Tossing a candy bar in his hand, a beaming Leon strolled down the hallway, smiling at the students passing by. Since he had woken up in a good mood that morning, he believed that nothing and no one could ruin it.
The last few days had been unusually peaceful. He hadn't had any nightmares, and nothing strange was happening around him. He spent most of his free time with Natan and Nadia, growing closer to them with each passing day.
He really wanted to believe that nothing could spoil his mood—until Sebastian appeared out of nowhere and shamelessly snatched the candy bar from his hand. He tore the wrapper and took a huge bite, looking completely satisfied.
Leon wanted to kill him. He shot him a murderous glare, but his older roommate ignored it entirely.
"Little pup, we need to talk, since you're alone right now. I hope your inseparable Natan won't show up any second," the seventeen-year-old began.
"What do you want?" Leon grunted, not even trying to be polite.
"It's only been a month, and you're already number one around here. Roksana and I have decided you should join our club," he announced, throwing an arm around Leon. "As president, I can give you access to all the rooms."
"I don't need any access," Leon replied, clearly offended. "And I definitely don't need to be in your club. I'm guessing you just want to use me to boost your own popularity. Is it dropping?"
Sebastian clenched his jaw, barely holding back his anger. With a forced smile, he continued:
"Listen to me, mini pitbull, then you can comment." Leon rolled his eyes. "You should be grateful we're extending this invitation. Everyone at this school would kill to be in our club."
"Great," Leon muttered gloomily, still bitter that Sebastian had eaten his candy bar. He'd really been craving sugar today.
"You're spending too much time with that gloomy guy. You're turning into him. I need to pull you away before you waste your potential."
Leon sighed, pretending Sebastian's words were going in one ear and out the other.
"Labrador!" Roksana's voice made Leon think Sebastian's face might've turned red from embarrassment.
"So that's why you call us puppies? Because you're the real dog?" Leon grinned wide, taking pleasure in teasing his older roommate.
"Roksana..."
"Did you manage to convince Leon?" she asked brightly, turning to her peer. "Are you interested in joining us?" she directed the question at Leon.
"Right now, I am," he replied, flashing her a flirtatious smile. "Especially since the prettiest girl in school is the one asking."
He did it on purpose. He knew Sebastian was head over heels for her, yet still hadn't had the courage to ask her out. Since Sebastian took his candy bar, Leon decided to take his girl.
Roksana tucked her hair behind her ear, clearly pleased by the compliment.
"You're not allowed to flirt with her," Sebastian hissed.
"You weren't allowed to eat my candy bar, but you did anyway," Leon replied calmly.
"I'll buy you a whole damn box of candy bars. Just stay away from her."
"If you don't get me that box today, I'll be charming her until the damn end of the world," Leon declared, once again smiling at Roksana.
"What are you two whispering about?" the girl asked curiously.
"Sweets," Leon replied.
"We've come to an agreement. He's joining our club," Sebastian announced, pinching the younger boy on the side.
"So, if I join your club, can I call you by your first name, Roksana?" Leon asked, showing a broad grin.
"I don't mind."
"You might want to reconsider sharing a room with me," Sebastian growled. "Because I'm not sure you'll wake up tomorrow."
"Roksana, tell me then—what's your club all about?" Leon asked, deliberately addressing only her as he stepped closer. Left slightly behind, Sebastian was already planning his coffin.
*
Nadia walked through the courtyard, talking on speakerphone with her parents. They asked if she was okay, how she was coping, and the teenager calmly assured them that she was happy, and that studying here was still a dream come true.
"I was hoping you might've changed your mind and want to transfer to another school," her mother said, a clear worry in her voice.
"You can hear she's doing well," her father chimed in, trying to reassure her. "Stop torturing yourself. Maybe we're too dramatic because of our past. That's all behind us now. Things are calm there, and our daughter has a real shot at getting into university if she graduates from Gilbert."
"Dad, are you saying you just hope I'll graduate at all?" Nadia asked with amusement.
"I'm speechless. I have no answer to that."
"Nadia, are you sure everything's okay? Nothing strange going on? You're not hiding something from us?" her mother pressed, still uneasy.
"Mom, what do you mean by 'strange'? If I didn't have a mom who's a 'medium,' I could say the weirdest thing here is sharing a room with a girl who sees ghosts. But you know, she's unbearable to live with..."
"Your roommate is a medium?" her mother panicked again. "Did she tell you anything? Does she see anything strange?"
"We don't get along. We're not on the same wavelength. She prefers ghost company."
"Just like your mother did in her youth. Had tea parties with them."
Nadia smiled when she heard her dad's "ouch."
"But... did she mention a cursed boy with a dark aura around his shoulders?"
The teen swallowed hard. How did her mother know about that? Had she seen Leon?
