"They don't even see me. It's like I'm invisible until they need someone to laugh at."
Eloise gripped her locker door with white knuckles, her voice barely louder than a whisper. Her forehead rested against the cool metal, hiding her burning eyes. The hallway was slowly emptying as lunch break came to a close, but she could still hear their laughter echoing in her ears—sharp, mocking, like tiny daggers lodging into soft flesh.
Jessica stood a few paces behind her, silent but fuming. Her curly brown hair was pulled into its usual messy bun, and her dark eyes snapped with frustration as she watched her best friend slowly come apart.
"You have to report them this time, El," Jessica said. "They put ketchup in your backpack. Again. That's not a prank, it's harassment."
Eloise let out a long breath, lifting her head slowly. Her reflection in the shiny locker surface was blurry, but it was still her: pale face, long ash-blonde hair, oversized hoodie hiding the curves she didn't like, and those eyes—gray, too wide, too tired.
"Nothing ever changes, Jess," she murmured. "Every time I tell someone, they just say 'they didn't mean it' or that I'm 'too sensitive.' You know what happens when you snitch in this school."
Jessica stepped closer, voice hard. "And what happens when you stay silent? They think it's okay to keep doing it. Don't you want it to stop?"
"Of course, I do," Eloise snapped, then immediately softened. "I just…" She sighed, folding her arms around herself like a shield. "I don't want to be that girl. The tattletale. The loser."
Jessica opened her mouth, then closed it. They'd had this conversation too many times. The same argument. The same pain.
A bell rang sharply overhead, dragging both girls back into the reality of high school life.
"Come on," Jessica said. "We'll be late for chem."
The day dragged on like syrup over cold toast—sticky and slow. Eloise could feel their eyes on her all throughout class. Courtney flicked a note onto her desk during fifth period. Eloise unfolded it with reluctant fingers.
Wanna come to our Halloween party tomorrow? Sleepover. No nerds allowed—except you, of course. Location drop later.
A wobbly heart was drawn beneath the words. Sarcastic. She could hear Courtney's drawl in her head.
Eloise glanced across the room. Courtney and her two shadows—Madison and Lila—were watching her, smiling like crocodiles. But for a moment, just a second, hope flared inside Eloise's chest.
They never invited her to anything before. Ever.
She quickly folded the note and slipped it into her pocket like it was something precious. Maybe it was a trick. Maybe not. But maybe, maybe, they were finally going to let her in.
That evening, the soft yellow glow of Eloise's bedroom lamp painted warm shadows across the walls. The place was a mismatch of secondhand furniture, thrift-store posters, and books stacked like barricades on every available surface.
Jessica lounged on the bed, flipping through one of Eloise's sketchbooks. "They invited you?" she asked for the third time.
"Yup," Eloise said, spinning slowly in her desk chair. She tried to sound casual, but her heart was fluttering like a caged bird. "Courtney said they'd send the address tomorrow night."
Jessica looked up sharply. "Tomorrow? As in, the Friday the 13th Halloween party they've been planning since forever?"
Eloise shrugged, trying to hide the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Yeah. Crazy, right?"
"More like suspicious," Jessica said. She closed the sketchbook gently. "They've been tormenting you for years, El. Why now? Why invite you?"
"Maybe… I don't know. Maybe they're finally seeing me." Her voice faltered as she said it. Even to her own ears, it sounded naïve.
Jessica sat forward. "Or maybe they're setting you up. You're smart, El. Don't let them play you."
The warmth drained from Eloise's face. "Why can't you just be happy for me? This could be the one chance I have to belong. To matter."
"Because I know them," Jessica said flatly. "And I know you. You don't need their fake acceptance to prove your worth."
Eloise turned away. Her voice came out soft. "Easy for you to say. People actually like you."
Jessica blinked. "That's not true."
"Isn't it?"
Silence hung in the air between them like fog. Outside, the wind howled gently through the trees, brushing dead leaves against the windowpane.
Jessica stood. "I just don't want to see you get hurt again."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Eloise said, voice bitter. She hated the tremble in her throat.
Jessica hesitated, then quietly let herself out.
That night, Eloise couldn't sleep.
She lay in bed staring at the ceiling, heart dancing between dread and anticipation. Was Jessica right? Probably. But maybe, just maybe, this was the start of something new. A different chapter. One where she wasn't just background noise in other people's stories.
She reached into her drawer and pulled out the note again. The ink glinted faintly in the darkness. Her fingers brushed over the drawn heart.
"Please," she whispered to no one. "Let this be real."
In the silence, something outside rustled—a branch, maybe. Or the wind.
Or something else entirely.
But Eloise didn't hear it. She was already lost in the hope of tomorrow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`~~~~~~~~
Far beyond her little bedroom, across miles and veils of magic, in a realm hidden behind ancient gates and cloaked by blood rites and forgotten treaties, the castle of Crimson Court slumbered.
Its towers pierced the night sky like ivory daggers. Lanterns flickered across stained glass. Inside, old tapestries whispered of war, betrayal, and coronations long past.
A dark figure stood alone in a long empty hall, the stars glowing silver above through the enchanted ceiling.
"Twenty-four," he murmured, holding a sealed scroll. His voice was low, his accent old—noble and cruel. "Let's see if fate dares to play her hand once more."
A drop of blood spilled on the ancient map. The selection was made.
And miles away, in a quiet town full of shadows and forgotten names, Eloise Morgan's name burned red across the parchment.
She would never be invisible again.