"1 July, 2024. Today is the day I start my new life."
I stood in front of the gate of my new school, looking up at the clear sky and breathing in the fresh air. This was it. Johnstone Higher Secondary School—JHSS. A boy's school. A new chapter for me.
"Here goes nothing," I thought, taking my first step through the gate.
The past was behind me. Back in my old school, I was an introvert, but somehow a well known character. But this time, I was determined to change. No more being the quiet fool in the corner. Today, I'd start fresh—from scratch.
As I walked through the school grounds, I noticed a large statue in the centre of the courtyard. The stone figure must've been the founder of the school. The place had an aura about it, an old one—like it was filled with history. Johnstone was over 100 years old. I felt a strange mix of nervousness and excitement building in me, my heartbeat quickening with each step.
"This place is huge," I muttered to myself, looking around. The campus must be at least 500 square metres. Everything felt vast compared to my last school.
I made my way towards my classroom, which was located in the far right corner of the school, near the toilets. "Of course, I get the room next to the toilets," I mumbled, rolling my eyes. But just as I was about to enter, I froze. Inside the dim classroom, I thought I saw something... a shadow, a figure.
I blinked. "Was that...?" I shook my head, confused. When I stepped inside, the room was empty except for a few scattered bags on the benches.
"Weird... Did I imagine that?" I scratched my head, glancing around once more. There was no one here.
Shrugging it off, I threw my bag on one of the front benches. "Might as well meet up with Aditya," I thought. He was the only person I knew in this entire school. We had gone to different classes because of our chosen streams—he took science, and I was in commerce.
After dropping my stuff, I headed over to his classroom. "Yo, Aditya!" I called out when I saw him.
He grinned, giving me a nod. "Ready to explore, bro?"
"Let's check this place out," I said, feeling the excitement return.
As we wandered around, I couldn't help but compare this place to my old school. JHSS had open fields, a canteen, three massive halls, and even some small houses within the grounds. "I wonder what those are for?" I asked aloud.
Aditya shrugged. "No idea."
We walked around for a bit longer until the bell rang, signalling the start of the assembly. The principal, a woman in her 50s, greeted us. There weren't too many new students in the line, and as she welcomed us, I realised something strange—there should have been around 56 students in my class, but I only saw three or four bags earlier, and I didn't spot any of my classmates here.
After the assembly, Aditya and I parted ways, heading back to our respective classrooms.
That's when things got weird.
As I approached my classroom, I heard a scream. A loud, sharp cry from inside the room.
"What the...?" My heart raced as I hesitated outside the door. My mind flashed back to the bags I saw earlier. There had been no one in the room.
I pushed the door open slowly and stepped inside, my breath catching in my throat. The black figure from before—it was there again. This time, I could see it clearly. And worse, there were four injured students lying on the ground. Blood—or something red—pooled near them.
I hid behind a row of desks, my mind racing. "What do I do?! What the hell is going on?" My palms were sweaty, and I couldn't scream for help. Whoever—or whatever—it was, it had hurt those kids. If I screamed, it'd come for me next.
I was only six or seven benches away, crouching low and trying not to breathe too loudly. The figure was moving.
Suddenly, it stopped.
It knew I was there.
Before I could react, the figure leaped toward me, its speed unnatural. My heart pounded as I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the worst.
But then... something happened.
A strange warmth flooded my left palm. My hand felt alive, pulsing with a power I'd never felt before. I opened my eyes just as the figure hurtled toward me. Without thinking, I thrust my hand out in front of me.
A blinding flash of white and purple light erupted from my palm, blasting the figure back. The impact was deafening, and the roof above shattered, sunlight pouring into the room.
"What just... what just happened?!" I gasped, my voice trembling. The figure was gone.
I tried to smile, relieved, but my body felt weak. My face stung with small cuts, and my vision blurred. I couldn't hold on any longer.
"I... I don't..." My legs buckled, and before I could make sense of what had happened, I collapsed onto the cold, hard floor.
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To be continued…