Chess

Rui Hayes hated new beginnings. They always arrived dressed as opportunities, carrying promises nobody could keep. A fresh school. Fresh faces. A fresh chance to become someone other than the person everyone had already decided he was. Rui didn't believe in any of it. He stood outside Blackwood Academy with one hand gripping the strap of his backpack, staring through the iron gates. The school looked less like a place for teenagers and more like somewhere secrets went to grow old. Dark stone buildings surrounded a wide courtyard. Ivy crawled up the walls, disappearing beneath rows of tall windows. The morning sky was pale and overcast, and the trees lining the entrance shifted restlessly in the wind. Blackwood had been built more than a century ago. Old enough to have stories. Old enough to have ghosts. Rui checked his phone. 7:42 a.m. He was early. Good. The fewer people he had to talk to, the better. He stepped through the gates. Students moved across the courtyard in small groups, laughing, arguing, comparing schedules. A few glanced at him. The new transfer. Rui could almost hear the label forming. He kept walking. “You're Hayes, right?” Rui stopped. A boy with messy brown hair stood beside him, holding several textbooks against his chest. “Rui Hayes?” “Yeah.” The boy smiled. “I'm Ethan Parker. Student council.” “Okay.” Ethan waited. Rui waited back. The smile slowly disappeared. “You're not much of a talker.” “Not really.” “Fair enough.” Ethan handed him a folded sheet of paper. “Your schedule. The principal's office is in the administration building. First floor.” Rui glanced at it. “Thanks.” “Don't mention it.” Ethan turned to leave then stopped. “One thing.” Rui looked at him. “If anyone asks why you transferred…” “I know.” Ethan frowned. “You don't.” Rui's expression hardened. The boy lowered his voice. “Just tell them your family moved.” “I was planning to.” “Good.” Ethan walked away. Rui watched him disappear into the crowd. Strange. Very strange. He unfolded his schedule and continued toward the administration building. Halfway across the courtyard, he noticed something carved into the stone beside one of the entrances. A chess knight. Small. Almost invisible beneath years of weather. Rui brushed his fingers over it. Someone had scratched a sentence beneath the symbol. EVERY KING HAS A WEAKNESS. Rui stared at it. Then someone bumped into him. “Sorry!” He turned. A girl stood behind him. She looked about his age. She was holding a stack of books that had nearly fallen from her arms. One book landed on the ground. Rui bent down and picked it up. “Here.” “Thank you.” She smiled. It was a surprisingly bright smile. Not the practiced kind people used when they wanted something. Just warm. Natural. The girl tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear. “I'm Jaiko.” “Rui.” “I know.” He raised an eyebrow. “You do?” She immediately looked embarrassed. “You're the new transfer student.” “Right.” “Sorry. That sounded creepy.” Rui almost smiled. “A little.” She laughed. “Okay, then I'll start over.” She shifted the books against her chest. “Hi. I'm Jaiko. Nice to meet you.” “Nice to meet you.” She looked down at the book in his hand. “That's mine.” Rui handed it over. The cover showed a photograph of an old chessboard. “You like chess?” Jaiko glanced at the cover. “Not really.” Rui looked at her. “You were carrying a chess book.” “That doesn't mean I like chess.” “What does it mean?” “I was trying to look intelligent.” Rui blinked. Jaiko smiled innocently. “Is it working?” This time, Rui actually laughed. Barely. But enough. Jaiko's eyes widened. “Oh.” “What?” “You do smile.” “I never said I didn't.” “I was starting to wonder.” She walked beside him. Rui glanced at her. “Where are you going?” “Administration building.” “Why?” “I got lost.” “You've been here before?” “No.” “You're also new?” Jaiko nodded. “Transferred yesterday.” Rui stopped. “So we're both new.” “Looks like it.” She smiled again. “Maybe that's good.” “Why?” “I don't have to be the only person who doesn't know where anything is.” Rui shook his head. “You could've just asked someone.” “I