The storm from the night before had left the air heavy and damp. The courtyard stones glistened with rain, and the sky hung low and gray over San Aurelio Secondary. Water dripped steadily from the edges of the old red-tiled roof, forming little streams that trickled across the cobblestones. Students rushed inside, umbrellas collapsing, sneakers squeaking against the wet floors.
Bella kept her head down as she wove through the crowded hallway. Her books pressed tightly to her chest, the way she always carried them when she felt nervous—as if they could be a shield against the whispers that followed her everywhere. But this morning, it wasn't the usual murmurs about being "the teacher's kid" or "the one with no magic" that gnawed at her thoughts.
It was the glow.
The strange, impossible glow from the carvings they had discovered in the basement.
She had barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the symbols shining faintly in the dark, like embers that refused to burn out. She had even dreamed of them—dreams where the carvings pulsed like a heartbeat, calling her closer. When she jolted awake, her skin had been clammy, and the sound of rain on her window felt almost like a whisper.
"Hey."
Bella flinched at the voice and turned. Nia was leaning against a row of lockers, arms crossed, her posture effortlessly confident. Kiro, her massive wolf, padded silently at her side. Even in a hallway full of students, Nia seemed to draw every gaze. Some kids stared in awe; others looked away quickly, unsettled by the gleam in her golden eyes or the quiet growl in Kiro's throat.
"You're thinking about it too, aren't you?" Nia asked.
Bella swallowed hard. "The wall? Yeah. But… it doesn't make sense. We shouldn't even be down there."
Nia tilted her head, smirking faintly. "Since when do you care about rules?"
Bella opened her mouth to argue, but another voice cut in.
"Um… I—uh—I tried drawing it."
Amira approached, clutching her sketchbook like it was a lifeline. Her thick chocolate-brown hair was still damp from the rain, curling against her cheeks. She looked nervous as always, but there was a stubborn spark in her violet eyes. She flipped the sketchbook open, revealing a careful pencil drawing of the carved archway.
The sight made Bella's stomach tighten. She reached out and brushed her fingers across the paper. "That's it. Exactly."
Amira shifted uneasily, hugging the sketchbook closer. "I couldn't stop thinking about it. So I drew it. Twice. Three times, actually." She turned the page, showing another version where the symbols seemed to shimmer on the page. "I know it sounds crazy, but it felt like… like the shapes were moving while I was sketching them."
Bella's breath caught. She had felt the same thing.
Nia gave a short laugh, though it didn't sound as steady as usual. "So what? Some old markings in the basement. Big deal. Maybe the janitor got bored with a chisel."
But Kiro growled suddenly, low and rumbling. His ears pricked, eyes fixed on the far end of the hall.
The three girls froze.
At first, it seemed like nothing—just the dim fluorescent lights buzzing overhead. But then the lights flickered. And in that half-second of darkness, the shadows on the lockers stretched unnaturally long, bending and twisting like skeletal hands reaching across the walls.
When the lights steadied, everything looked normal again. The hallway was just a hallway. But the air felt heavier, and Bella realized she was holding her breath.
Amira's voice came out as a whisper. "Please tell me you saw that."
"I saw it," Bella murmured, her throat dry.
Nia squared her shoulders, though her hand drifted to rest on Kiro's fur. "Whatever this is… it's not nothing. And I don't know about you two, but I'm going back tonight. I want answers."
Bella hesitated. The thought of sneaking into the basement again made her stomach churn with fear. But deep inside, beneath the fear, there was something else. Something she couldn't explain.
A spark.
The rest of the day passed in a blur.
In history, Bella couldn't focus on the lesson about old kingdoms. Every time she looked at the chalkboard, she saw the carvings glowing faintly against the stone walls of the basement.
In science, Amira filled the margins of her notes with more sketches—curved lines and strange runes she barely remembered but couldn't stop her pencil from drawing.
And in literature, Nia stared out the window, her golden eyes reflecting storm clouds, her fingers drumming against the desk with restless energy.
By the time the final bell rang, the three of them had made their unspoken decision.
They would go back.
That evening, the storm clouds returned, rolling across the sky like a dark tide. The last of the students left the schoolyard, their umbrellas bobbing like shadows in the rain. The lamps along the courtyard flickered weakly as the building settled into silence.
Bella lingered at the corner of the street, heart hammering. She had told her father she was going to Amira's to study. The lie sat heavy on her tongue. But when she saw the familiar figure waiting near the gates—Nia with Kiro at her side—Bella forced her feet to move.
Amira arrived a few minutes later, clutching her sketchbook under her jacket to keep it dry. She looked terrified, but she didn't run.
"Ready?" Nia asked, her tone light, but her eyes sharp.
Bella exchanged a glance with Amira. Both of them nodded, though neither said a word.
And together, the three stepped through the iron gates of San Aurelio Secondary, back into the school that held secrets older than any of them could imagine.