THE GIRL WHO COULD HEAR SECRET

Chapter One: The Strange Feeling Nora Brown had always believed that ordinary things were just ordinary. A school bag was a school bag. A classroom was a classroom. An old photograph was simply a photograph, no matter how faded it had become. She had never been the kind of person who believed in ghosts, magic, or strange stories people told to frighten children. If something couldn't be explained, Nora usually believed there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for it. That Monday morning, however, something happened that would make her question everything she believed. The school courtyard was already crowded when Nora arrived. Students moved in every direction, some hurrying toward their classrooms while others stood in small groups, talking about the weekend. Nora adjusted the strap of her backpack and checked the time on her phone. She was early. For once. She smiled to herself. “Don't look so proud.” Nora turned around. Damon stood behind her with his backpack hanging from one shoulder. His hair was slightly untidy, and he looked as though he had run most of the way to school. “You're late,” Nora said. Damon shook his head. “I'm not late.” “You're breathing like you just ran from the police.” “I said I'm not late.” “You're definitely late.” Damon looked at the school clock. Then he looked back at Nora. “Okay. Maybe a little.” Nora laughed. Damon had been her best friend for years. They had met when they were younger, and somehow their friendship had survived arguments, embarrassing moments, terrible group projects, and even the occasional disagreement about who was better at mathematics. Damon claimed he was better. Nora knew he wasn't. They started walking toward their classroom. “So,” Damon said, “did you study for the test?” Nora stopped walking. “The test is today?” Damon stared at her. “You're joking.” “Of course I'm joking.” “You're terrible at lying.” “I know.” They continued down the hallway. The school was unusually noisy that morning. Someone was laughing loudly near the lockers. A teacher was telling students to stop running. Somewhere upstairs, a classroom door slammed. Nora barely noticed any of it. She was thinking about the mathematics test. Then something caught her attention. Something small and silver was lying near the wall. “Nora?” She didn't answer. She walked toward it. It was a necklace. The chain was thin and slightly tangled. At the end was a small silver pendant shaped like a teardrop. Nora looked around. Nobody seemed to be searching for it. “Someone must have dropped it,” Damon said. “Probably.” “Give it to a teacher.” Nora nodded. She bent down and picked it up. The moment her fingers touched the pendant, everything changed. The noise in the hallway disappeared. Not gradually. Instantly. The students vanished. The walls seemed to fade. For one strange second, Nora felt as though she was standing somewhere completely different. She could hear someone breathing. Slowly. Uneasily. Then a voice whispered close to her ear. “Please... don't let them find it.” Nora's eyes widened. She dropped the necklace. The noise of the hallway suddenly returned. Students were everywhere. Someone bumped into her shoulder. A teacher walked past. Damon was staring at her. “Nora?” She couldn't speak. Her heart was beating quickly. “What happened?” Damon asked. Nora looked down at the necklace. It was still lying on the floor. “Did you hear that?” she whispered. “Hear what?” “The voice.” Damon frowned. “What voice?” Nora swallowed. “I... I don't know.” Damon bent down and picked up the necklace. Nothing happened. He turned it over in his hand. “There's nothing special about it.” Nora stared at him. “Put it down.” “Why?” “Just put it down.” Damon slowly placed it back on the floor. Nora couldn't explain what had happened. Maybe she had imagined it. Maybe she was tired. Maybe the stress of the test had finally affected her brain. That had to be it. There was no such thing as hearing voices from objects. At least, that's what Nora told herself. She picked up her backpack. “Come on,” she said. Damon didn't move. “You're acting weird.” “I'm fine.” “You're not fine.” “I said I'm fine.” Damon raised his hands. “Okay. Fine.” They continued toward their classroom. But Nora couldn't stop thinking about the necklace. Or the voice. Their first class was English. Nora sat near the window while Damon sat beside her. She tried to concentrate