"She hasn't said anything... Why are you asking, Mom? Did something happen when you were here? Did you see something?"
"It's just... there's a boy there who worried me."
"If I befriend him, I'm sure my weird roommate will eventually tell me, even if she doesn't like me," she said with a forced laugh. "So relax, Mom. Stop worrying or you'll get premature wrinkles. Nothing's going on, and I feel great."
"Remember, if something happens..."
"Yes, yes, I'll call you right away. Sending a million kisses. Take care of yourselves—maybe surprise me one day and finally give me a little brother."
"Hey, Nadia..." her dad began, but didn't get to finish, because the teen quickly hung up to avoid the scolding. She was sure he'd text her a long message about her inappropriate jokes.
She nearly had a heart attack when she turned and saw Alicja sitting nearby. She looked like a ghost, her gaze filled with hatred.
"You were talking about me with your mom? I heard everything," Alicja said, standing and walking toward her. "Why didn't you tell her the truth? Why are you hiding the fact that you know Leon? That's who your mom was talking about, right? Why didn't you tell her that you are also in danger?"
"And why are you meddling?"
"It's not right to lie to your parents..."
"And you only ever tell yours the truth?" Nadia asked sarcastically.
"If I got along with my mom, I'd never lie to her. But she's a heartless bitch, so I don't even have to lie. No matter what I do, I'll always be nothing to her."
Nadia felt a pang of sadness. Her gaze softened, and she now looked at Alicja with sympathy.
Only now did she understand why the girl kept her distance. Judging by her words, she had never experienced a warm, loving home.
Nadia felt a pang of guilt—she had also been cruel to her from the start.
"I'm sorry," she said sincerely.
"You don't have to pity me. A freak will always be a freak. I've come to terms with it."
"Then stop being so cold to people, and maybe they won't be cold to you," Nadia said as Alicja turned to leave. "My mom was a freak too. From what I heard, no one liked her at first, but she found real friends. Right here. You're just like her. My grandfather kicked her out to focus on a new family."
"Then that's what sets us apart. My mom didn't kick me out to start a new family. She kicked me out because she hates me. She wanted to get rid of me at all costs, and boarding school was the perfect solution," Alicja replied coolly. "Look up the name Marta Rodek. Then you'll understand why I'm a problem for her."
The girl walked off toward the school entrance. Confused and intrigued, Nadia immediately pulled out her phone and typed in the name she had been given.
She froze when pictures of a famous actress appeared on the screen.
*
Tired of the chairman's boring speech—and of the girl of his dreams hanging on his every word—Leon walked out of the room belonging to the school's popular group. He had only agreed to join their club to get on Sebastian's nerves. Teasing him was one of his favorite pastimes.
As he passed by the basement door, he noticed it slowly closing, as if someone had just gone inside.
At the last second, he grabbed the handle, intrigued by what might be down there. Usually, the entrance to the basement was locked, off-limits to students, but now he remembered Alicia's dream—she had screamed at him to go with her underground.
Worse would be running into a teacher or supervisor. But what would they even be doing in the basement?
"Leon? Where are you going?"
His heart stopped for a moment, but he relaxed when he recognized Nadia's voice.
"I want to see what's down there. The door's open..."
The girl looked curious.
"Did you see who went in? It had to be a teacher. If we get caught, we're screwed."
"If anything, I'd bet it was the janitor. I doubt it was a teacher or supervisor. Why would they go down there?"
The sixteen-year-old hesitated for a moment. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but curiosity gnawed at her—especially because of the stories her parents used to tell. Her mother had been down there many times. So had her father.
"I'm going with you."
"What?"
"It'll be less scary together," she said, stepping closer. Standing beside him, she looked up and gave him a sweet smile. "Don't you think?"
Leon nodded in reply.
"All right then. Let's go and see what's down there."
He let her go first. Inside, the darkness was so thick they couldn't see anything. And then—the door slammed shut behind them with a loud bang.
"Are you sure it was a person who went down here?" Nadia asked, glancing around nervously.
"I can't answer that," Leon admitted. "I didn't see anyone."
They lit up the basement with their phone flashlights. Aside from some clutter, there didn't seem to be anything unusual.
"Maybe someone just left the door open by accident," Leon muttered.
"And I'm starting to believe no one was ever here..." Nadia whispered. "You said your parents used to come up from the underground through here. But I don't see any passage."
Nadia pointed her flashlight at a tall wardrobe across the room.
"There is one—but it's blocked."
They tried to push the furniture aside together, but Nadia was too weak. Leon couldn't do it alone either. They needed one more person.
"Looks like we're not getting down there by ourselves," he said. Nadia nodded in agreement.
"I'll call my roommate. I just hope he doesn't chicken out."
Maybe it was just her imagination, but Nadia could have sworn she heard screams—drenched in pain—coming from deep within the underground.