Episode 9: The Warning
1479 Words
Heaven stared at Sierra.
“The door is waiting for me?”
Sierra nodded slowly.
“I think so.”
Heaven looked at Conrad.
He looked just as confused as she felt.
“What does that even mean?” Heaven asked.
Sierra stepped into the classroom.
“It means the magic isn’t random anymore.”
She looked at the desks scattered across the room.
“It has a purpose.”
Heaven swallowed.
“What purpose?”
Sierra didn’t answer.
“Tell me.”
“I don’t know everything.”
“Then tell me what you do know.”
Sierra hesitated.
Then she looked at Conrad.
“You should tell her.”
Conrad frowned.
“Tell her what?”
Sierra sighed.
“About the first time you saw the door.”
Heaven turned toward him.
“You’ve seen it too?”
Conrad looked at her.
“Not exactly.”
“What does that mean?”
“When I was younger, I had a dream.”
Heaven’s eyes widened.
“The hallway?”
He nodded.
“The glowing door?”
Another nod.
Heaven’s stomach twisted.
“But you said you didn’t know what it meant.”
“I didn’t.”
Sierra folded her arms.
“That’s because he doesn’t remember everything.”
Conrad looked at her.
“What are you talking about?”
“You were there.”
“Where?”
“Near the door.”
Sierra’s voice became quieter.
“You just don’t remember.”
Heaven felt a chill move through her.
“Why don’t you remember?”
Sierra looked away.
“Because someone made sure you wouldn’t.”
Silence filled the classroom.
Dylan suddenly appeared at the doorway.
“Uh…”
Everyone turned.
He looked around at the mess.
“What happened in here?”
Nobody answered.
Dylan frowned.
“Okay. That’s definitely not normal.”
Maya appeared behind him.
She looked at the desks.
Then at Heaven.
Then at Conrad.
“Why does this look like a tornado came through here?”
Heaven quickly closed her notebook.
“Nothing happened.”
Maya stared at her.
“Nothing?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are three desks upside down?”
Heaven opened her mouth.
No answer came.
Maya looked at Conrad.
“You know something.”
Conrad sighed.
“It’s complicated.”
Maya folded her arms.
“Everything with you two is complicated.”
Dylan laughed.
“She has a point.”
Sierra looked at Maya.
“You need to leave.”
Maya frowned.
“Excuse me?”
“This doesn’t involve you.”
Maya’s expression changed.
“If Heaven is involved, it involves me.”
Heaven looked at her.
“Maya…”
“No.”
Maya shook her head.
“You’ve been acting strange for weeks. You disappear with Conrad, weird things happen around you, and now I find you standing in a classroom that looks destroyed.”
She looked at Heaven.
“I’m your friend. If something is wrong, tell me.”
Heaven didn’t know what to say.
Conrad looked at her.
“You can trust her.”
Heaven nodded slowly.
“There’s something about my magic.”
Maya blinked.
“Your what?”
Heaven held out her hand.
A tiny golden spark appeared above her palm.
Maya’s mouth fell open.
She stared at it.
Then at Heaven.
Then back at the spark.
“Okay.”
She took one step backward.
“That’s…”
She swallowed.
“That’s definitely not normal.”
Dylan stared too.
“Since when can you do that?”
Heaven looked at him.
“Since before I came here.”
Maya sat down.
“I need a minute.”
Conrad laughed quietly.
Maya pointed at him.
“Don’t laugh.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
Heaven smiled.
For the first time since the classroom incident, she felt a little less afraid.
Then the bell rang.
Everyone jumped.
Maya looked at the clock.
“We’re going to be late.”
Conrad nodded.
“Come on.”
They hurried out.
The rest of the school day felt almost normal.
Almost.
By lunch, the rumors had returned.
Heaven sat with Maya.
Dylan sat across from them.
Conrad arrived a few minutes later.
He dropped into the seat beside Heaven.
Maya immediately smiled.
“Here comes your boyfriend.”
Heaven nearly choked.
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
Conrad smiled.
“Not yet.”
Maya laughed.
