Chess

The Second Piece

By the time Rui returned to the classroom, the rain had stopped.

The windows were covered with pale streaks of water, and the courtyard below looked strangely peaceful.

Too peaceful.

Students had begun leaving in groups. Parents waited outside the gates.

Teachers stood in the hallways, speaking quietly to police officers.

Nobody seemed willing to say Elena Marsh's name anymore.

As Rui entered the classroom, Jaiko immediately looked up. Her expression brightened.

“You're back.”

Rui nodded.

“Yeah.”

She stood from her seat.

“Are you okay?”

“I think so.”

She studied his face. “You look like you saw a ghost.”

“Not a ghost.”

“Then what?”

Rui dropped into his chair. “A chess piece.” Jaiko sat beside him.

“The white knight?”

“You knew about it?”

“You told me.”

“I did?”

She smiled.

“You showed me before you left.”

Rui stared at her for a moment. Then he remembered.

Right.

“Sorry.”

“You've had a weird first day.”

“That's one way to describe it.”

Jaiko leaned her chin against her palm. “What did the police say?”

Rui hesitated.

“They asked about Elena.”

“And?”

“They asked about me.” Jaiko's expression immediately changed.

“Why?”

“They found my initials on the chess piece.”

She sat straight. “That's creepy.”

“Yeah.”

“Did they think you had something to do with it?”

“I don't know.”

“You're not in trouble, right?”

“Not yet.”

Jaiko frowned. “That's not funny.”

Rui looked at her. “You're worried.”

She caught off guard and blushed. “Of course, we are friends.”

She paused.

Then quietly added, “You're my only friend here.”

Something about the way she said it made Rui's expression soften.

“You're mine too.”

Jaiko’s blushing.

Again.

“G-good.”

She picked up his notebook. “What are you writing?”

“Give that back.”

She pulled it away.

“Let's see…”

Rui reached for it.

Jaiko held it above her head.

“You're really short.”

“I'm not short.”

“You are.”

“Give me my notebook.”

“Make me.”

Rui stared at her.

For the first time since the announcement, the tension inside him loosened.

He reached over and took the notebook.

Jaiko laughed.

“See? You can have fun.”

“I wasn't having fun.”

“You were smiling.”

“I wasn't.”

“You were.”

Rui looked away while Jaiko smiled triumphantly.

The classroom door opened. Ethan Parker stepped inside.

“Hayes.”

Rui looked up.

“What?”

Ethan glanced at Jaiko. Then back at Rui.

“You need to come with me.”

“Again?”

“The principal wants to see you.”

Rui sighed. Jaiko immediately looked concerned. “Why?”

Ethan shrugged.

“Something about the security footage.”

Rui stood. Jaiko grabbed the sleeve of his jacket. “Be careful.”

“I'll be back.”

She released him.

“Promise?”

Rui looked at her for a second.

“Promise.”

The principal's office was on the first floor. When Rui entered, three people were already waiting.

Principal Warren. A police officer and the school's head of security.

The atmosphere was different from before.

Nobody smiled.

Principal Warren gestured toward the chair.

“Sit.”

Rui sat.

The police officer placed a tablet on the desk.

“We reviewed the security footage from yesterday.”

“And?”

The officer turned the screen toward Rui.

A hallway appeared.

North wing.

The timestamp read:

8:17 P.M.

Rui watched.

The corridor was empty.

Then Elena appeared.

She walked into a frame carrying a backpack. She stopped. Looked around. Then entered a classroom.

The footage continued.

One minute.

Two.

Three.

Then the lights flickered.

The screen went black.

When the image returned, Elena was gone.

Rui leaned closer.

“That's it?”

“For that camera.”

“What about the others?”

The security officer shook his head.

“Several cameras stopped recording at approximately the same time.”

“Convenient.”

Principal Warren's eyes narrowed.

“Careful, Mr. Hayes.”

Rui looked at him.

“You're asking me to be careful while a student disappears inside your school.”

The room went quiet.

The police officer cleared his throat. “We aren't accusing anyone.”

“Then why am I here?”

“Because your initials appeared on the chess piece.”

Rui looked at the officer.

“I didn't put them there.”

“We know.”

“How?”

“Because the piece was already inside Elena's locker before you arrived at the school.”

Rui frowned.

“What?”

The officer continued.

“The knight was found inside her locker this morning.”

“Then why are my initials on it?”

“We don't know.”

Rui leaned back.

Someone had put his initials there.

Before he even arrived.

That meant whoever was behind this knew he was coming.

Or had chosen him for a reason.

“There's something else,” the officer said.

He placed a photograph on the desk.

Rui looked down. It showed Elena standing in the north wing.

But she wasn't alone.

