THE ROOM THAT NEVER OPENED
832 Words
EPISODE 2
By lunch, I had convinced myself the photograph was a coincidence.
A very disturbing coincidence.
But still a coincidence.
That was the problem with secrets. Once you started looking for them, everything became suspicious.
The photograph was still open on my phone.
Noah standing inside Room 17.
The date underneath it.
September 14, 2025.
The night Elliot disappeared.
I zoomed in.
The photograph was grainy, obviously taken from a distance. Noah was standing near the window, his back partially turned toward the camera.
There was someone else in the room.
I hadn't noticed them before.
A shadow near the door.
I zoomed in again.
“Stop doing that.”
I nearly dropped my phone.
Maya sat across from me in the cafeteria, staring.
“Doing what?”
“Looking at that picture every thirty seconds.”
I locked my phone.
“I'm not.”
“You literally just did.”
I glanced around.
The cafeteria was packed. Students were talking over one another, chairs scraping against the floor while teachers tried unsuccessfully to maintain order.
“Can I ask you something?”
Maya's expression changed.
“Sure.”
“Why was Room 17 sealed?”
She froze.
Only for a second.
But I noticed.
“I don't know.”
“Maya.”
“What?”
“You're lying.”
She sighed.
“Amara, you were there.”
“I know I was there. That's why I'm asking.”
She looked down at her food.
“After Elliot disappeared, the school said the room had been contaminated by some chemical from the science lab.”
I frowned.
“What chemical?”
“No idea.”
“And you believed that?”
“I was fifteen and terrified.”
“So was I.”
“Exactly.”
She lowered her voice.
“They told everyone to stay away from that entire corridor. Anyone caught there would be suspended.”
I remembered.
The warning signs.
The security cameras.
The teachers suddenly appearing whenever someone got too close.
But there was one thing I hadn't remembered.
“Who used to live in Room 17?”
Maya looked at me.
“Elliot.”
My stomach tightened.
“Before him?”
She hesitated.
“I don't know.”
“Think.”
Maya looked toward the cafeteria entrance.
Then she leaned closer.
“I heard someone lived there before Elliot.”
“Who?”
“I don't know his name.”
“Then what do you know?”
She lowered her voice even further.
“He left St. Aurelia.”
“Why?”
“I told you, I don't know.”
Before I could ask another question, the cafeteria doors opened.
Every conversation seemed to dip for half a second.
Noah walked in.
He wasn't alone.
Two prefects followed him, but he barely acknowledged them.
His eyes scanned the room.
Then stopped on me.
Maya immediately muttered, “Oh, great.”
Noah walked toward our table.
I looked away.
He stopped beside me.
“Can we talk?”
“No.”
Maya nearly choked.
Noah raised an eyebrow.
“You didn't even let me finish.”
“I already know what you're going to say.”
“Do you?”
“You're going to tell me to stay away from something.”
His expression changed.
Just slightly.
That was enough.
I stood.
“What happened that night?”
Noah didn't answer.
“September 14.”
Still nothing.
“Where were you?”
His jaw tightened.
“Amara—”
“Where were you?”
He glanced around the cafeteria.
“Not here.”
“Then where?”
“Somewhere you shouldn't be asking about.”
I stared at him.
“You're not making this better.”
“I know.”
He reached into his blazer pocket.
For a moment, I thought he was going to pull out his phone.
Instead, he placed something on the table.
A small silver key.
My eyes dropped to it.
“What is that?”
“Something you shouldn't have.”
I looked back at him.
“Then why give it to me?”
“Because you're going to find it anyway.”
He turned to leave.
I picked up the key.
There was a tiny number engraved on it.
17.
My heart stopped.
“Wait.”
Noah didn't turn around.
“Does this open Room 17?”
He finally looked over his shoulder.
“No.”
I frowned.
“Then what does it open?”
His expression was unreadable.
“The room beneath it.”
Then he walked away.
Maya stared at me.
I stared at the key.
Neither of us spoke.
Until my phone vibrated.
Another unknown number.
Another message.
This time, there was no photograph.
Just six words.
HE NEVER LEFT ST. AURELIA.
I looked toward the doors Noah had disappeared through.
And suddenly, the key in my palm felt much heavier.
Because if the message was true—
then Elliot Hayes might still be somewhere inside the school.
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