Hana's heart slammed against her ribs like it was trying to escape. The thing—whatever it was—crouched in the pile of shattered glass, its long, creepy arms scraping the floor. The glowing words on its skin twisted and flickered, like they were alive, spelling out stuff Hana couldn't read but definitely didn't like.
Kids screamed, tripping over each other to get away. Some idiot was yelling for a teacher, like Mrs. Kim's algebra lessons were gonna help against this. A few people had their phones out, snapping pics or filming, because apparently a monster attack was just another Tuesday for the social media crowd.
"Hana Park," the creature hissed, its voice a messed-up mix of whispers, like a choir of ghosts arguing with each other. "The Ledger calls."
Hana's mouth went dry. She stumbled back, her sneakers squeaking against the floor, and banged into a locker. "Okay, shadow freak, how do you know my name? And what's this Ledger crap? I didn't sign up for any creepy book club!"
The thing tilted its head, like it was trying to figure her out. Then it moved—fast.
"Hana!" Lucas yelled, grabbing her arm and yanking her to the side. They crashed to the ground, his stupid bike helmet tumbling out of his bag and rolling across the tiles with a clatter.
The creature's claws slashed through the air where she'd been standing, carving deep scratches into the locker. Sparks flew, which was not normal. The hallway lights buzzed and flickered, making everything feel like a bad horror movie.
"Get up!" Lucas pulled her to her feet, his face pale but his jaw set. "What is that thing?"
"No clue!" Hana snapped, her heart pounding so hard she thought it might burst. "But if it's here for me, maybe I should just—"
"No way." Lucas stepped in front of her, fists up like he was about to punch a demon in the face. "Stay behind me."
Hana rolled her eyes, even though her stomach was doing flips. "Oh, awesome. My hero in a sweaty T-shirt. We're so screwed."
From the corner of her eye, she saw Mina ducking behind a tipped-over trash can, her phone still in her hand. "Guys, this is wild! I'm live-streaming—hashtag monster attack!"
"Mina, are you serious?" Hana hissed. "Put that down! This isn't a vlog!"
The creature crept closer, its shadowy body rippling like smoke. It whispered again, "Debt unpaid. Soul bound."
That word—debt. It hit Hana like a punch. Same as her dream. The chains, the book, the voices. Her chest got tight, but then something weird happened. A warm buzz started deep inside her, like her body was waking up. Her fingers tingled, almost like they were itching to do… something. She shook it off, because now was not the time to lose it.
Before she could even blink, Ethan freaking Cho appeared out of nowhere. One second, he was across the hall, all broody and perfect; the next, he was standing between them and the creature, looking way too calm for someone facing a nightmare monster.
"Back off," Ethan said, his voice low and sharp, like he was telling a dog to drop a bone.
The creature froze, its faceless head swiveling toward him. "Interferer," it hissed. "Your name is not written—yet."
Ethan smirked, that same half-smile from class that made Hana's stomach do a weird flip. "Yeah? Let's fix that."
He raised his hand, and the shadows around him… moved. Like, actually moved. They peeled off the walls, twisting around his arm like black ribbons. With a flick of his wrist, he sent them flying at the creature.
The thing screeched, dodging, but one shadow hit its leg, sizzling like it was burning. The glowing words on its skin flared bright, then faded a little.
Hana's jaw dropped. "Did he just… throw shadows? What is he, a wizard?"
Lucas glanced at her, eyes wide. "Who is this guy?"
"New kid," Mina whispered, still crouched behind the trash can, filming like her life depended on it. "And apparently a total legend. This is gonna get me so many followers."
The creature lunged at Ethan, its claws slashing. He dodged, smooth as anything, but it caught his sleeve, ripping the fabric. A thin line of blood appeared—then vanished. The cut closed up, shadows stitching it shut like it was nothing.
Hana's stomach twisted. "Okay, that's not normal. Like, at all."
"Enough," Ethan muttered. He moved fast—too fast—shadows exploding from him in a wave. They wrapped around the creature, muffling its creepy whispers. It let out one last scream: "The Veil tears… for you, Hana Park."
