Gemma slipped the folded piece of paper into her bag without a word. Her face remained blank, her eyes unreadable, but the silence around her seemed heavier. She closed her locker with a soft click. To anyone else, it was nothing. But Gabriel, who had been watching from the far end of the hall, caught the faint pause in her movements—the way her hand lingered on the paper just a fraction too long. He frowned, a knot forming in his chest.
By the time lunch came around, Mia had managed to drag Gemma into the cafeteria with her endless stream of chatter. She hardly noticed if Gemma listened or not; she simply filled the space with her laughter, her voice bouncing against the walls of the crowded room. Gabriel sat across from them, his eyes flicking between his twin and Ryan, who had once again joined their table, acting as though he belonged.
Gemma sat quietly, head slightly lowered, spooning her food without tasting it. Gabriel studied her every move, waiting for some flicker, some break in her mask. Nothing came.
Meanwhile, back in Principal Morgan's office, the atmosphere was unnervingly different. Miss Aveline sat stiffly across from the two strangers. The woman, draped in dark fabric that seemed to swallow the light, smiled thinly as she spoke.
"The silence is both shield and key," she said, her voice smooth, almost melodic. "But the longer she holds it, the heavier it becomes. Even a shield can shatter."
The white-haired man—strikingly young in face, yet with hair like silver fire—remained silent, his piercing gaze fixed on the empty chair where Gemma had sat only hours ago. His eyes seemed to cut through walls, through memory itself. When he finally spoke, it was soft, almost musing.
"The boy has questions," he said. His gaze did not waver. "But it is the girl who holds the answer."
Principal Morgan shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her hands tight against her desk. She had never liked these meetings. The school was her domain, yet in their presence, she always felt like nothing more than a caretaker—guarding something she didn't fully understand.
Back in the cafeteria, the mood shifted without warning. Mia, still chattering, suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Her hand trembled as she stared down at her tray.
"Gemma…" Her voice was low, shaky. "Did anyone touch my locker today? My books weren't where I left them." She gave a nervous laugh, too sharp, too forced. "I probably just misplaced them, right?"
Gabriel's head snapped toward her, his frown deepening. But Gemma only blinked once, slow and deliberate, before looking back at her food. She gave nothing away.
The rest of the school day passed in a strange haze. The halls seemed quieter than usual, every footstep echoing too loud, every shadow stretching too far. When the final bell rang, Mia and Gemma walked side by side, their footsteps tapping against the empty corridor.
It was then that someone brushed past them—a tall figure cloaked in a hood, face hidden in the dim light. Mia stiffened instantly, her fingers clamping around Gemma's arm. Her pulse jumped.
But Gemma didn't flinch. She didn't move. Her eyes, cold and steady, followed the figure until it disappeared around the corner. Then she turned away, pulling her arm free of Mia's grip.
That night, Mia dreamed.
She was standing at the base of a stone staircase, the air thick with whispers. Shadows shifted around her, curling, reaching, voices threading through the silence. She couldn't see their faces, but they called her name again and again, pulling her upward.
And at the top of the staircase stood Gemma. Silent. Unmoving. Her eyes were no longer her own—dark, hollow, endless. When Mia tried to call her name, her throat closed, the whispers turning into a deafening roar.
She woke with a gasp, her body drenched in cold sweat. Her heart hammered as she sat upright, clutching the sheets.
Her window was open.
She knew she had locked it. She was sure of it. Yet the curtains swayed with the night breeze. Slowly, her gaze shifted to her desk.
Another piece of paper lay there, written in the same jagged script as the riddle Gemma had found.
This time, it bore only one word at the top.
Mia.