The bell rang signalling the start of the new semester at Springdale High. Luna strolled into class,her backpack slung over her shoulder,her eyes fixed on the floor. She was late as usual. She didn't bother with apologies or excuses,she simply slid into her seat, her long hair falling around her face like a curtain.Her friends,Emma and Olivia , caught her eye, waving enthusiastically. Luna raised a hand in a half- hearted greeting,her expression neutral. She didn't do 'excited' or ' enthusiastic' like they did, she did 'nonchalant' . As the teacher began to take attendance, Luna turned out,her mind already drifted to more interesting things....like the complex math problems she'd been working on over the break. As the teacher Mrs Patel,began to discuss the new semester's syllabus, Luna's eyes lit up. She loved math, and the prospect of diving into the advanced calculus and statistics thrilled her. Mrs Patel handed out a worksheet with a complex problem set , and Luna's fingers flew across the page,her pencil scratching out equations and formulas with ease. She was in her element, and her nonchalant demeanor gave way to a focused intensity.
Emma, sitting beside her, whispered "luna,how do you do it ? You're a math genuis or something! Luna shrugged,not looking up from her work " it's just math, Emma,not that hard". But it was clear that Luna was in a differently,and math came natural to her,As Luna worked on the math problems, her mind wandered back to her childhood. Her father a brilliant mathematician, had always encouraged her love of numbers, he'd spend hours with her, working on complex problems and explaining the beauty of mathematical concepts, Luna eyes misted slightly as she remembered the happy times with her father. He'd passed a few years ago,but his legacy lived on in her love of math. She felt a deep connection to him whenever she worked on a challenging problem. Mrs Patel's voice broke into Luna's reverie, "Alright class, time's up, let's review the answers". Luna blinked, focusing on the present,she handed in her worksheet, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment. As the day went on ,Luna found herself navigating the familiar social landscape of Springdale High,she exchanged quiet hellos with her classmates,and caught up with Emma and Olivia during lunch. Emma,a bubbly and outgoing student,was always trying to drag Luna into the latest gossip or drama. But Luna remained uninterested, preferring to focus on her studies,or simply observe the world around her. Olivia,on the other hand,was a kindred,A fellow bookworm and math enthusiast, Olivia often spent lunchtime discussing the latest developments in science and technology with Luna. As they sat together in the cafeteria, Emma tried to persuade Luna to join the school's debate team." Come on, Luna, it'll be fun! You're always so quiet and reserved,but I know you've gotten a hidden talent for arguing. Luna raised an eyebrow, skeptical "I don't know, Emma, I'm not really into debating". Olivia chimed in," yeah , Luna's more of a 'observe' and 'analyze' kind of person, she's always thinking deeply about things", Emma grinned " that's exactly why you'd be perfect for the debate team, Luna! You could be our secret weapon" . Emma's enthusiasm was infectious, and Luna found herself getting swept up in the idea, "okay fine,she said, a small smile playing on her lips, " I'll join the debate team", Olivia's eyes widened in surprise " Really Luna?, you're amazing!" Emma let out a whoop of excitement, pulling Luna into a hug. As they walked to to their next class,Emma chattered excitedly about the debate team's schedule and strategies, Luna listened intently feeling a spark of interest ignite within her.
Maybe this debate team thing wouldn't be so bad after all.
As they entered the classroom, Luna caught the eye of a boy sitting in the back now. He was new to the school and Luna had noticed him earlier in the day. There was something about him that seemed....off. Luna took her seat, trying to push the new boy out of her mind.she had more important things to focus on,like the debate team. Emma was already chatting with their coach, discussing strategies and topics for the upcoming tournament. As the class on, Luna found herself getting drawn into the discussion, she was surprised by how much she enjoyed debating,and she found herself speaking up more and more. The new boy didn't seem to notice her,or maybe he just didn't care, either way, Luna was happy to ignore him and fociston her new debate team commitments.
