Kelly stepped out of the bathroom, feeling the cool draft from the window as she walked down the dimly lit hallway. The sky had darkened, and storm clouds swirled overhead. Lightning crackled in the distance, briefly illuminating the otherwise shadowed corridor, and a clap of thunder shook the walls. The heavy rain soon followed, pounding rhythmically against the glass panes, casting streaks of water down the windows.
She paused by one of the windows, pressing her fingertips to the cold glass. The icy wind snaked through a crack, sending chills along her arms. A familiar voice suddenly cut through the storm's noise, and Kelly turned to see her friend, Jane, hurrying toward her.
"Hey, Kelly! I've been looking everywhere for you. Where've you been?" Jane asked, her breath misting in the cool air.
"Sorry," Kelly replied in a soft voice, "I was in the bathroom."
Jane raised an eyebrow, then sighed. "Fine. Let's head to the cafeteria and grab something to eat together."
"Okay," Kelly agreed, her voice barely above a whisper.
---
The cafeteria buzzed with conversation, a comforting hum that blended with the pattering of rain outside. Kelly and Jane found a spot near a window, where rivulets of water blurred the view of the stormy courtyard. Jane took a deep breath, trying to shake off the stress from the day.
"It's been raining a lot lately," Jane remarked, staring at the downpour.
"Yeah," Kelly said, her tone still subdued.
"But I kind of like the rain," Jane added, attempting to lift the mood. "It feels refreshing, doesn't it?"
"Yeah," Kelly replied, her voice hollow. Jane frowned, clearly annoyed by Kelly's repeated one-word answers. She leaned forward, observing her friend's distracted gaze.
"Kelly, did you… see something again?" Jane asked, her voice tinged with concern. "Or that boy you've mentioned before?"
Kelly's eyes darkened. "I saw something today. Something creepy and way stranger than the tall man or the woman in white I've told you about," she murmured. "But I don't think you'd believe me. Even I'm struggling to."
Jane's curiosity peaked despite the eerie tone. "What did you see?" she pressed. "Come on, you know I'll try to believe you, even if it sounds crazy. Keeping it to yourself isn't healthy."
Kelly hesitated, then gave in. She described her encounter with Lucid, the unsettling yet somehow familiar figure. As she spoke, Jane's face twisted into a mixture of doubt and fascination, her emotions warring between disbelief and concern.
"Wait, hold on," Jane interrupted. "This guy has a name?"
"Lucid," Kelly replied. "And even though he looks creepy, I somehow trust him. He said he's my friend and will protect me, but he won't explain why."
Jane leaned back, her eyes wide. "Lucid? What kind of name is that? Maybe he's not even human… or something else entirely," she suggested, half-joking.
Kelly almost smiled. "You're starting to sound like you believe me."
Before Jane could respond, a chill fell over the table. Kelly's heart skipped a beat as she heard Lucid's familiar voice close to her ear. "So, you trust her enough to share everything?" he asked. She turned sharply, and there he was, standing with that unsettling combination of gentleness and menace.
Jane noticed Kelly's sudden stiffness. "Kelly, what's wrong? Did you… see something again?" Jane's voice trembled, and Kelly thought hard about what to do. She couldn't tell her friend that the very entity she'd described was standing behind her, not when Jane hadn't seen any of the strange occurrences herself.
Lucid seemed to read Kelly's mind. "If you allow me, she'll be able to see me," he whispered. Kelly's breath caught. Could he really make himself visible to Jane?
The cafeteria's warm, buzzing environment slowly faded as Kelly's attention drifted toward Lucid. His pale complexion had changed; now his skin looked more human-like, with a warm undertone, but his eyes remained unsettling, a haunting reminder of his otherworldly nature.
Kelly sighed, trying to shake off the tension. "Lucid," she whispered, "can you make yourself less creepy? Maybe tone down the eyes, if that's even possible."
Lucid tilted his head, his hair falling over his forehead in a messy yet oddly charming way. "I can adjust my appearance a little," he said, "but my eyes will always remain the same." Kelly considered this, her gaze darting between Lucid and Jane, who was still blissfully unaware of his presence.
Just as Kelly bit into a fry, Jane's cheerful chatter was interrupted by a sharp change in the room's atmosphere. The lights flickered, and a gust of cold wind swept through the cafeteria. Goosebumps rose on Kelly's arms, and she knew Lucid had made some sort of alteration. She glanced over her shoulder and gasped. Lucid's skin had lost its sickly pallor, but his piercing, almost white eyes and unsettling smile remained.
Jane's eyes widened, and her fork clattered onto her tray. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. She pointed behind Kelly, trembling. Kelly turned slowly, her heart racing. Lucid stood there, attempting a smile that ended up looking disturbingly sinister. Blood inexplicably pooled at the corners of his lips, making Jane's face go pale.
Before Jane could scream, her knees buckled, and she collapsed with a dull thud. Kelly blinked, a fry still hanging from her mouth. "Well," she muttered to herself, "that went about as badly as I expected."
Other students rushed to help Jane, and moments later, they managed to carry her to the nurse's office. Kelly followed along, feeling guilty and lost in thought.
---
At the Nurse's Office
The school nurse gave Jane a once-over, her expression thoughtful. "She'll be fine," the nurse said. "It looks like she just fainted from stress. You should return to class."
Kelly nodded, forcing a smile. "Thank you, ma'am," she replied, though her mind raced with the truth she couldn't share. She couldn't very well explain that her friend had passed out after seeing a supernatural entity.
Kelly left the clinic, the sound of rain still echoing through the hallways. The storm had intensified, and a flash of lightning briefly illuminated a figure sitting on the windowsill. Kelly stopped in her tracks, the sight sending a jolt of adrenaline through her veins. It was the bronze boy, his hair tousled by the wind, and his deep blue eyes fixed on the downpour outside.
They stood in silence, the tension broken only by the roar of thunder. Kelly finally found her voice. "How did you disappear so quickly last night?" she asked.
The boy turned his head, a faint smile playing at his lips. "I didn't want to cause you trouble," he replied. "If someone had seen us together, things might've gotten complicated."
Kelly narrowed her eyes, suspicion gnawing at her. If he's a ghost, how does he care about being seen? And could he be something like Lucid? "Can you turn into a shadow?" she asked, her voice steady despite her racing heart.
He tilted his head, confused. "A shadow? No, not quite." His voice was soft, matching the melancholy in his eyes.
Kelly frowned. His expression was gentle, almost human, unlike Lucid's unsettling aura. Before she could probe further, a familiar voice interrupted.
"Kelly! What are you doing here? Class is about to start!" Sarah called out as she approached. She stopped short when she saw the boy on the windowsill. Her eyes widened in awe. "Who is this?" she whispered, her gaze fixed on his striking features.
Kelly was taken aback. Sarah can see him? she thought, her mind spinning. So he's not a ghost, then… or maybe he's something else entirely.
Just then, their class president appeared, looking impatient. "Hey, Kelly, Sarah, hurry up! The bell already rang," he scolded, only to stop and stare at the boy. "Whoa, who's that?" he asked, clearly intrigued.
Kelly's stomach twisted. This isn't just coincidence anymore, she realized. More people are seeing him. But why now?
The bronze boy simply looked back at them, his expression calm but unreadable, and Kelly knew that whatever he was, he had secrets still to reveal.