust coated the floors and the walls. Broken chairs lay scattered across the floor. Old desks were turned over. A chill ran down my spine. “Relax. I’ll just take a look around and leave.” I said, trying to calm myself. I stepped in further as something caught my eye. A staircase. I stepped closer. The railing beside the stairs was cold under my fingers, the metal rough and worn out. I took a step. The wood creaked beneath my weight. By the time I had reached the basement, the air had gotten colder. A wooden door stood at the bottom of the stairs.. Mustering what little courage I had left, I pushed it open. *** Strangely, the room was neat, and there was barely a speck of dust. A large desk sat in the middle of the room. I moved closer. I picked up some pictures. Their names, ages, and their parents’ occupations were written on the back. I recognized some faces; they belonged to students who had disappeared mysteriously. Some were rumored to have been transferred to other schools. I turned to the right, and there was a pinboard; it looked like someone had been doing research. It looked like something straight out of a detective’s investigation board. Maybe I needed to get out of here. As I turned, my hand accidentally knocked some pictures off the table. I sighed as I bent down to pick them up. I turned one over and what I saw made my heart stop. Maya Rowan was written on the back. I stopped in my tracks, completely shocked. “What are you doing here?” A voice came from behind me. I froze. Had I just been caught? And whose room was this? I turned around and saw him. Kai Blackwood. The school’s most feared boy. My trembling fingers tightened around the picture. Why was my name here? “What are you doing here?” He asked again. My throat went dry. “I—I didn’t know anyone was here,” I said quickly, the words tripping over themselves. “I just… I came in and I saw the door and I—” I lifted my face to look at him and his eyes were cold. He had a broad, muscular build and stood at least 6’4”. His silky black hair fell into slightly messy curls around his face. “I got lost,” I said weakly, finally finding my voice, clutching the picture tighter like it could save me. His gaze shifted to my hands. His eyes darkened as he slowly stepped closer. “You shouldn’t be holding that,” he said quietly. My breath hitched. “I don’t understand,” I whispered. “Why is my name here?” “Put it down,” he ordered. Shaking, I slowly dropped the picture on the table. I wanted to disobey and ask more questions but looking at him, I knew it would be a bad idea. “You weren’t supposed to see that.” A chill slid down my spine. “That doesn’t make sense,” I said, my voice barely steady. “This is my name. My picture. Why is my—” “You shouldn’t be in this building at all,” he cut in. “Then tell me why it’s here,” I shot back before I could stop myself. The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted it. His gaze hardened. For a second, I thought he wouldn’t answer. Then he exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. “You need to stay away from here,” he said. “Why?” His eyes flicked to the pictures scattered across the desk. Then he shifted his gaze back to me. “You think you’re the first person to find this room?” he asked. My stomach flipped. “I—no…” “The last person who stood where you’re standing…” My heart started pounding again. “…asked the same questions.” “What happened to her?” I asked, barely above a whisper. His eyes locked onto mine. The words he said next made my blood run cold. “She disappeared.”