"Finally found you…"
I froze. My legs felt too heavy to lift because that familiar voice belonged to the one person I always tried to avoid whenever I was late for school.
Slowly, I turned toward the source of that familiar voice, and sure enough it was Mr. Andros, today's hall monitor. He stood not far from me, with his long ruler in hand the infamous weapon he always used to punish late students.
"You think you can escape my watch?" he said, narrowing his eyes at me.
"Damn it. Mr. Andros, the strictest monitor of all. I'm doomed," I muttered inwardly.
I was especially scared when it was Mr. Andros on duty, because he knew all my tricks like climbing the school gate when I was late. He even knew whether I'd show up to school or not, because he wasn't shy about calling my parents to find out.
"Uh...Good morning, sir," I greeted awkwardly, saluting him.
"Rya, you're late... Again," Mr. Andros said, arms crossed over his chest.
"Nice weather today, huh... sir?" I replied, trying to make small talk and cover my embarrassment. But deep down I thought, I'm screwed. He saw me climb the gate again.
Mr. Andros clearly wasn't impressed. His eyes dropped to my skirt, which only reached my knees.
"Yes, Rya. Perfect weather... for you to run laps around the field," he said flatly, walking toward me.
Once he stood in front of me, he grabbed my ear and started dragging me toward the schoolyard.
"Ow-ow! That hurts, sir!" I whined, forced to follow his steps.
"Are you a girl or a boy, Rya? Climbing gates like that?" he scolded, still pulling me along.
"Come on, sir. It's the modern age. Girls can climb gates too, y'know," I retorted, feeling absolutely no guilt in fact, I was a bit proud of myself.
Mr. Andros shook his head in disbelief, then tugged my ear even harder.
"Oww! Sir, you're gonna rip it off!"
"Mercy, please!"
When we arrived at the field, he finally let go of my ear.
"Now, twenty laps around the field," he ordered.
My eyes widened in shock.
"What?! Twenty laps?! Did I hear you right, sir?!"
"Now!" Mr. Andros barked.
"No way," I snapped back.
"Do it, or else…" he said, lifting the long ruler in his hand.
"Then just hit me, sir," I said defiantly. "I'm not afraid. Better to get hit than to run laps." At least a hit would hurt for a second, but running would make me sweat, ruin my uniform, and mess up my carefully styled hair.
Mr. Andros took a deep breath and sighed in frustration at my stubbornness.
"Fine, then..." he said, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
"If you won't listen, I'll call your mother," he said, scrolling through his contacts.
I panicked the moment I heard that.
Why Mom? Why not Dad?! I screamed in my head.
As the phone started to ring, I broke.
"Wait... Sir! I'll run! I'll run now!" I shouted, not waiting for a reply.
I immediately started running laps. Seeing this, Mr. Andros ended the call and slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"This kid... so stubborn. How do her parents even deal with her?" he muttered, shaking his head.
By the seventh lap, I was out of breath and collapsed onto the grass, staining my uniform.
My chest tightened, my face turned red, sweat drenched my shirt especially the collar. My legs tingled, and my hair was a complete mess.
Seeing my condition, Mr. Andros finally told me to stop and go shower before going to class. On the way to the bathroom, I cursed under my breath.
In the Bathroom
A few minutes later, I finished showering. I didn't put my uniform back on since it was dirty, so I wore the PE clothes I always kept in my bag just in case I was late.
After changing, I stuffed my uniform into my bag. Just as I was about to leave the bathroom, suddenly...
A cold wind slammed into me, throwing me back. My back hit the hard bathroom wall.
"Ugh… That hurt!" I winced in pain.
I stayed still for a few moments, wondering what had just happened.
"Maybe the floor's just slippery," I muttered, trying to be logical.
I got up and headed toward the exit again, but as I turned the knob and tried to open the door, I suddenly felt something an invisible hand wrapping around my waist, holding me in place.
Then came a whisper. A man's voice I couldn't see.
"You cruel woman... I will find you."
The whisper made my skin crawl and my heart pound, the tone sounding more like a threat.
But somehow, the voice felt familiar like the one I kept hearing in my dreams lately. I broke into a cold sweat.
Is this a ghost seeking revenge? Or someone from my past life? I wondered.
A moment later, the invisible grip loosened, releasing me.
Once I was sure I was free, I bolted out of the bathroom and ran to my classroom. I immediately took my seat by the window and ignored the teacher calling me, still shaken by what had happened.
"Rya… hey, Rya, Ms. Marta's calling you," said Silvia, my seatmate.
But I just stared blankly out the window, that voice still echoing in my head.
Soon, the school bell rang, signaling the end of the day. I glanced at the classroom clock it was four in the afternoon.
I lazily packed my books and walked toward the parking area, where my bike was parked like usual.
On my way home, the sky began to turn orange. But my mind kept replaying what happened in the bathroom. That whisper, that unseen embrace...
"Was it just a hallucination?" I muttered.
Lost in thought, I didn't notice a black cat suddenly darting across the road.
"WAAAH!!"
I slammed the brakes, nearly flying off my bike. The cat jumped and disappeared into the bushes without a hint of remorse.
I froze, hands trembling on the handlebars. My heart was racing, whether from the near accident or lingering fear I couldn't tell.
"Maybe I really do need to sleep earlier tonight," I muttered as I pedaled slowly home.
------
When I got home, I hopped off my bike and left it on the porch. Too tired to push it into the garage, I went straight inside.
Darkness.
"Maybe Mom and Dad aren't home yet," I mumbled, trying to calm the nervous thumping in my chest.
I pulled out my phone, turned on the flashlight, and walked toward the light switch.
Click!
The room lit up instantly.
I sighed and headed to my room. But just as my hand reached for the door knob, I heard something a faint sound coming from Dad's study, the room where he kept his antique collection and old manuscripts.
I froze.
Curiosity quickly overtook fear. I tiptoed toward the room. The door was slightly ajar. I peeked inside.
My eyes widened.
Inside stood a man, his back to the door, holding one of Dad's ancient manuscripts from the glass case. His grip was tight he knew exactly what he was looking for.
Suddenly, as if he sensed me, he turned.
The door burst wide open.
Our eyes met.
His eyes glowed red like blood. Though his face was partially hidden, I could tell he was probably in his thirties. A chilling aura surrounded him.
Then he spoke his voice cold, sending my heart racing.
"A few more hours… my love."