Ngong High School...
Red lupine eyes. Sharp fangs dripping with blood. A full moon overhead. A dark, creepy forest.
Edward trudged alone down the school hallway that Monday morning. For some reason, vivid flashes of strange, unexplainable images kept flickering through his mind-again and again.
He couldn't make sense of them, no matter how many times they replayed in his head.
When he reached his locker, he unlocked it in a jaded manner, pulled out what he needed for the physics lesson, shoved in his backpack that slung over his right shoulder, and slammed the door shut.
With his books in his left hand, he leaned back against the locker, head tilted upward, eyes closed, and let out a long, exhausted sigh.
He muttered to himself-or rather grumbled-about how his mother had made him do donkey work all around the house the previous day. And that was after dragging him to church.
At least, thanks to his hard work, the house and its surroundings were spotless.
He didn't care about the students passing by, or what they might think if they saw him talking to himself and looking as miserable as usual. They already thought of him as a loser.
"Hi, Edward," came a soft, sweet voice from his right.
Oh shit!
Edward jolted from his daze and turned toward the voice. It was her. The girl with the locker right next to his. The girl he had a secret crush on.
Marissa.
Trying to play it cool, Edward propped his right elbow against his locker to support his head. He crossed his right leg in front of his left and let his left hand-still holding his books-hang at his side.
"Oh, hi Marissa. Looking good," he said, forcing a calm, charming tone.
Please don't let me sound like an idiot, he begged inwardly.
Marissa, noticing his awkward posture and flushed face, giggled. "Thanks, Edward. That's so sweet of you. Looking good too." She winked, grabbed her books, closed her locker, and walked off-clearly blushing herself.
Once she was gone, Edward wished the earth would just open up and swallow him whole.
He squeezed his eyes shut, face grimacing, cursing himself so many times that he lost count.
Then he stood up straight, shook it off, and headed to class-praying the day wouldn't get any more embarrassing.
---
Meanwhile, near the school gym's door...
Mdachi paced restlessly, thumbs hooked on the straps of his backpack, eyes glued to the floor.
Leaning casually against the wall was Anita. Her right foot rested on the wall behind her while her left kept her balanced. She chewed gum slowly and elegantly, all while scrolling on her phone, completely unbothered.
"Hey, baby boy," she finally said, not hiding her annoyance anymore. "Relax your horses, will you? You're gonna make me anxious. And you know you hate it when I'm anxious."
Mdachi adjusted his glasses-again-then checked his watch for what had to be the hundredth time. "The bell's about to ring and Edward still isn't here. What if he doesn't make it? We still have classes, remember? We should be going as soon as the bell sounds."
His voice was a mix of impatience and panic.
Anita rolled her eyes and returned her attention to her phone. Such a nerd, she thought. Annoying.
Still, the two remained at their usual meeting spot, waiting.
They had tried to reach Edward after the message he sent them on Saturday night:
I shouldn't be telling you this but strange things are happening. I saw a giant wolf last night and I just discovered I have powers. I'm FREAKING OUT, guys!!!!
The next day, they went to his house-but he wasn't home.
So they messaged him and agreed to wait for him at school. They hoped he'd show up at the usual place.
The bell rang.
Students began rushing through the corridors toward their classes.
The hallway where Anita and Mdachi waited had fewer students, but they craned their necks toward the main hallway, watching the crowd pass by in a blur of uniforms and backpacks.
Disappointment etched across their faces as the crowd thinned. Edward was nowhere in sight.
Please show up, Anita thought. Don't stand us up again.
Then, just as they were about to give up, they spotted him-Edward, dashing through the hallway, headed right.
They called out to him, but he didn't hear them.
He was already sprinting toward class, completely unaware that his friends were trying to get his attention.
By the time they reached the hallway intersection, he had vanished from sight.
They gave up, deciding they'd catch him during lunch.
They had to.
