CHAPTER FOUR: THE BOOK
648 Words
The knot in my stomach refused to loosen. I was still shaken by the experience—something that felt eerily supernatural. Shelly had begun to notice something was off. I just sat there, silently staring at my hands, a far cry from my usual chatty self.
“I’m going to the bathroom,” I said suddenly, cutting her off mid-sentence while she rambled on about something trivial.
“Okay,” she replied with a smile.
I managed a weak, forced smile in return.
As I walked away, still lost in thought and fixated on the strange code, I accidentally bumped into Mr. Model.
“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” I blurted out quickly.
“It’s alright,” he said. “Though it’s clear you weren’t watching where you were going. And… what’s that? Did you tattoo yourself?” he asked, grabbing my hand.
I quickly snatched it back. “No, I didn’t.”
“Can I go now? I already said I was sorry—unless you want me to kneel and beg for forgiveness,” I said sarcastically.
“That won’t be necessary, my lady,” he replied with a playful bow, a half-smile tugging at his lips.
“If you need help figuring that out,” he added, gesturing toward my hand, “I could lend a hand.”
I ignored him, not wanting anything to do with whatever game he was playing.
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I stepped out of the bathroom, completely clueless about how much time I had spent in there. The weight of everything pressing on me was unbearable. I needed to tell Shelly—I couldn’t keep carrying this alone. She’s my best friend, after all. Why had I been so foolish to keep this from her for so long?
As I pushed the door open, I noticed the hallways were nearly empty. School had already closed. All I could see were a few couples tucked into quiet corners, lost in their own little worlds.
How long was I in there?
Panic started to rise in my chest. “Oh my God, Shelly’s going to be so mad,” I muttered. I searched everywhere for her, but she was nowhere to be found.
When I finally stepped outside, I was hit by the smell of fresh rain. The ground was wet, puddles everywhere.
Wait—rain? When did it rain?
How did I not hear it?
Was that bathroom some kind of portal?
With everything strange that’s been happening lately, I was seriously starting to question reality.
Then I saw a figure approaching in the distance. I squinted, trying to make out who it was. As he came closer, I recognized him—it was Mr. Model. He stopped right in front of me, out of breath. I waited in silence for him to catch it.
"Where have you been?" he finally asked. "Shelly's been looking everywhere for you. She just went home, but she made me swear I’d find you before I left."
“Oh,” I said, brushing my hair back and waving a hand dismissively. “Well… you found me. Now shoo.”
“What’s your deal with me?” he asked, clearly annoyed.
“Nothing,” I snapped. “I just don’t want you so close to me.”
“Fine,” he said, shrugging. “I’ll go find something better to do—since I’m apparently useless. But… I might know how to decipher the code on your hand.”
The moment those words left his mouth, my eyes lit up, though I tried to mask my excitement. Apparently, I wasn’t very good at hiding it—because he smirked knowingly.
“How?” I asked, trying to sound indifferent.
“I think I’ve seen that code before,” he said. “In a book I once read.”
“Really? Where is it?”
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- Writer
