Rain hammered the roof like drums of war.
Nara sat alone in her room, the photo still clutched in her fingers. The ink had bled slightly from her grip, but the words were still clear:
*"You're not the only one who came back."*
She stared at the photo—her bruised younger self looking back at her like a ghost.
It was real. Undeniable.
**Someone else had been there.
Someone else remembered.**
But who?
---
*Midnight – The Rooftop*
The rain had slowed to a cold drizzle. Nara climbed onto the dorm rooftop, hoodie pulled up, breath fogging the air. She needed quiet. Space to think.
Zayne had texted earlier:
*"Where are you?"*
She didn't reply.
Trusting him was a luxury she couldn't afford anymore.
Because if someone knew who she really was…
Then anyone could become a threat.
She pulled the photo from her pocket again.
It was dated.
*Three days before the fire.*
She remembered that day—vividly. Rina had tripped her in front of the cafeteria. Daniel had laughed. Mr. Adewale had watched and turned away.
But no one had taken a photo.
*No one… but her.*
Suddenly, it clicked.
There had been another girl.
A quiet one. Always sketching. Always observing. Always there—on the edges.
*Amira.*
She was two years below Nara. Barely noticed. But she had eyes like mirrors—like she saw everything.
And she had vanished *one week* before the fire.
Everyone thought she'd transferred.
But now Nara wasn't so sure.
---
*The Next Morning – Archives Room*
Elite Crest had a forgotten corner in the library—an old records section filled with dust, attendance logs, scholarship forms. Nara slipped in before class, ignoring the cobwebs and smell of mold.
She went straight for the student files. Opened the 2022 folder.
Scrolled past names.
Stopped at: *Amira Samson*
Her file was thin. A few grades. A scholarship form. A warning letter for "unsanctioned sketching of staff."
And one final document:
*WITHDRAWN: 7 days prior to dormitory fire.*
Reason: "Transferred to another institution."
No school name listed.
That never made sense.
No student transfers without a receiving school.
No scholarship ends mid-term.
She checked the signature.
*Principal Austin … and Daniel Anderson's father.*
Her chest tightened.
They had covered it up.
Just like they'd covered up everything.
---
*Later That Day – Cafeteria*
Students buzzed with tension. The recent scandal still hung in the air like smoke.
Zayne caught up to her near the vending machine. He looked at her, eyes scanning her face like he could read the storm behind it.
"You've been off," he said.
"I'm always off."
"I'm serious. What's going on?"
Nara hesitated.
Then she held up the photo.
Zayne studied it. "That's you. But… this was years ago."
"Someone sent it to me. Last night."
His brows furrowed. "Who?"
"I think… someone who died too."
Silence.
Then Zayne leaned in, voice low. "Nara, how did you survive that fire?"
She didn't answer.
Because she hadn't survived.
*She'd died.*
And somehow, she had come back—three years earlier.
But what if she wasn't alone?
---
*That Night – A New Envelope*
It was taped to her dorm door.
This time, no photo. Just a note.
**"You exposed Daniel. I want Rina.
Meet me. Old Art Room. Midnight. Come alone."**
No signature.
But she already knew.
*Amira was alive.*
Or something close to it.
---
*Midnight – Old Art Room*
The school was silent. Abandoned halls stretched like veins of a dead thing. Nara crept through the darkness, heartbeat loud in her ears.
The old art room was unlocked. Dusty. Forgotten.
A single lantern glowed in the corner.
And standing beside it—
*A girl.*
Thin. Pale. Hair cut short. Face older, sharper, but still familiar.
*Amira.*
Nara stepped closer. "You're supposed to be gone."
Amira looked up.
"So are you."
The two girls stared at each other in silence—two ghosts in school uniforms, two survivors of the same flames.
Finally, Amira said:
"I know what they did to you.
Because they did it to me too."
---