did.” “And?” “They sent me in three different directions.” “Sounds helpful.” “They were very confident.” Rui laughed again. For the first time that morning, Blackwood Academy felt slightly less unfamiliar. They reached the administration building together. Before they entered, Jaiko glanced back toward the courtyard. Her expression changed. Only for a second. Her smile disappeared. Her eyes settled on the old chess symbol carved into the stone. Then she looked at Rui. “You noticed that?” Rui followed her gaze. “The knight?” Jaiko nodded. “Yeah.” “What's it supposed to mean?” “I don't know.” Her answer came too quickly. Then she smiled. “Maybe Blackwood just likes chess.” Rui looked at the carving again. Something about it bothered him but he could not explain why. By lunch, Rui had already learned three things about Blackwood Academy. First, the cafeteria food was terrible. Second, Ethan Parker talked too much. Third, everyone knew about the disappearance. Rui heard it from a group of students sitting behind him. “She didn't show up today.” “Who?” “Elena.” “The girl from Class 11-B?” “Yeah.” “Maybe she's sick.” “Her phone's off.” “So?” “She never turns it off.” Rui continued eating. He didn't want to listen. But then another student whispered: “They found her bag.” Rui looked up. “Where?” The table went quiet. The girl who had spoken looked toward the cafeteria entrance. “North wing.” Someone immediately told her to stop talking. Rui frowned. The north wing was the oldest part of the school. He had passed it earlier. The entire corridor had been locked. A few minutes later, Jaiko appeared beside his table. “There you are.” Rui looked up. “How did you find me?” “I followed the smell of terrible food.” She sat across from him without asking. Rui pushed his tray away. “You heard about Elena?” Jaiko's smile faded. “Yeah.” “What happened?” “I don't know.” “People are saying she disappeared.” Jaiko lowered her voice. “They found her bag this morning.” “Where?” She hesitated. “The north wing.” Rui looked toward the cafeteria windows. “Why is that place locked?” Jaiko shrugged. “Old building, maybe.” “You don't seem surprised.” “I am.” She looked down. Then quietly added, “It's just…” “What?” “People here look scared.” Rui studied her. She wasn't wrong. Students were whispering everywhere. Teachers kept checking their phones. Even the normally noisy cafeteria felt strangely restrained. Then the lights went out. The entire room fell silent. Someone screamed. A second later, the emergency lights flickered on. Red. Dim. Uneasy. A sound came from the speakers above them. Static. Then a voice. Distorted. Impossible to identify. “Good afternoon, Blackwood.” Nobody moved. The voice continued. “One piece has been removed from the board.” Rui slowly stood. Jaiko grabbed his wrist. Her fingers were cold. “Rui.” The voice crackled again. “Do not search for the missing piece.” A pause. Then: “Because the game has already begun.” The speakers went silent. For several seconds, nobody breathed. Then the cafeteria erupted. Students shouted. Teachers ordered everyone to remain seated. Someone began crying. Rui looked at Jaiko. She was staring at the speakers. Her face had gone pale. “Are you okay?” She nodded quickly. “Yeah.” “You don't look okay.” “I'm just scared.” Her fingers tightened around his wrist. Rui looked down at her hand. She noticed and immediately let go. “Sorry.” “It's fine.” A teacher rushed toward the doors. Then stopped. Something was lying on the floor. A small black object. Rui moved closer. It was a chess piece. A black pawn. The teacher stared at it. Nobody touched it. Rui crouched down. There was something underneath. A folded piece of paper. He picked it up. The handwriting was neat. Almost elegant. He unfolded it. Four words were written across the page. FIND THE FIRST MOVE. Rui's stomach tightened. He looked around the cafeteria. Hundreds of frightened faces stared back at him. Then his eyes found Jaiko. For a moment, their eyes met. Something readable flickered across her face. Fear. Then she smiled faintly. A small, reassuring smile. The kind that said everything would be okay.