ECHOES
1374 Words
The school gate looked bigger than it had in the picture.
Too big. Too loud. Too many students.
She adjusted her bag strap for the third time and took a deep brain, hoping no one could hear how fast her heart was beating.
The flow of blood through her veins seemed too loud.
"Noone here knows you. That's good thing... right? "
Her steps were quite, careful and steady. She kept her head down , counting the cracks in the pavement like they were safer than faces. Laughter burst from a group of girls sitting near the spring. She flinched—not because they were said anything to her but because they didn't.
The hallway—clean,busy with people and seemed unending.
The halls were too clean .
The lights too bright.
And everything — everyone —moved like they already belonged.
Lyla stood just inside the school entrance, clutching her bag like a shield, heart drumming beneath her sweater. The noise was overwhelming — voices overlapping, laughter ricocheting, lockers slamming shut in a rhythm that didn’t include her.
New school. New city. New start.
But none of it felt like a beginning. It felt like walking into a movie halfway through, with no idea who the characters were or what roles they played.
She walked through the hallway and landed herself at the principals office to mark her resumption and also complete some her registration.
Following the principals direction ,she found herself at the door of her classroom.
This is it .
She peeped in clutched tightly to her bag strip.
The students all seemed to belong. There was laughter, chatting and also Sharon of snacks . Some even leaned against their desks
She had barely taken three uncertain steps when a girl with a high ponytail, purple lipstick, and zero hesitation pointed at her.
“You. Sit with me. I need someone quiet to balance out my chaos.”
That was Charlotte.
Loud. Magnetic. Impossible to ignore.
She had grabbed Lyla’s hand without waiting for a yes — and dragged her into the cafeteria like they’d known each other for years.
It was ridiculous.
And perfect.
The first time since moving that Lyla had actually laughed.
* *. *
The shrill cry of her alarm clock shattered the calm.
Lyla’s hand flailed across the nightstand until it found the source of the noise, silencing it with a sharp tap. She groaned, rolled over, and buried her face in the pillow. The clip lay just beside her — pink, gold-bowed, and glowing faintly in the sliver of morning light creeping through the curtains.
For a moment, she just stared at it. Then the weight of yesterday came rushing back.
Jake’s voice.
The letter.
The questions she couldn’t shake.
Charlotte’s suspicious squint.
The secret still clinging to her throat.
She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. The air felt heavier this morning, like it knew something had changed.
---
The school gates were already crowded when she arrived. Students poured in, laughing, yelling, buzzing with energy. But Lyla walked through them like a ghost. Her thoughts were louder than the noise around her.
Charlotte was waiting at the lockers.
“You’re late,” she said, tossing her curly black hair over one shoulder. “What happened? You look like you didn’t sleep.”
“I did,” Lyla said.
“Liar.” Charlotte folded her arms. “You didn’t text me. I had nightmares. Like, actual real nightmares, Lyla.”
Lyla offered a weak smile "Sorry "
Charlotte studied her face for a moment, then sighed dramatically. “Okay, spill. What was that thing you wanted to say yesterday?”
Lyla’s mouth opened—
—but the warning bell rang.
Saved by the bell. Or maybe not.
“Ugh!” Charlotte groaned. “Fine. But we’re talking at lunch. No more running.”
Lyla gave a nervous nod and followed her into class, her heart thumping. The opportunity had come… and slipped through her fingers again.
---
At lunch, Charlotte got dragged into an impromptu Student Council meeting — something about planning the school dance. Lyla sat alone under the tree at the far edge of the courtyard, picking at her sandwich and watching clouds drift overhead.
Her mind wandered again.
---
" Lyla hurry up with the briefcase" Jane shouted from the front yard.
It seemed her world was turning upside down .
They were relocating again.
She had just started getting used to the neighborhood and now are parents are relocating again.
She hurried and when everything was set the car moved .
The journey seemed endless.
The road coiled and straightened every now and then
At times they had to stop at certain places to rest a bit .
Houses rolled by , Cars sped by , the trees weren't left out either .
Sitting alone at the backseat , her mind went to her school ,her newly made friends and the environment in general.
She wasn't going to miss any but still —
.
She had always wanted a new life and now she's going to get one .
But what of hear challenges — there were also going with her.
She wasn't even born this way, she became this way for some reasons knowing only to her creator.
The more she thought about it ,she more she hated herself.
Why her ?
What happened?
As the car moved with acceleration so were thoughts moving in her mind.
" Sweet what's the problem?"
She seemed to jerk back to life .
Tears were rolling down her smooth,pale and golden skin .
" Sweet,talk to mummy? " Jane seemed all concerned.
" It's nothing mum" Lyla replied dabbing at her tears .
Jane knew something was bothering her daughter but decided not to pressure her too much
" Alright sweet " Jane said shifting her focus to the road .
She was just getting used and now they are relocating again.
The thought of everything made tears stream down freely.
---
" Chilling alone, uhn?"
She seemed to jerk back to life . The voice seemed to hold power.
Lifting her head up . There he was.
Carefully placed in front of her.
" hmmm..." she nodded .
She didn't really trust her voice.
" Mind if I take a space ?" he asked pointing to beside her.
She only nodded in reply.
Just then — some group of boys came running by.
" Hey, yoo bro did you leave us there on the field just to hang out with ....." a boy asked turning his gaze to Lyla .
" Never new you're already into quiet ones " another teased which made the whole group chuckle.
Jake's jaws tightened . These boys —
" Catch up with you later . And ehn ,sorry about them " .
Jake stood up and jogged after having a boys.
What was it again ? . She thought.
Jake’s footsteps faded behind the laughter of his friends, but Lyla barely heard them.
Her thoughts were too loud.
Why had he come over?
Why had he sat beside her — the quiet new girl who barely spoke?
And why had his voice softened when he apologized, like he meant more than just the teasing?
She stared at the spot where he’d been. The grass still pressed down, like he had left something behind. And maybe he had.
Maybe he’d left a question.
Or a warning.
She sighed and leaned back against the tree. The clouds drifted lazily above, too far away to care. Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of her sleeve, and for a moment, everything felt too still — like the world had paused.
And that’s when she noticed it.
Half-tucked beneath her bag, fluttering faintly in the breeze.
A piece of paper.
Her breath caught in her throat. Slowly, she picked it up.
No name. No handwriting. Just a single word, printed in bold ink:
“Keep off'
She stared at it, heart thudding.
What was this?
A joke?
A mistake?
Or something else entirely?
The bell rang in the distance, but Lyla didn’t move.
The warning clung to her fingers, light as paper — and just as impossible to ignore.
- Writer
