The hallway felt longer than usual.
Or maybe it was just me.
People brushed past me, their shoulders hitting mine without apology. No one looked at me. No one noticed.
Except her.
She was standing near the window at the end of the corridor.
I had seen her before.
I think.
Same dark hair. Same quiet presence. Always alone. Always watching.
But this time… she wasn't looking at her phone.
She was looking at me.
Directly.
My chest tightened.
I looked away first.
"Hey."
The voice was soft.
Too close.
I turned. She was standing right in front of me now. I hadn't even seen her move.
"You dropped this."
She held something in her hand.
My notebook.
My heart stopped.
"I… I didn't—"
"You did," she said calmly. "After you froze."
Froze?
"I didn't freeze."
She tilted her head slightly.
"You were standing in the hallway. Not moving. For a long time."
My throat went dry.
"How long?"
She didn't answer immediately.
"Long enough for people to start staring."
That didn't make sense.
No one looked at me.
No one ever looked at me.
I grabbed the notebook from her hand. My fingers brushed hers.
Cold.
Not normal cold.
Empty cold.
She didn't pull away.
"You should be careful," she said quietly.
"About what?"
Her eyes shifted slightly… not to me.
But behind me.
"They don't like when you notice."
A chill ran down my spine.
"Who?"
She stepped back.
"You'll see."
And just like that, the bell rang.
Loud. Sudden. Violent.
I blinked.
She was gone.
Completely gone.
I turned around quickly. The corridor was full of students moving to class.
No sign of her.
I looked down at the notebook.
It felt heavier.
Slowly, I opened it.
New words.
Fresh ink.
"She wasn't supposed to talk to you."
My breathing stopped.
I hadn't written that.
And she hadn't touched the pages.
Right?
My hands began to shake.
I flipped the page.
Another line appeared.
"Now they know."