Then it melted into smoke, sinking into the cracks in the floor like it was never there.
The hallway went quiet, except for the sound of everyone breathing hard. Kids peeked out from behind lockers, whispering. Sirens wailed outside, getting closer.
Ethan turned, his pale eyes locking onto Hana's. For a second, she thought she saw something—worry, maybe? Or was he just annoyed? "You good?"
Hana nodded, still dazed. That warm buzz in her chest was gone, but her fingers were still tingling. "Uh, yeah. Thanks? But seriously, what was that? And how did you—"
"Later," Ethan cut her off, brushing past her. His gaze flicked to Lucas, who was still standing way too close to her, and something sharp passed between them.
Lucas stepped forward, glaring. "Yeah, we're talking now. Who are you, and why did that thing know Hana's name?"
Mina popped up, brushing trash off her skirt. "And can I get an exclusive? This video's going viral, but I need the tea."
Hana forced a laugh, trying to act normal even though her heart was still racing. "Guys, relax. It's fine. Probably just… I don't know, a prank gone wrong." Except she didn't believe that for a second.
Teachers burst into the hallway, shouting for everyone to calm down and get to the gym. Hana's phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out, hands shaky. Unknown number.
The text read: Your debt is deeper than you know. Family ties bind tighter than chains.
Her breath caught. She stared at the screen, but before she could show Lucas or Mina, it glitched, the message gone like it was never there.Hana shoved her phone back in her pocket, her hands trembling. "Okay, that's… weird," she muttered under her breath.
"What's weird?" Lucas asked, still glaring at Ethan like he was ready to throw a punch.
"Nothing," Hana said quickly. Too quickly. Lucas raised an eyebrow, but she waved him off. "Just, you know, the whole monster-showing-up-to-school thing. Totally normal day, right?"
Mina snorted, finally putting her phone down. "Normal? Hana, that thing knew your name. That's, like, horror movie level creepy. You got some secret double life we don't know about?"
Hana forced a grin, even though her stomach was doing somersaults. "Yeah, I'm secretly a superhero. Didn't you know? Cape's in the wash."
Mina laughed, but Lucas wasn't buying it. He grabbed her arm gently, pulling her a step away from Ethan. "Seriously, Hana. You've been acting off all day. The zoning out, the running out of class—what's going on?"
Hana opened her mouth to brush it off again, but the words stuck. The dream. The Ledger. The glowing words in her notebook. Now this? It was too much to pretend away.
Before she could answer, Ethan spoke, his voice cutting through the noise. "She's not safe here." He wasn't looking at her—just staring down the hallway, like he could see something they couldn't.
"Excuse me?" Lucas snapped, stepping closer to him. "What do you know about it, new guy?"
Ethan didn't even blink. "More than you."
Hana groaned. "Okay, can we not do the testosterone showdown right now? I just got attacked by a shadow monster, so I'm not in the mood for a cage match."
Mina smirked, leaning against the wall. "I dunno, a cage match sounds kinda hot."
"Not helping," Hana shot back, but she couldn't help a small grin. Mina's chaos was the only thing keeping her from totally freaking out.
The teachers were herding everyone toward the gym, shouting about "safety protocols" and "stay calm." Hana's group lagged behind, mostly because Lucas and Ethan were still glaring at each other like they were auditioning for a drama.
Hana's fingers brushed her notebook in her bag, and she froze. The words she'd written—or hadn't written—flashed in her mind. The Ledger accepts you. Her chest got that warm buzz again, stronger this time, like something inside her was waking up and stretching.
"Hey," she said, her voice quieter now. "Lucas, Mina… did either of you see anything weird in class? Like, with my notebook?"
Lucas frowned. "Your notebook? You mean your doodles of cats and weird math equations?"
"No, I—" She stopped. How was she supposed to explain glowing words that disappeared? "Never mind."
