Chapter 3: The Miller twins
1210 Words
Damson wasn’t really present
Even after lunch, even after Jade kept talking, his mind was still stuck in that corridor.
The principal’s office.
That scent.
And the feeling that something had been there, just out of sight.
He barely noticed when they walked back into class.
Jade nudged him lightly. “You’re doing it again.”
“I’m fine,” he said automatically.
But he wasn’t
The classroom was already louder than usual when they entered.
Students were settling down, talking, laughing, and dragging chairs across the floor.
Mr Benson stood at the front, organizing papers on his desk.
“Alright everyone, sit down,” he said. “We have something to do before we continue lessons.”
Groans filled the room.
Then the door opened.
The noise died down slightly.
The principal walked in first.
That alone made the class go quiet.
Damson looked up slowly.
Behind her were two boys.
His chest tightened a little without him understanding why.
The principal cleared her throat.
“These are new students joining Year 7. They will be introduced properly now.”
She stepped aside.
Mr Benson adjusted his papers and nodded. “Class, please welcome the miller twins.”
A small wave of whispers moved through the room again.
Twins.
Damson focused.
The first boy stepped forward.
He looked around the class, then smiled easily.
“Hi,” he said. “I’m Jake.”
His voice was relaxed. Comfortable.
Some students already reacted positively.
Then the second boy stepped forward.
He didn’t smile.
Just a short nod.
“Jackson.”
Short. Calm. Almost uninterested.
Damson watched them carefully.
Same face.
Same height.
Same build.
But completely different energy.
Jake felt… open.
Jackson felt closed off.
Jade leaned slightly toward Damson. “They’re actually identical.”
Damson didn’t reply.
Something about them felt… slightly off.
Not wrong.
Just unfamiliar in a way he couldn’t explain.
“Jake, Jackson,” Mr Benson said, “you’ll take temporary seats for now. We’ll arrange proper seating later.”
Jake’s eyes scanned the classroom immediately.
Then landed on Damson.
He smiled.
“Can I sit there?” he asked, already walking over.
Damson hesitated. “Uh… sure.”
Jake dropped into the seat beside him like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Thanks,” Jake said. “Honestly, this school is way bigger than I expected. I thought I was going to get lost like five times already.”
Damson blinked. “It’s not that hard to navigate.”
Jake laughed softly. “You say that now.”
Across the room, Jackson chose a seat near the back without asking anyone.
Near the window.
Quiet.
Still.
The lesson continued, but Jake didn’t stay silent for long.
“Is it always this quiet in class?” he whispered.
“Yes,” Damson replied.
“That’s depressing.”
“It’s normal.”
“Still depressing.”
Jade heard them and quietly smiled at herself.
Jake leaned a little closer. “You’re easier to talk to than I expected.”
Damson glanced at him. “What did you expect?”
“I don’t know,” Jake said honestly. “Just… people here feel like they’d ignore me.”
Damson didn’t answer that.
Something about the way Jake said it felt too open.
Too quick.
Too trusting.
Later, Mr Benson started handing out papers.
“These are your entrance assessment sheets,” he explained. “Since you’ve just resumed Year 7, I want to see where everyone stands.”
He began distributing them.
When Damson received his, he noticed immediately—it was familiar.
Same structure as always.
Basic Year 6 revision questions.
Simple.
Comfortable.
He started writing without thinking too much.
Jake peeked at his paper. “You’re fast.”
“It’s easy.”
“That’s what smart people always say,” Jake muttered.
Damson ignored him.
After a while, Mr Benson collected attention again.
“I’ve marked a few already,” he said. “There are some strong performances.”
He flipped through papers.
Then paused.
“Jackson Miller. Ninety-eight percent.”
The room reacted instantly.
A few students whispered.
Jackson didn’t react.
He just stared forward, expression unreadable.
Damson’s grip tightened slightly on his pen.
Mr Benson continued.
“Damson. Ninety-four percent. Very good as well.”
Damson looked down at his paper.
Second.
A strange irritation settled in his chest.
Not loud.
Just uncomfortable.
Jake leaned closer immediately. “That’s still really good, you know.”
Damson didn’t answer.
Across the room, Jackson finally looked at him.
Just for a second.
No expression.
Then a small smirk.
Gone almost instantly.
But Damson saw it.
The rest of the lesson passed slowly.
Jake kept talking quietly.
Jackson stayed silent.
But Damson couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching him.
Then the bell rang.
Students packed up quickly.
Jake stretched. “Finally. I’m starving.”
Damson slowly closed his notebook.
But he didn’t stand yet.
That feeling was still there, faint and quiet, sitting somewhere beyond the classroom.
He hesitated, then turned slightly.
For a brief second, his eyes met Jackson’s.
Jackson was sitting behind him.
Already looking at him.
No expression.
Just a glance that lasted a second too long.
Then Jackson looked away first and started packing his things like nothing had happened.
Damson stayed still for a moment.
Then looked down at his desk.
“…weird,” he muttered under his breath.
The classroom slowly emptied.
Chairs scraped. Bags zipped. Voices faded into the hallway outside.
Jade stood first, swinging her bag over her shoulder. “Come on, slowpoke.”
Jake grinned. “Yeah, I was told we’re doing a ‘tour’ situation anyway.”
Damson looked up. “Tour?”
“Yeah,” Jake said, falling into step beside. “Jade said she’ll show me around properly so I don’t get lost and end up in the wrong building again.”
Jade rolled her eyes. “You would definitely do that.”
They stepped out into the corridor together.
The noise of the classroom disappeared behind them, replaced by the busy hallway of students moving in different directions.
Jake looked around with interest. “Okay, this place is actually bigger than I thought.”
Jade started walking ahead. “Come on then, I’ll show you where everything is.”
Damson followed quietly between them.
And for a moment, it almost felt normal again.
Almost.
- Writer
