Evelyn Reed, but everyone called her Evie, liked things just so. Her closet? Organized by color and sleeve length. Her school schedule? Color-coded and planned down to the minute. Her future? Ivy League university, successful career, happy-ever-after. At least, that was the plan.
It was Tuesday morning, and Evie was already two steps ahead. She'd woken up at 6:00 AM (exactly), made a healthy smoothie (spinach, berries, banana – the usual), and reviewed her notes for AP Calculus. Now, at 7:15 AM, she was walking through the halls of Northwood High School, ready to conquer the day.
Northwood High wasn't exactly a hotbed of excitement. It was a pretty normal high school, with the usual cliques, the awkward cafeteria food, and teachers who sometimes seemed as bored as the students. But Evie didn't mind. She liked the predictable routine, the sense of control.
As she walked to her locker, she noticed a flier taped to the wall. It was bright pink and covered in glitter, which immediately made Evie cringe.
"Drama Club Auditions!" it screamed in bold letters. "Be a Star! Unleash Your Inner Talent!"
Evie rolled her eyes. Drama wasn't her thing. She preferred spreadsheets and equations to stage makeup and monologues. Besides, she had more important things to worry about, like maintaining her perfect GPA.
She reached her locker, a neatly organized space filled with textbooks, notebooks, and highlighters. Evie opened it with a practiced motion and started swapping out books for her first class: AP Chemistry.
Suddenly, a loud BANG echoed through the hallway. Evie jumped, startled. She looked around and saw a group of students gathered near the cafeteria entrance, laughing and pointing.
"What's going on?" she muttered to herself. Curiosity, despite her best efforts, got the better of her.
She cautiously approached the crowd and peeked through the gap between two students. Her eyes widened in surprise.
The entire cafeteria entrance was covered in toilet paper. Streams of white paper hung from the ceiling, draped over the doors, and littered the floor. It looked like a giant, fluffy monster had attacked the school.
A few students were trying to pull the toilet paper down, but it was a tangled mess. Other students were taking pictures and posting them on social media. The whole scene was chaotic.
Evie frowned. This wasn't just a simple prank. This was…organized chaos.
"Who would do something like this?" she whispered to herself.
Just then, she noticed a small, folded piece of paper tucked under one of the strands of toilet paper. It was a note, and on it, in bold, black marker, were two words:
"Join Us."
Evie felt a shiver run down her spine. Something strange was happening at Northwood High, and she had a feeling her perfectly planned life was about to get a whole lot messier. She carefully folded the note and slipped it into her pocket, a sense of unease settling in her stomach. This was just the beginning.