Mina tilted her head, her usual smirk gone. "Hana, you're freaking me out. First you're sleep-screaming, now you're seeing stuff? Spill."
Hana hesitated. She didn't want to sound crazy, but the creature saying her name, the text, the dream—it was all connected. She could feel it. "Okay, fine. I had this dream last night. About a book. A creepy one, with chains and glowing words. It said my name was… written in it. And then in class, I wrote something weird without meaning to."
Lucas's face softened, but he looked worried. "A dream? Hana, that thing just attacked you. This isn't just a dream."
Ethan, who'd been quiet, finally turned to her. His eyes were intense, like he was seeing right through her. "What did the book look like?"
Hana blinked. "Uh, black leather, chains all over it. Why? You know something about it?"
He didn't answer, just clenched his jaw and looked away. "We need to move."
"Move?" Lucas snapped. "To where? You gonna explain what just happened, or are you just gonna keep acting like a cryptic jerk?"
Ethan's smirk was back, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Keep up, bike boy. Or don't. Your choice."
Hana groaned louder. "You two are giving me a headache. Can we focus on the part where I almost got sliced up by a shadow monster?"
Mina laughed, slinging an arm around Hana's shoulders. "That's the spirit. Let's not die before I hit a million followers, okay?"
They started moving toward the gym, but Hana couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching her. The hallway lights flickered again, and that static buzz was back, crawling under her skin. Her fingers tingled more, and for a split second, she swore she saw a shadow move—on its own, not cast by anything.
She stopped dead. "Did you guys see that?"
"See what?" Lucas asked, looking around.
"The shadow. It… moved."
Mina raised an eyebrow. "Girl, you're seeing things again. Maybe lay off the energy drinks."
But Ethan stopped too, his eyes narrowing. "Where?"
Hana pointed at the corner of the hallway, where the shadows seemed darker, thicker. "There. It's like… it's not normal."
Ethan stepped closer to the spot, his hand twitching like he was ready to pull shadows again. "Stay back," he said, not looking at her.
"Okay, Mr. Mysterious, care to share with the class?" Hana crossed her arms, trying to sound braver than she felt. "Because I'm pretty sure I'm the one that thing wanted to eat."
He didn't answer, just stared at the shadows. Then, so quiet she almost missed it, he muttered, "It's not gone."
"What?" Lucas said, stepping closer to Hana again. "You said you got rid of it!"
"I said it's not gone," Ethan snapped. "It's… waiting."
Hana's stomach dropped. "Waiting for what?"
Ethan looked at her, his expression unreadable. "You."
Before anyone could react, the shadows in the corner exploded. Not like before—this was bigger, darker, a wave of black that swallowed the light. Screams echoed from the gym, and the static buzz turned into a roar.
Hana's chest burned, that warm buzz now a full-on fire. Without thinking, she threw out her hand, and something—something—shot out of her. A pulse of energy, invisible but heavy, slammed into the shadows, pushing them back just enough for the group to stumble away.
"Whoa," Mina breathed, staring at Hana like she'd grown a second head. "Did you just… do that?"
Hana's hand was shaking. She didn't know what she'd done, but her whole body felt alive, buzzing like she'd been plugged into a socket. "I… maybe?"
Lucas grabbed her arm, his eyes wide. "Hana, what was that?"
"I don't know!" she snapped, panic creeping in. "I didn't sign up for this superhero crap!"
Ethan's gaze was on her now, sharp and calculating. "You're not supposed to be able to do that. Not yet."
"Not yet?" Hana rounded on him. "What does that mean? And why do you know so much about this? Spill, vampire boy!"
He didn't get a chance to answer. The shadows surged again, forming into not one but two creatures this time, their glowing words brighter, angrier. "Hana Park," they hissed in unison. "The debt must be paid."
Hana's phone buzzed again. She didn't want to look, but she couldn't stop herself. Another unknown number.
Your mother's secrets are written in the Ledger. Find them before it finds you.
The message vanished before she could blink. Her knees went weak. Her mom? What did her mom have to do with this?
The creatures lunged.