THE BIG CHASE

The first bell rang at exactly 8:30 a.m., just like every other day. Kiya didn’t know it yet, but by the time the final bell rang, someone in her school would be dead. St. Aurora High School looked normal that morning—students rushing to class, teachers shouting reminders, the smell of chalk and cheap sanitizer hanging in the air. Kiya sat by the window in Class 11-B, her notebook open, pen untouched. She watched the playground instead of the blackboard. She always did. Kiya was the kind of girl teachers forgot to notice. Quiet. Observant. Seventeen and already tired of pretending she fit in. Her friends—if they could be called that—sat two benches away, laughing softly. Kiya preferred distance. Distance kept her safe. Second period began with a surprise test. Groans filled the room. Kiya barely reacted. Numbers and words blurred together as her mind drifted. Something felt wrong. Not scary. Just… heavy. Then the scream came. It cut through the corridor, sharp and panicked. The class froze. A second later, the principal’s voice crackled over the loudspeaker. “All students, please remain in your classrooms. This is not a drill.” Whispers exploded. Some students laughed nervously. Others pulled out their phones, already typing messages. Kiya’s heart began to race. Minutes passed like hours. A teacher ran past their door. Then another. The hallway echoed with hurried footsteps. Through the glass panel, Kiya saw red—dark and smeared—on the floor. Blood. Her breath caught. Someone had been murdered. The door finally opened, and their class teacher stepped in, her face pale. “Everyone stay calm,” she said, though her voice trembled. “No one leaves the room.” Kiya pressed her back against the chair. Her eyes drifted again to the window, then to the door, then to the clock. 10:47 a.m. She noticed something no one else did. A chair in the front row was empty. That seat belonged to sam adalhard. And suddenly, Kiya understood. This wasn’t just a school murder. It was a chase. And somehow—without knowing how or why—she was already part of it.