Someone was standing several feet behind her.

The figure was blurred.

Tall.

Wearing a dark jacket.

Rui stared.

“Can you identify them?”

“No.”

“Enhance it.”

“We tried.”

The officer zoomed in.

The face remained nothing but a distorted blur.

Rui looked at the person's hand. Something was hanging from their fingers.

A chess piece.

A black bishop.

Rui pointed.

“That.”

The officer nodded.

“We noticed it too.”

Rui stared at the image. “Who uses bishops?”

The principal looked confused.

“What?”

“In chess.”

Rui pointed at the photograph.

“The person carrying that piece.”

The officer exchanged a glance with the security chief.

“We don't know.”

Rui stood.

“Then find out.”

He walked toward the door.

Principal Warren's voice stopped him.

“Mr. Hayes.”

Rui turned.

“You should stay away from the north wing.”

Rui stared at him.

“Why?”

“Because it's dangerous.”

“That is not an answer.”

“It's the only one you're getting.”

Rui left.

Jaiko was waiting outside. She stood against the wall, swinging her backpack gently from one hand.

“You took forever.”

“Sorry.”

“What happened?”

Rui looked at her.

“Nothing.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You're doing that thing again.”

“What thing?”

“Pretending you're fine.”

Rui smiled faintly. “You're becoming a silly kid.”

“I prefer observant.” He laughed.

They walked toward the courtyard together.

Jaiko talked about ordinary things. A teacher who mispronounced her name. A vending machine that stole her money. A girl in her class who had complimented her shoes.

Rui listened.

He hadn't realized how much he needed ordinary conversation.

Eventually, Jaiko looked at him.

“You're quiet.”

“Thinking.”

“About the chess thing?”

“Yeah.”

She sighed.

“You're going to investigate it, aren't you?”

“Yes.”

“I knew it.”

“You could help.”

Jaiko looked surprised.

“Me?”

“You notice things.”

She smiled. “That's a nice way of saying I'm nosy.”

“Maybe.”

She bumped his shoulder.

“Fine. I'll help.”

Rui stopped walking.

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“You aren't scared?”

She paused. “I-I am.”

“Then why?”

Jaiko looked at him. “Because you're doing it.”

Rui didn't answer.

She smiled.

“If you're going to walk into creepy places looking for mysterious chess pieces, someone should make sure you don't die.”

“That's your job?”

“Hmm, maybe.”

They continued walking.

Neither noticed the boy standing on the second-floor balcony.

Ethan.

He watched them disappear through the gates. His expression was unreadable.

Then his phone vibrated.

He looked down.

One message.

HAS HE SEEN THE BISHOP?

Ethan stared at the screen.

He typed:

YES.

The reply came immediately.

GOOD.

Ethan looked toward the entrance.

Then another message appeared.

KEEP HIM AWAY FROM THE LIBRARY.

Ethan's expression changed.

He typed:

Why?

No response came.

That evening, Rui sat at his desk. His notebook was open. He had drawn a chessboard.

The first square contained a black pawn. The second contained a white knight.

Beside them, he wrote:

ELENA MARSH

Then:

RUI HAYES

He stared at the board.

The announcement had said one piece had been removed.

But the white knight had his initials.

Was Rui already part of the game?

Or was someone trying to make him think he was?

His phone buzzed.

A message from Jaiko.

Did you eat dinner?

Rui smiled.

He typed: Not yet.

Her response came almost immediately.

Go eat. You're investigating a murder mystery, not trying to become one.

Rui laughed quietly.

He typed:

Bossy.

She replied:

Alive. That's all I ask.

Rui stared at the message. For some reason, it made him feel less alone.

He placed his phone beside the notebook.

Then something slipped from between the pages.

A small piece of paper.

Rui froze.

He hadn't put it there. Slowly, he unfolded it.

Three words.

THE SECOND PIECE.

Rui's eyes moved to the chessboard he had drawn.

There were only two pieces.

The black pawn.

The white knight.

He looked at the note again. Then his phone vibrated.

Another message. Not from Jaiko. An unknown number.

Rui opened it.

A photograph appeared. It showed the school library. The photograph had been taken from inside.

The library was empty except for one chessboard sitting on a table.

A black bishop stood in the center. Underneath the photograph was a single sentence.

YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE BOARD.

A second message appeared.

START LOOKING AT THE PLAYERS.

Rui stared at the screen.

Then he noticed something in the photograph. A reflection in the library window.

Someone was standing behind the camera.

Rui zoomed in.

The reflection was too distorted to identify. But the person was holding something.

A white chess piece.

Rui's phone suddenly went dark.

The screen displayed one final notification before shutting off.

MOVE TWO BEGINS TOMORROW.