----------
At the entrance of the Physics class, Edward bumped into someone's back-hard.
It was Billy, who was strolling leisurely into class while texting on his phone.
"Shit," Edward cursed inwardly. "Could this day get any more humiliating?"
Frozen in place, he clutched his books tightly in his right hand and braced himself for what was coming.
He hoped it wouldn't be a punch.
"An insult would do just fine," he thought grimly.
Billy, who had stopped immediately after feeling the bump, turned around-still holding his phone in texting position-only to see a nervous Edward standing behind him.
Billy knew most students at school. But people like Edward-quiet, easily forgettable-always felt like background noise.
He was shorter than Edward, but somehow still felt bigger. His presence was loud. The kind of intimidating that didn't need volume. Confidence. Muscles. Popularity. That was Billy's aura.
He raised his right eyebrow when he saw Edward, clearly trying to recall where he'd seen him before.
It clicked. Recognition flashed briefly in his eyes.
Billy raised his right hand.
Edward, now hugging his books tightly, shut his eyes and tensed, preparing for a punch that would send him flying.
"Relax, buddy," Billy said, resting his hand on Edward's shoulder. "I'm not gonna hit you."
The tone was...friendly.
That made Edward even more nervous. What if this was sarcasm?
But Billy, reading the fear plain as day on Edward's face, casually removed his hand and adjusted the strap of his backpack, which hung loosely over his right shoulder.
Then he tucked his right hand into his jeans pocket, held his phone against his stomach with his left, and leaned back in a chill posture.
"Just watch where you're going next time... John?" he asked, brows creasing.
Of course. He didn't even know Edward's name.
"It's Edward, actually," Edward corrected, the tension starting to ease from his chest.
"Ohh, okay-Edward. Just watch it next time." Billy turned and coolly walked into class, not sticking around long enough for Edward's quiet "okay" to matter.
Only when Billy disappeared into the room did Edward realize he was still frozen in the hallway. He blinked himself out of it, then rushed in after him.
He scurried toward his seat-first column from the door, third-last row.
He liked that seat. Far enough from the teacher, but close enough to the wall so he could lean his head when bored or tired.
On his way there, Edward's eyes scanned the room. The usual friend groups had already formed, buzzing with chatter and exaggerated stories about their weekends and some gruesome horror movie they watched.
To his left, the girls' group held court-led, of course, by slay queen Natasha. He didn't catch much of what they were saying. Just some boys' names and giggling. He didn't care. They could gossip about the entire male population if they wanted.
He finally reached his seat, slumped into it, dropped his books on the desk, leaned back with his hands tangled behind his head, and let his blank gaze drift toward the girls' group.
He wasn't really looking at them-he was sinking into thought.
What did those flashes in his head mean? They kept coming. Strange. Disturbing. He couldn't tell if they were dreams, memories, or something else.
Maybe it was from a movie?
Then his mind drifted to Marissa. Ugh. The memory of his awkwardness around her stung worse than a slap. He shoved it aside. "A thought for later," he branded it.
Next came the moment with Billy. Treated nicely by the cousin of his bully? That was... unexpected. Maybe they weren't all the same after all.
His train of thought screeched to a halt when he noticed Sasha-one of the girls from Natasha's clique-tap Natasha's shoulder repeatedly.
She leaned in, whispered something, and pointed straight at Edward.
Her face twisted in a scornful glare.
Natasha turned slowly, clearly annoyed at being interrupted mid-story. But when she saw who Sasha was pointing at, she-and the entire group-let out a dramatic "Ugh!" in perfect gagging unison.
Edward blinked.
What the hell's their problem now?
Then it hit him. Sasha probably thought I was staring at them.
He immediately wanted the earth to crack open and swallow him whole, again.
Trying to recover, he sat upright, wiped all emotion from his face, and stared back with deadpan defiance.
He knew girls like that could be venomous. One sharp sentence and your self-esteem could be in ruins.
