the body
396 Words
Kiya turned slowly, her fingers tightening around the edge of her desk.
“What happened?” she whispered.
Her friends leaned closer. Sophie’s face was pale, her voice shaking. “They’re saying someone collapsed near the science block. But… there’s blood. A lot of it.”
“Collapsed?” Kiya repeated.
“No one knows,” another girl said quickly. “Some say it was an accident. Some say—” She stopped, swallowing hard. “Some say it was murder.”
A cold feeling crept up Kiya’s spine.
The classroom buzzed with half-formed rumors. Phones were hidden under desks, screens glowing with unreadable messages. Teachers’ footsteps echoed outside, fast and nervous. Kiya tried to stay seated, tried to listen, but something pulled at her—an urge she couldn’t explain.
Then she heard her name.
“Kiya.”
She looked up. The class teacher stood at the door, eyes scanning the room. “You were on library duty during second period, right?”
Kiya nodded. Her mouth felt dry.
“Come with me,” the teacher said softly.
The corridor felt different than usual—too quiet, too empty. Lockers stood open where students had rushed away. A single notebook lay on the floor, pages fluttering slightly as they passed.
“Kiya, stay close,” the teacher warned.
They turned the corner near the science block.
And then Kiya saw it.
A body lay on the floor, partially covered by a staff blazer. One arm stretched out, fingers still. There was blood—dark, unmoving—spreading across the tiles. Shoes surrounded the area, teachers and staff standing back, faces tense.
Kiya froze.
Her eyes dropped to the face.
sam adalhard.
The empty seat. The missing student.
Her chest tightened as the realization hit her all at once. This wasn’t a rumor. This wasn’t a drill. Someone she shared a classroom with—someone who laughed during lunch and argued during debates—was dead.
“Kiya,” the teacher said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Did you see him in the library today?”
Kiya shook her head, barely breathing. “No. I didn’t.”
But as she stared at the stillness on the floor, a memory flickered in her mind.
Footsteps.
Rushed. Angry.
And a voice she almost recognized.
Kiya swallowed.
Because now she knew something no one else did.
- Writer
