Only me

THE BOY FROM PLATFORM SEVEN

THE BOY FROM PLATFORM SEVEN

Sometimes the person you meet by accident is the one who changes everything.

Chapter One: The Stranger

Amelia Carter had a rule.

Never trust strangers.

It was a rule her grandmother had repeated so many times that Amelia could practically hear her voice whenever she stepped outside.

But on the evening Amelia met the boy from Platform Seven, she forgot that rule completely.

Amelia was seventeen, with long, wavy dark-brown hair that reached the middle of her back and expressive hazel eyes that seemed to change color depending on the light. She had a warm smile, a small beauty mark near her cheek, and a habit of biting her lower lip whenever she was thinking.

She wasn't the loudest person in school.

She wasn't the most popular either.

Amelia preferred quiet places, good books, sketching in her notebook, and listening to music while walking home.

She lived with her mother and younger brother in a small apartment above a bakery.

Their life wasn't perfect, but Amelia loved it.

That evening, however, everything changed.

Her mother had asked her to pick up a package from the train station.

"Come straight home," her mother had said.

"I will."

"And don't miss the last train."

"I won't."

Amelia had laughed.

"Mom, I'm seventeen, not seven."

"You're still my baby."

Now, twenty minutes later, Amelia stood alone on Platform Seven.

The station was almost empty.

Rain tapped against the glass roof.

The clock above the platform showed 8:47 p.m.

Amelia checked her phone.

No signal.

"Of course," she muttered.

She sat on a bench and pulled her jacket closer.

That's when she noticed him.

A boy stood near the opposite end of the platform.

He looked around eighteen.

He was tall, with messy black hair that fell slightly over his forehead. His eyes were a deep gray, and his expression was unusually serious for someone his age. He wore a dark hoodie beneath a black jacket and carried an old backpack over one shoulder.

There was something strange about him.

Not frightening.

Just... mysterious.

Amelia looked away.

Don't stare.

A few minutes passed.

Then the boy walked toward her.

Amelia immediately became alert.

"Excuse me."

She looked up.

"Yes?"

"Do you know if the next train is still coming?"

Amelia glanced at the schedule.

"Platform Seven should have one in about ten minutes."

He nodded.

"Thanks."

He turned away.

That was it.

Simple.

Normal.

Except Amelia noticed something on the bench after he left.

A small black notebook.

"Hey!"

The boy stopped.

"You forgot this."

He turned.

His expression changed when he saw the notebook in her hand.

For the first time, Amelia noticed something behind his eyes.

Fear.

Not anger.

Not embarrassment.

Fear.

"Give it to me."

Amelia stood.

"Okay."

He walked toward her.

But before Amelia could hand it over, a loud announcement echoed through the station.

"Attention, passengers. Due to an emergency situation, all trains are temporarily delayed."

The boy froze.

Amelia looked at him.

"Are you okay?"

He didn't answer.

Instead, he looked toward the station entrance.

Then back at Amelia.

"Listen carefully."

His voice was suddenly serious.

"If anyone asks, you haven't seen me."

Amelia stared.

"What?"

He took the notebook from her hand.

"Forget this conversation."

Then he walked away.

Amelia stood there completely confused.

Who was he?

Why was he afraid?

And why did he care so much about an ordinary black notebook?

Before she could think about it any further, she heard footsteps.

Someone was coming down the platform.

Amelia turned.

A man in a dark coat entered the station.

He looked around.

Then he stopped.

His eyes moved toward the boy.

Amelia's heart began beating faster.

The mysterious boy glanced back at her.

For one second, their eyes met.

He silently shook his head.

Don't say anything.

The man started walking toward him.

Amelia didn't understand what was happening.

But somehow, she knew one thing.

She couldn't ignore it.

She stepped forward.

"Excuse me!"

Both the boy and the stranger turned toward her.

Amelia pointed toward the station exit.

"I think you dropped something."

The boy stared at her.

The stranger looked suspicious.

"What did he drop?" the man asked.

Amelia smiled nervously.

"I don't know. I just saw something fall."

The stranger's eyes narrowed.

The boy suddenly understood what she was doing.

"She's right," he said. "I dropped my keys."

The stranger looked between them.

Then he walked closer.

"Where are they?"

Amelia pointed toward the far end of the platform.

"Over there."

The stranger walked away to look.

The boy quickly stepped beside Amelia.

"Why did you do that?"

"I don't know."

"You shouldn't have."

"You're welcome."

He stared at her.

Then, unexpectedly, he smiled.

It was the first time she saw his serious face soften.

"My name is Noah."

Amelia smiled back.

"Amelia."

"I know."

Her smile disappeared.

"You know my name?"

Noah looked toward the approaching man.

Then back at her.

"I know more about you than you think."

Amelia's heart skipped.

"What does that mean?"

Before Noah could answer, the lights in the station suddenly went out.

Everything became dark.

Amelia heard someone gasp.

Then Noah grabbed his backpack.

"Run."

"What?"

"Amelia, run!"

She didn't know why.

She didn't know where they were going.

And she certainly didn't know why she had decided to trust a boy she'd met less than ten minutes earlier.

But she followed him.

They ran through the dark station as rain continued to fall outside.

And behind them, someone shouted Noah's name.

Amelia looked back.

Then she realized something terrifying.

The stranger wasn't chasing Noah.

He was chasing her too.

And suddenly, Amelia's grandmother's rule came rushing back into her mind.

Never trust strangers.

But it was already too late.

Because Amelia had just trusted the most mysterious stranger she had ever met.

And she was about to discover why he had been waiting for her on Platform Seven.