At Ravenscroft Academy, everyone knew one rule: never sit beside Adrian Vale. Not in class, not in the cafeteria, not anywhere. Some students said he was violent. Others said he had once broken someone's arm during a fight and never even apologized. Most people simply said he was crazy. Adrian didn't care what they believed. Being alone was easier. People were loud, annoying, and fake. Silence was better.
That morning felt like any other. The classroom buzzed with quiet conversations while students waited for their teacher. Adrian sat in his usual seat at the back corner of the room, staring out the window as gray clouds rolled slowly across the sky. No one sat near him. They never did.
Then the classroom door opened.
A girl walked in behind the teacher. She had messy dark hair that fell around her shoulders and eyes that seemed far too bright for someone walking into a silent classroom full of strangers. The teacher cleared his throat and faced the class. "Everyone, this is the new transfer student. Her name is Lyra Bennett."
Soft whispers immediately spread across the room as students leaned toward each other, curious. Adrian didn't look up. Transfer students came and went. It had nothing to do with him.
"Lyra," the teacher continued, scanning the room, "take the empty seat."
There was only one empty seat.
Beside Adrian.
The room fell completely silent. A few students turned to stare at Adrian before quickly looking away again. Others stared at the new girl, waiting for her to notice the tension in the room. Everyone knew the rule. Surely someone would warn her.
But Lyra Bennett simply looked around, spotted the empty desk beside Adrian, and walked toward it.
Step by step, the quiet tension grew heavier. Someone near the front of the room quietly whispered, "She doesn't know."
Another student muttered, "She's dead."
Adrian finally lifted his eyes as the sound of footsteps stopped beside his desk.
The girl dropped her bag onto the chair, pulled it out, and sat down like it was the most normal thing in the world.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Lyra turned her head slightly and looked at him. Her expression wasn't nervous. It wasn't scared either. If anything, she looked curious.
Then she smiled.
"Hi," she said casually. "I'm Lyra."
Adrian stared at her without responding. Most people avoided eye contact with him, but this girl didn't seem bothered at all. In fact, she leaned her chin on her hand and studied him like he was some kind of interesting puzzle.
"You're Adrian, right?" she added.
A few students gasped softly from across the room. Nobody talked to Adrian like that.
Adrian slowly turned his head away and looked back out the window.
Lyra didn't move.
After a few seconds, she laughed quietly to herself. "Wow. You're really quiet."
The teacher finally cleared his throat again, clearly relieved that nothing terrible had happened. "Alright, everyone, open your textbooks."
The classroom returned to its usual noise as pages flipped and pens scratched against paper. But whispers still floated through the air.
Why was the new girl sitting there?
Didn't she know who he was?
Adrian tried to ignore it all like he always did. Yet for some strange reason, he could feel the girl beside him occasionally glancing his way.
For the first time in years, someone was sitting next to him.
And she didn't look afraid at all.