As the day went on, Luna found herself feeling more and more engaged. She was actually starting to enjoy herself, and she couldn't wait to see what the rest of the semester held. But as she was packing up her things to leave, she caught a glimpse of the new boy out of the corner of her eyes. He was staring at her,his eyes intense and piercing. Luna felt a shiver run down her spine as she caught the new boy's gaze, she quickly looked away, trying to brush off the feeling of unease but she couldn't shake the sense that he was still watching her. As she walked out of the classroom, Luna found herself glancing over her shoulder,half expecting to see the new boy following her but he was nowhere to be seen. Despite the lack of evidence, Luna's unease lingered ,she couldn't explain why, but there was something about the new boy that mad where uncomfortable,like she was walking on eggshells around him. Emma noticed Luna's distractions and asked," hey, what's wrong? You seem a little off" , Luna hesitated, unsure of how to explain her feeling," I don't know" she said finally " I just got a wierd vibe from that new boy " , Emma's expression turned curious," what new boy? Emma leaned in , a conspiratorial look on her face, " I think I know who you're talking about," she said quietly." There's a rumour going around that he's... different" Luna raised an eyebrow " different how?" Emma glanced around nervously, making sure no one was listening" I don't know if I should be saying this,but....I heard he transferred here from a really prestigious school.like one of the best in the country". Luna's curiosity was piqued " so what's the big deal?" Emma leaned in closer " the big deal is that he supposedly got kicked out of that school,for something serious" Emma shook her head " I don't know ,but apparently it was bad enough to get him expelled." Luna's curiosity was piqued she wanted to know more about the new boy and what has led to his expulsion,she started to ask Emma more questions, but Emma just shook her head" I don't know anything else, Luna,I swear buy I do kntthay he'd acting really strange since he got here, always keeping to himself and avoiding people " Luna's mind was racing,she was determined to uncover the truth about the new boy.she started to brainstorm ways to get more information, from talking to their classmates to snooping around the school's adminstration offices.
As she walked home from school, Luna couldn't shake the feeling that she was onto something big, she was determined to uncover the secrets that the new boy was hiding. When she got home ,Luna booted up her computer and started to dig into the new boy's past. She searched for his name online but nothing came up, she tried searching for his old school,but the website was vague about the students who attended,just as Luna was about to give up, she received a message from an unknown number," stop digging" the message read. Luna's heart skipped a beat as she read the message. Who could have sent this? She quickly typed out a response trying to play it cool," who is this?" She asked. There was no immediate response, and Luna was left wondering if she'd made a mistake, but then, a few minutes later,another message arrived
" Someone who knows what you're looking for," the message read, " meet me in the library at 3pm if you want to know more." Luna's mind was racing, who was this mysterious person? And what did they know about the boy? She looked at the clock and realized she had just enough time to grab a snack and head to the library. As she walked into the library,Luna scanned the room, looking for her mysterious contact. But there was no one obvious waiting for her. Luna took a seat at a table near the back of the library, trying to blend in , she pulled out a book and begin to read,all the while keeping a watchful eye on the room. As the minutes ticked by, Luna noticed a few students studying or working on projects. But no one seemed to be paying her attention . Just as she was starting to get impatient, Luna saw a figure emerge from the stacks it was a girl with long, curly brown hair and a book clicked tightly in her hand. The girl glanced around the room,her eyes locking on to Luna's table. For a moment, they just stared at each other. Then,the girl began to walk towards Luna,her eyes never leaving hers. As the girl approached, Luna felt a surge of adrenaline, she stood up,her eyes locked on the girl's,"who are you?" Luna asked ,her voice fine but controlled. The gurl stopped in front of Luna,her eyes dartiyba k and forth ," my name is Sophia," she said quietly " and I'm here to tell you something about the new boy ", Luna's eyes narrowed " what about him?" Sophia glanced around the room nervously ,as if she was afraid of being over heard " I used to go to school with him" she said quietly, " At his old school" " what happened to him" Luna asked, Sophia hesitated, as if she was unsure of how much to reveal , " let's just say that he got into some trouble" she finally said " trouble that could get him into some serious danger if anyone finds out " Luna eyes narrowed,her mind racing with questions, " what kind of trouble?" She asked Sophia, he voice firm, Sophia hesitated, glancing around the room nervously again " I don't know if I should tell you this '", she said quietly, Luna leaned in,her eyes locked in Sophia's," you've already told me this much", sh said , " you might as well tell me the rest" , Sophia took a breath, her shoulder squaring, "okay , but you have to promise not to tell anyone else " , Luna nodded,her heart racing with anticipation " I promise" she said . Sophia leaned in ,her voice barely above a whisper " he was in some kind of experiment, something that went seriously wrong." Luna's eyes widened " what kind of experiment?" She asked " I don't know" Sophia said " but I do know how that it had something to do with the government" , " what do you mean , the government?" Luna asked,her eyes narrowed, Sophia hesitated," I don't know much" she said quietly," but I do know that the government was funding the experiment, and that they're still looking for him" Luna's eyes widened ,her heart racing with anticipation " why" she asked ," I don't know , but I do know that he's in danger and that you have to be careful around him. Luna's mind was racing with questions, she didn't know what to believe or who to trust, but she was determined to get to the bottom of things. Suddenly, Sophia stood up , glancing around the room nervously, " I have to go " she said " but be careful, Luna , they're watching.".