Rafa's POV:
The hallway lights felt… too normal.
Too bright.
Too quiet.
We just stood there for a second, like none of us fully believed we were actually out.
"…okay," Sam said finally. "I'm never going into a random room again."
"Agreed," Felix said.
CJ looked back at the door. "Should we… like… tell someone?"
Keagan shook his head immediately. "And say what? 'Hey, there's a creepy room with moving chairs and fake people'?"
"…fair," CJ said.
Calix glanced at Ella, still unconscious on the floor inside. "We should get help, though."
"Yeah," I said quietly.
My voice felt weird.
Like I hadn't used it properly in a while.
Everyone slowly started moving again, talking over each other, trying to act normal—but it wasn't really working.
I stayed where I was.
Just for a second.
"…Rafa."
I looked up.
Felix.
Of course.
"You coming?" he asked.
"Yeah," I said. "Just—give me a second."
He didn't leave.
Just stood there.
Waiting.
"…you don't have to stay," I said.
"I know."
He still didn't move.
I let out a small breath. "You're doing that thing again."
"What thing?"
"The… staying," I said.
He shrugged slightly. "Someone's gotta make sure you don't go punch anyone else."
I rolled my eyes. "…that was one time."
"Very memorable time."
I tried not to smile.
Didn't fully succeed.
For a moment, it was quiet again.
But not the scary kind.
Just… quiet.
"You scared me," he said suddenly.
That caught me off guard.
"…what?"
"Back there," he said. "When you went back in."
I looked away. "I handled it."
"Yeah," he said. "You always do."
There was something in his voice this time.
Not teasing.
Not joking.
Just… real.
"I thought you weren't coming back," he added quietly.
That made my chest tighten.
"I was," I said.
"You didn't know that."
I didn't answer.
Because he was right.
He stepped a little closer.
Not a lot.
Just enough.
"…don't do that again," he said.
I glanced at him. "What, save us?"
"That's not what I meant."
There was a pause.
"…I know," I said softly.
Our hands brushed again.
This time—
neither of us moved away.
I felt my heart speed up.
Again.
"You're doing that on purpose now," I said quietly.
"Maybe," he said.
I looked at him.
He was already looking at me.
Closer than before.
Way closer.
"…Felix—"
"HEY!"
We both jumped.
Of course.
CJ.
Running toward us.
"ARE YOU GUYS JUST STANDING THERE HAVING A MOMENT?!" he yelled.
I immediately pulled my hand away.
"No?!" I said way too fast.
Felix sighed. "…perfect timing."
CJ grinned. "Wow. I interrupt something?"
"No," we both said at the same time.
"Suspicious," Sam added, walking up behind him.
Keagan crossed his arms. "Very."
Calix just looked at us.
Analyzing.
I turned away. "Can we NOT do this right now?"
"Oh, we're definitely doing this later," Felix muttered.
"Don't you dare," I whispered back.
He smirked.
Yeah.
Definitely not over.
Not even close.
"Anyway," I said quickly, trying to move on, "we still have a bigger problem."
"Yeah," Sam said. "The whole almost dying thing."
"And the unconscious girl on the floor," Calix added.
Right.
Ella.
We all turned back toward the room.
She was still there.
Exactly where we left her.
Not moving.
Not speaking.
Just… lying there.
CJ scratched the back of his head. "So what's the plan? We just… leave her?"
Keagan shook his head. "We can't just leave her there."
Felix glanced at me. "…you knocked her out. You decide."
"Wow," I said. "Thanks. No pressure."
He shrugged. "You seem good at making decisions under stress."
"That's not a compliment."
"It kind of is."
I sighed and stepped a little closer to the doorway, peeking inside again.
The room looked… normal now.
No movement.
No shadows shifting.
No sounds.
Like nothing ever happened.
That somehow made it worse.
"…we take her to the nurse," I said finally.
Sam blinked. "The nurse? After all that?"
"What else are we supposed to do?" I said. "Explain everything to a teacher?"
"…good point," CJ said.
"Okay, but who's carrying her?" Felix asked.
Everyone went quiet.
Then—
slowly—
they all looked at CJ.
"NO," CJ said immediately. "Absolutely not. I am not carrying someone you literally just fought."
"You volunteered," Keagan said.
"I did NOT—"
"You said 'what's the plan,'" Sam added.
"That's not volunteering!"
"It is now," Felix said.
CJ groaned. "You guys are the worst."
"Move," Keagan said, already walking past him.
Together, they went back into the room. Carefully this time.
Like they expected something to jump out again.
Nothing did.
CJ crouched down next to Ella, hesitating. "…this feels like a bad idea."
"Everything today has been a bad idea," Felix said.
"…fair."
He carefully lifted her up, struggling slightly.
"Why is she heavier than she looks?!" he complained.
"Because you're weak," Sam said.
"I am NOT—okay, maybe a little—but still!"
Despite everything—
I almost laughed.
Almost.
We stepped back into the hallway, the door behind us still open.
Still normal.
Too normal.
Calix walked ahead. "Let's move. Before something changes its mind."
That was enough motivation.
We started walking.
All of us together.
No one separating this time.
CJ struggling.
Sam talking too much.
Keagan staying alert.
Calix thinking.
Felix—
next to me again.
Of course.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
I nodded. "Yeah."
A pause.
"…you sure?"
I glanced at him.
"…no," I admitted.
He didn't say anything.
Just walked a little closer.
Not touching.
Just there.
And somehow—
that helped.
"Hey," CJ called from ahead, clearly struggling. "If I drop her, that's on all of you."
"Don't drop her," I said.
"No promises!"
Felix leaned closer slightly. "…we should probably help him."
"Yeah," I said. "Before he actually does drop her."
We both stepped forward—
at the same time.
Our shoulders bumped.
We both paused.
Then looked at each other.
"…again?" I said.
"…again," he said.
CJ groaned loudly in the background. "CAN YOU TWO FLIRT LATER?!"
"I AM NOT FLIRTING," I said instantly.
Felix didn't say anything.
Just smiled.
That stupid smile.
"…we are helping now," I added quickly, walking faster.
"Yeah, yeah," Sam said. "Sure you are."
My face felt warm.
Great.
Just great.
Behind us—
the classroom door slowly creaked.
No one noticed.
Except—
for a second—
I thought I heard something.
A soft whisper.
Faint.
Barely there.
I turned slightly—
but the hallway was empty.
"…Rafa?" Felix said.
I shook my head quickly. "Nothing."
But as we kept walking—
I couldn't shake the feeling.
That something—
was still watching.
I then bumped Felix's shoulder "You know...It's probably CJ's first time carrying a girl."
They all burst out laughing looking at CJ while he rolled his eyes
"HEY! I've carried a baby girl before!" He said proud of himself.
We all roll our eyes...
But just something still feels off...