“You two need to stop saying that.”
Heaven glared at Conrad.
“It’s your fault.”
He leaned closer.
“You don’t seem to hate it.”
She pushed his shoulder.
“Eat your food.”
He laughed.
Across the cafeteria, Sierra watched them.
She looked annoyed.
A few minutes later, she walked over.
“Conrad.”
He looked up.
“What?”
“Can I talk to you?”
He sighed.
“You always want to talk.”
“Because you never listen.”
He stood.
Heaven tried not to care.
But she watched them walk away.
Maya leaned toward her.
“You trust him?”
“Yes.”
“Then trust him.”
Heaven nodded.
She wanted to.
She really did.
Outside the cafeteria, Sierra stopped Conrad.
“You’re getting too close to her.”
Conrad frowned.
“You keep saying that.”
“Because you aren’t listening.”
“I care about her.”
Sierra’s expression tightened.
“I know.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“You.”
Conrad stared at her.
“What?”
“You’re the problem.”
She stepped closer.
“You always think you can protect everyone.”
Conrad’s expression hardened.
“I can protect myself.”
“This isn’t about you.”
“Then who?”
“Heaven.”
Conrad went quiet.
Sierra looked down.
“The magic chooses people.”
“I know.”
“No. You don’t.”
She took a breath.
“It doesn’t just connect people.”
She looked at him.
“Sometimes it destroys them.”
Conrad’s face changed.
“What happened to the last person?”
Sierra didn’t answer.
“Sierra.”
She finally whispered,
“She disappeared.”
Conrad stared at her.
“Who?”
“My sister.”
He froze.
Sierra looked away.
“She found the door.”
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Conrad asked,
“And?”
“She opened it.”
“What happened?”
Sierra’s eyes filled with fear.
“She never came back.”
Back inside, Heaven was sitting with Maya when her notebook suddenly fell from her bag.
She picked it up.
The symbol on the page had changed again.
This time, there was a line beneath it.
Words.
Heaven stared.
OPEN THE DOOR.
Her heart stopped.
Maya leaned over.
“What does it say?”
Heaven closed the notebook.
“Nothing.”
Maya frowned.
“You’re lying.”
Before Heaven could answer, the cafeteria lights flickered.
Everyone looked up.
Then Heaven heard a whisper.
“Heaven.”
She froze.
The same unfamiliar voice.
Again.
“Heaven.”
She looked toward the cafeteria entrance.
Nobody was there.
Then her notebook began glowing through her bag.
She grabbed it.
Maya saw the light.
“Heaven…”
“I have to go.”
“Where?”
Heaven stood.
“I don’t know.”
She hurried out.
Maya followed.
“Heaven, wait!”
She ran down the hallway.
The further she went, the stronger the glow became.
Then she stopped.
At the end of the hallway was a door.
An ordinary school door.
Except Heaven had never seen it before.
She slowly walked toward it.
Her hand began glowing.
Behind her, footsteps approached.
She turned.
Conrad stood there.
“Heaven.”
She looked at the door.
Then at him.
“I think I found it.”
Conrad’s eyes widened.
The golden mark on his wrist suddenly burned brighter.
He grabbed his wrist.
“No.”
“What?”
He looked at the door.
“That’s not the door from my dreams.”
Heaven frowned.
“Then what is it?”
Conrad took a step toward her.
“I don’t know.”
The door slowly opened by itself.
A cold wind rushed through the hallway.
Heaven’s hair moved around her face.
Inside the room was darkness.
Then a golden symbol appeared on the floor.
The same symbol that had been following them.
Conrad reached for Heaven’s hand.
“Don’t go in.”
She looked at him.
“I won’t.”
The door slammed shut.
Both of them jumped.
Then a voice came from behind them.
“You shouldn’t have found it.”
They turned.
Sierra stood at the end of the hallway.
And for the first time, she looked genuinely terrified.
“The door has chosen you.”
Heaven stared at her.
“What happens now?”
Sierra looked at Conrad.
Then back at Heaven.
“Now…”
She swallowed.
“It starts.”
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