on the lesson, but her mind kept returning to the same sentence. Please... don't let them find it. Who had said it? What were they talking about? And who were “they”? Nora looked out the window. Across the courtyard stood an old section of the school that wasn't used anymore. The windows were dusty, and the walls needed painting. She had always wondered what was inside. “Nora.” She looked up. Ms. Agatha was standing beside her desk. “Yes, ma'am?” “You seem distracted today.” “I'm sorry.” Ms. Agatha studied her for a moment. Then her eyes moved toward Nora's hand. Nora was still holding the necklace. She hadn't even realized it. Ms. Agatha's expression changed. Only for a second. But Nora noticed. “You found that where?” Ms. Agatha asked. “Outside the classroom.” Ms. Agatha reached toward the necklace. Nora instinctively pulled her hand away. The teacher paused. “Is everything all right?” Nora nodded. “Yes.” Ms. Agatha looked at the necklace again. Then she looked directly into Nora's eyes. “Be careful with things that don't belong to you.” Nora frowned. “What do you mean?” But Ms. Agatha had already walked away. Damon leaned toward her. “That was strange.” Nora nodded. “Very strange.” The bell rang before she could say anything else. Students began packing their books. Nora slipped the necklace into the small pocket of her backpack. She didn't know why she kept it. Maybe because she wanted answers. Maybe because she was curious. Or maybe because somewhere inside her, she already knew the necklace was important. At lunchtime, Nora and Damon sat beneath a large tree at the edge of the school courtyard. Damon opened his lunch box. “You're staring at your bag again.” “No, I'm not.” “You have been staring at it for five minutes.” Nora sighed. She pulled out the necklace. Damon looked at it. “Okay. Let's investigate.” “Investigate what?” “The necklace.” Nora shook her head. “This is ridiculous.” “Maybe. But you heard something.” “I might have imagined it.” “You don't usually imagine voices.” Nora didn't respond. Damon lowered his voice. “Do you know what I think?” “What?” “I think that necklace belonged to someone important.” Nora raised an eyebrow. “That's your big theory?” “I'm just getting started.” He pointed at the pendant. “Look at it.” Nora examined the silver pendant carefully. There was a tiny symbol engraved on the back. It looked like a circle with a small line through the middle. She had never seen anything like it. “What's that?” Damon asked. “I don't know.” Before they could examine it further, someone walked past their table. It was Michelle. She stopped when she saw the necklace. Her expression immediately changed. Nora noticed. “Michelle?” Michelle stared at the pendant. “Where did you get that?” Nora and Damon exchanged a quick glance. “I found it,” Nora said. “Where?” “Near the hallway.” Michelle's face had gone pale. “You shouldn't have picked it up.” “Why?” Michelle didn't answer. She looked around the courtyard as though she was afraid someone might be watching. Then she said quietly, “Just get rid of it.” She walked away. Damon watched her leave. “Well,” he said, “that's definitely not normal.” Nora looked down at the necklace. For the first time that day, she felt genuinely afraid. The voice. Ms. Agatha's reaction. Now Michelle's warning. There was something about the necklace. Something everyone seemed to know except her. Nora closed her hand around the pendant. And the moment she did, she heard the voice again. “He knows where it is.” Nora's breath caught. She quickly opened her hand. The necklace fell onto the table. Damon stared at her. “What happened?” Nora looked toward the direction Michelle had gone. Then toward the school building. “I heard it again.” “Heard what?” “The voice.” Damon's expression became serious. “What did it say?” Nora looked at the silver pendant. This time, she was certain she hadn't imagined it. “I think...” she whispered, “someone knows where something is.” Damon leaned closer. “Where?” Nora shook her head. “I don't know.” The school bell rang. Students began returning to their classrooms. Nora picked up the necklace and placed it carefully inside her backpack. She didn't know it yet, but finding that necklace was only the beginning. And before the week was over, Nora would discover something even more frightening. The objects around her were not silent. They had stories. They had memories. And somehow... They could speak to her.