So, he stared. Daring them to speak.
Before it escalated, salvation arrived-Mr. Dominic, the Physics teacher, strolled into class.
Edward exhaled in relief, wiping sweat from his brow, and thanked the heavens.
The cliques scattered like leaves in wind, hurrying to their seats as the lesson began.
--------
Later during lunch break at Ngong High Cafeteria...
After a string of exhausting lessons, Edward joined the queue for lunch. The cafeteria buzzed with chatter and clinking cutlery as students lounged on benches, eating and laughing.
He picked up a tray and absentmindedly fiddled with it, inching forward in the line. Behind him, two boys spoke in low tones about a horror film they'd watched on Friday night.
"Man Slaughter."
The same title he'd heard mentioned earlier in physics class.
From the way they described it-terrifying but brilliant-Edward wished he'd seen it too. Maybe then, he'd have had the courage to chime in.
"Ahem," grunted one of the kitchen staff, snapping Edward from his thoughts.
The cold-faced woman looked irritated at his spacing out.
Caught off guard, Edward offered a sheepish smile as he stretched out his tray.
"Ugh," he nearly gagged as the pudding landed with a wobble.
He carried the tray to his usual bench-the one he shared with his two best friends-and sat down, grimacing at the pudding.
It's not that bad, he thought. At least there's milk and an apple. That'll do.
He grabbed both, then shoved the tray away like it was cursed.
"What even is that pudding?" he muttered. "Doesn't matter."
He bit into the crisp apple and waited for Mdachi and Anita to arrive.
BAM!
A tray slammed onto the opposite side of the table, making Edward flinch.
Anita dropped into the seat across from him, fuming. Arms crossed tight, jaw clenched, eyes fixed firmly to the left-away from him.
Edward stared, bewildered. Setting his apple and milk aside, he tried to piece together what he'd done.
But nothing came to mind.
Before he could ask, Mdachi arrived and slid onto the bench beside Anita, calm as ever.
"Hi, guys. How have you been?" Edward greeted, his voice tinged with concern and confusion.
Anita didn't answer. Not even a glance.
"We've been fine, thanks," Mdachi replied pointedly, clearly picking up on the tension.
Turning to him, Edward gestured toward Anita. "Hey, Mdachi. What gives?"
Mdachi looked genuinely surprised. Adjusting his glasses, he asked, "Seriously? You're gonna pretend you don't deserve that cold shoulder?"
Edward opened his mouth to respond, but Mdachi cut him off.
"First, you ditched us Saturday after saying you were grounded. Then you sent us a super creepy text that freaked us out-so we rushed to your place the next day, and you weren't even home. And this morning, you didn't show at our usual meeting spot. Again."
Anita nodded in agreement, still silent but visibly sulking.
Mdachi continued, his tone now steadier. "So, Edward... what gives?"
Anita finally turned to face him-arms still crossed, eyes cold.
Edward blinked. "Okay, first of all, I don't remember talking to you and saying I was grounded. I'm not-why would I be? Second, I don't know anything about a creepy text. And last, I had no idea we were supposed to meet this morning. If this is a prank, then congrats-you got me."
He smiled weakly, hoping they'd laugh and admit it was all a joke.
But they didn't.
They just stared at him, confused and a little worried.
Anita's expression softened slightly. She unfolded her arms.
Edward's smile faltered.
They weren't joking.
Holy shit.
"Hey, Edward," Mdachi asked carefully, "are you okay? You're not feeling sick or anything?"
"No... why?"
"You remember we planned a hangout on Saturday, right?"
"Yeah, of course." Edward nodded, brows pinched. "But... I thought it got canceled? Maybe you guys had an emergency or something?"
Mdachi's eyes widened. "Oh my god... you really don't remember."
Anita's mouth dropped open.
Mdachi pressed on. "Okay, that explains Saturday. But what about the text? You not being home? You don't go to church-unless..."
"I did," