The corridors of Dymphna Academy were unusually crowded that afternoon, voices overlapping in nervous tones. News traveled fast—another student had fallen.
Gabriel pushed through the gathering crowd near the staircase, his heart hammering. He knew what he'd see, but still…
A boy from Year Ten lay sprawled across the cold tiles, his leg bent at an unnatural angle. Blood trickled from his temple, seeping into the cracks of the floor. Teachers hovered, shouting for help, but their voices seemed drowned beneath the buzzing silence in Gabriel's ears.
"It happened the same way," Ryan muttered beside him. His fists clenched tight. "Just like yesterday. He wasn't pushed. It was like… like something yanked him."
Mia covered her mouth, her eyes wet. "We shouldn't even be here."
"Move back, all of you!" one of the teachers barked, her voice trembling despite her authority.
The students retreated, but not far. Whispers flared.
"Two falls in two days?"
"It's cursed, I swear."
"Miss Aveline was on this floor before it happened…"
Gabriel's stomach turned cold. His gaze drifted to the corner where Aveline now stood, her hands folded, watching the chaos with an expression unreadable. Her lips curved—just slightly, almost like satisfaction.
Their eyes met. For a fraction of a second, Gabriel felt pressure on his chest, like invisible hands pressing him backward. He blinked hard, breaking the connection.
"Gabriel," Ryan hissed, grabbing his arm. "She's doing this."
"Not here," Gabriel snapped, though his throat was dry.
Behind them, Mia whispered, "Gemma… look at Gemma."
Gemma stood at the back of the crowd, her face blank, her dark eyes fixed on the broken boy below. She didn't move, didn't flinch, only stared—as if she had expected this.
The paramedics rushed in at last, lifting the boy onto a stretcher. As they carried him away, a book slipped from his grasp, thudding onto the stairs.
Gabriel bent to pick it up before anyone else could. Inside, scrawled on the margin in frantic handwriting, were words that made his blood run cold:
"She whispers in the dark. She tells me to jump."
Gabriel shoved the book into his bag before anyone noticed. His pulse pounded in his ears.
When he looked up again, Aveline was gone.