Nathan was an insufferable grumbler. If it were up to him, he would have spent his entire life locked in a room, preferably isolated from people. He was an introvert who, to his misfortune, shared a room with two extroverts.
He couldn't decide which was worse—senior Sebastian or his peer Leon. Probably the latter, since on the very first day, before he even had a chance to unpack, Leon had dragged him—practically by force—on a tour of the boarding school.
It was the first time Nathan had seen someone so excited about an old building. Leon was fascinated by every corner, as if it were the most interesting place in the world.
"It's really fascinating that such a tragedy happened here twenty years ago," Leon said, excitement in his voice. "They killed people here, acted like it was wartime… Barbarians. Nazis..."
Nathan let out a loud sigh but didn't say anything else.
The Swiss boy pulled his roommate outside, curious about what was behind the building. Many students were saying goodbye to their parents in the courtyard, creating chaos. Passing through the crowd frayed Nathan's nerves.
"You've never seen a field, a pond, and a tree before?" he asked, crossing his arms. "I think our room is way more fascinating..."
"It's a famous tree and pond. You have to see it!"
Nathan rolled his eyes, looking like a sulky child. He didn't know why he'd agreed, but he suspected Leon wouldn't have left him alone otherwise.
He just wanted to get this over with and go back to their room.
Leon's attention was drawn to a couple standing by the pond. When the woman turned her face toward him, the boy felt a strange sensation… as if he knew her, even though he was sure he was seeing her for the first time in his life.
She looked sad. Very sad. Holding onto her husband, she started walking toward the front of the building. As they passed, Leon had the distinct feeling that some invisible thread connected them. He glanced over his shoulder—their eyes met again.
It was really strange.
"Why are you staring at them? Do you know them?" Nathan asked.
"No, I don't."
The boys approached the pond. Leon stared at the tree with fascination, noting the carved names in its bark.
"They must be the ones… People used to sign trees back then. Students don't do that anymore," he said, running his fingers over the bark. "It's a truly amazing relic."
"Dude, you're acting weird. Can we go back now?"
But Leon didn't react to his words. As if entranced, he stared at one of the names. He touched it with his fingers—and he could swear he heard terrifying voices coming from the pond.
"You've returned, cursed boy. At last, you're here..."
The whispers froze him in fear. Eyes wide, he looked at the pond and slowly stepped closer to the edge.
Nathan, buried in his phone, paid no attention. He didn't even look up when Leon knelt by the water and touched its murky surface. Only the splash snapped him out of his screen-induced trance. The sixteen-year-old looked around in confusion and realized Leon was nowhere to be seen.
"I really hope this isn't a joke… You're hiding behind the tree, right?" he shouted. But when he checked, his roommate was gone.
He looked terrified as he stared at the pond. He had a bad feeling, and although he usually didn't care much about people outside his family, he couldn't let someone die right in front of him. He would be the prime suspect!
Throwing his phone onto the grass, he dove into the water without hesitation. Swimming deeper, he spotted his unconscious roommate near the bottom. He grabbed Leon's hand and pulled him to the surface. On the grass, he tried to revive him. Leon coughed up water and looked at him, dazed.
"What happened?" he asked, clutching his chest.
"You tell me, you idiot. I hope this wasn't some kind of joke… You almost died!"
*
Lying in bed, Leon stared at the ceiling, wondering what had really happened. He could've sworn something called him to the pond. As if some force compelled him to touch the water—and then… then he was pulled into it.
While at the bottom, he'd seen apparitions writhing beneath the surface, and yet… they looked happy.
"This is only the first day, and you've already pulled off a stunt like that! Amazing! Just brilliant! I almost died of fear!" Nathan shouted, glaring at him.
"So you were worried about me, dear roommate?" Leon asked in a hoarse voice, lifting the corner of his mouth in a faint smile.
"I only know your name and age, so there's no way I'd be worried. I just didn't want to be suspected of murder," Nathan snapped.
"Would you believe me if I told you I saw something weird at the bottom of the pond?"
Nathan sat up in bed and stared at him for a long moment.
"Something weird? Like what?" he asked, clearly intrigued.
"You. Jumping in to save me," Leon replied.
The moment he saw Nathan's face, he burst out laughing. Annoyed, Nathan threw pillows at him, ready to beat him to a pulp.
"Be glad it was me you saw and not the Grim Reaper. You should be thankful I saved your life."
"I am." Leon finally grew serious. He looked intently at his roommate. "Thank you. I mean it. Thank you for saving me."
Nathan nodded.
"No problem. The most important thing is that you're okay. But seriously… how did you fall in? Did you slip?"
Leon wanted to share what had really happened, but they'd only known each other for a few hours. He didn't know how Nathan would react to such a strange story. For now, he preferred to keep it to himself.
"Yeah, I slipped. I'm clumsy, you'll have to get used to it," he said with fake nonchalance.
At that moment, the door to their room burst open, and Sebastian stormed in. Their older roommate had been spending most of his time outside, so they hadn't had a chance to really talk yet. The seventeen-year-old clearly wanted to get to know them better—he was here to deliver exciting news.
"Puppies! I'm responsible for you now, so get ready. I'm taking you to the welcome party, hosted by the beauty of this institution."
"What's the 'beauty of this institution'?" Nathan asked, eyeing the older boy with confusion.
Leon loved that tone—Nathan was one of a kind.
