**Chapter 1: Homecoming**

The sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm golden glow over the quiet streets as Evelyn Grace walked toward Oakridge High School. She hadn't set foot in a proper school for years. The last time she'd been in one, she was still in elementary school, back before her illness took her and her family halfway across the world, chasing doctors and treatments. But now, after countless surgeries, therapies, and late-night hospital stays, she was finally back in her hometown. Back to normal life, or at least, what she hoped would pass for normal.

Her heart raced as she approached the brick facade of the school, its ivy-covered walls looking more daunting than welcoming. The towering structure, with its looming windows and shadowed corners, felt much larger in person than it had online.

"Just breathe, Evie," she muttered under her breath, trying to shake off the nerves that were starting to crawl up her spine. She pulled her backpack tighter against her shoulders and pushed open the front doors.

The halls were buzzing with the usual first-day-of-school chaos. Students rushed past, chattering excitedly, finding lockers, and greeting friends they hadn't seen all summer. Evelyn did her best to blend in, walking straight to the principal's office as she had been instructed. Her sneakers squeaked softly against the polished floors, echoing in a rhythm that seemed to match the quickened beating of her heart.

She reached the door labeled *Principal's Office* and hesitated for just a moment before knocking. There was a faint click, and the door opened slightly. She stepped inside, greeted by the scent of polished wood and the sight of an older woman with sharp eyes and silver-gray hair seated behind a large oak desk.

"Ah, Miss Grace," the principal said, glancing up from the papers she was signing. "Welcome to Oakridge. I trust you're ready to begin?"

Evelyn nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Just happy to finally be back and... normal again."

The principal smiled, though something about the way her eyes glinted made Evelyn feel a little uneasy. "We're glad to have you. Everything's been arranged. You'll be starting as a junior. Locker assignments, class schedules—it's all here," she said, sliding a folder across the desk.

"Thank you," Evelyn said, taking it. She couldn't shake the odd feeling in the room, but she chalked it up to nerves. New school jitters, she reminded herself. Nothing unusual.

"You may leave, and feel free to ask if you need anything," the principal added, her smile widening ever so slightly, revealing what Evelyn thought were oddly sharp teeth.

Evelyn nodded again, trying to ignore the chill that ran down her spine. She quickly left the office and headed into the crowded hallway. As she fumbled with the folder in her hands, her mind started to wander, the faces around her blurring into a sea of unfamiliarity.

But then, a voice called out her name—soft, almost disbelieving. "Evelyn?"

She froze. That voice. She hadn't heard it in years, but it was unmistakable. Slowly, she turned around, her heart in her throat. And there he was.

Lucas Hawthorne.

Her childhood best friend. The boy who had been her partner in crime, her confidant before everything fell apart. The last time she'd seen him, they were just kids. Now, he was taller, broader, his once messy hair now slightly tamed but still falling into his deep, dark eyes. There was something... different about him, but she couldn't quite place it. His eyes seemed brighter, more intense, and the way he stood, almost too still, gave her pause.

"Lucas," she breathed, disbelief and a flicker of joy coloring her voice. "I—I didn't know you still went here."

His smile was slow, cautious, but genuine. "I didn't think I'd see you again. I mean... after everything." He took a step closer, his eyes scanning her face as if trying to make sure she was real.

"Yeah, well, I'm back," she said with a small smile. "For good, I hope."

He nodded, but there was a tension in his expression she hadn't expected. As though he were holding something back. "We should catch up," he said. "A lot's changed."

Evelyn laughed softly, her nervousness easing slightly. "Yeah, I guess that's what happens when you're gone for years."

Before Lucas could respond, a bell rang, and the hallway began to clear as students rushed to their classes.

"I should probably get going," Evelyn said, glancing at her schedule. "But maybe we can talk later?"

Lucas hesitated, his eyes flicking to a group of students who were watching them from the far end of the hall. They were a strange bunch—staring too hard, as if they knew something she didn't.

"Yeah," Lucas finally said. "Be careful, okay?" He shot her a lopsided grin, but there was something in his tone that made her pause.

"Careful?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

"First days can be... tricky," he replied, his smile slipping for a brief moment.

Evelyn chuckled, brushing off the odd comment. "I think I'll survive."

But as she walked away, she couldn't help but feel that something was off. The way those students stared, the strange tension in Lucas's voice, the unsettling air in the principal's office.

It wasn't until her first class, when she accidentally overheard a whispered conversation between two students, that things really began to unravel.

"Did you see the new girl? Wonder if she knows this is *our* school," one of them muttered.

"Not a clue," the other snickered. "Poor thing. Humans never last long here."

Evelyn's heart stopped. Humans? She shook her head. She must've misheard. Right?

But as the day wore on, she couldn't ignore the growing sense of unease—the strange looks, the cryptic whispers, and Lucas's warnings. By the time she stepped outside for lunch, her head was spinning.

She was back in her hometown, back in school. But this place… this school wasn't at all what she had expected.

And neither were the people in it.

Least of all, her childhood best friend.