"Not what, you brat—who. Roksana, the headmistress's daughter. My girl," Sebastian declared proudly, placing his hands on his chest. "Now move it!"
"You're not telling me what to do. I hate parties. I'm staying in the room," Nathan said firmly, unshakable in his decision.
"I'll go with you, Sebastian," Leon said, getting out of bed. "Just give me fifteen minutes to clean myself up. Nathan can rest."
"Suit yourselves… if he wants to miss the greatest welcome party in history, that's his loss," Sebastian replied with theatrical flair before leaving, leaving behind a room filled with amused energy.
*
The sixteen-year-old was impressed, walking alongside his older roommate. Sebastian was handsome, so it wasn't surprising that people recognized him—but everything suggested he was genuinely popular. Nearly everyone they passed greeted him with a wave or a smile.
Leon noticed that he too was attracting attention, especially from the girls, but he suspected it was because of his fashion choices—he looked like he was heading to a runway show. His fringe, which usually fell over his eyes, was now brushed neatly to the sides, and the cobalt blue tracksuit paired with a white t-shirt made him look more like a model than a new student.
"Kid, you look like a rat dressed up for a sewer opening," Sebastian muttered, slightly jealous that the younger boy was starting to draw more attention than him.
"You can't blame people for looking handsome even in a trash bag," Leon replied with nonchalance. The look Sebastian gave him was sharp and threatening, but it didn't faze the sixteen-year-old at all—he just shrugged.
"Be glad Nathan didn't come with us. He'll be a real heartbreaker. Girls love jerks."
"He annoys me even more than you do."
Sebastian dashed off to greet a blonde girl with short hair, and Leon looked around with interest. They were in a huge gymnasium packed with students—some were chatting, others were just meeting for the first time.
Leon walked over to the snack table. He picked up a cookie, and his gaze was drawn to a girl standing alone against the wall in a dimly lit corner. Her skin was pale, almost ghostly, with straight black hair and bangs. There was a sadness in her expression.
He watched her for a long moment. Finally, their eyes met. She looked at him with melancholic eyes.
Leon wanted to approach her, but just then someone grabbed his hand, stopping him. Surprised, he looked over—it was his roommate, Nathan.
"Something slammed in our room. A book fell off your shelf. On its own. I figured I'd rather come here than sit in a haunted room. I'm holding on to your hand for the rest of the evening," Nathan declared with a terrified voice.
"You afraid of ghosts?"
"Don't laugh, but yeah, that's my one weakness. If you dare tell anyone…" he warned, wagging his finger before clinging to Leon's arm. "This crowd terrifies me, but sitting in a room with ghosts is even worse. Can we go somewhere less packed?"
Leon glanced back toward the wall—but the mysterious girl was gone, vanished without a trace.
"So… you're more afraid of ghosts than people?" he asked.
"People annoy me. Ghosts terrify me. Big difference."
The Swiss boy grabbed a plate of cookies, and together with his clingy roommate, they made their way toward the exit. The main hall was crowded too—students stood in clusters, chatting and laughing.
The boys veered off to the side and sat on the stairs leading to the girls' dormitories. That part of the building was calm and quiet. No one else was around.
"I really think this place might be haunted. A lot of people died here, right? First during the war, and then twenty years ago…" Nathan began, but he didn't finish. A loud banging noise suddenly echoed from the room nearby—someone was pounding on a door.
Leon stood up. Nathan's eyes went wide—he didn't look anything like the cold, indifferent guy he'd been just hours earlier.
"What if it's ghosts?"
"Now I get why you didn't want to explore the place with me earlier. You were scared," Leon teased, wagging a finger. "The vicious tiger turns out to be a scaredy-cat."
Nathan peeked around the corner as Leon approached the door. The younger boy frowned when he saw the doorknob was wedged with a broomstick. He pulled it free and opened the door—only to have an angry girl tumble out.
"I'm gonna kill that haunted lunatic!" she shouted, brushing her hair back. Nathan peeked out with one eye, while Leon stood in front of her, wondering if someone had locked her in there on purpose.
"Thanks," she said after a moment, finally noticing her rescuer.
"No problem. I was just wondering who might be in there."
Nathan stepped closer, relieved to see it was a person, not a ghost.
"What happened?" Leon asked.
"Would you believe I share a room with a haunted psycho? Maybe I shouldn't say that, since my parents went through hell here twenty years ago—my mom saw ghosts herself—but this roommate of mine is nuts!"
Leon's attention sharpened when he heard her mention her parents had been here before.
"Your parents were here twenty years ago?"
"Yeah," she said, hands on her hips. "I know it's weird that I ended up here too, but I begged them to let me come."
"And what about the psycho?" Nathan asked, intrigued. "Can you tell me who to avoid?"
The girl gave him a look, brow slightly furrowed.
"I don't even know her name yet, but I'll let you know when I find out," she replied, then held out her hand to Leon. "I'm Nadia, oh noble rescuer."
"Leon. And this is my roommate, Nathan," he said, jerking a thumb at the other boy.
"Thanks for being here and letting me out of that closet. Weird, stinky place. I could've sworn I heard mice in there. Something even tickled my leg."
The Swiss boy burst into laughter, and she joined in. Only Nathan didn't seem to understand what was so funny.
"We snagged some cookies from the welcome party. Want to join us?"
Nadia nodded and sat on the steps with the boys. She'd always gotten along better with guys than with girls. She hoped she could make friends with them too.
She didn't know yet that it was fate that had brought them together… especially her and Leon.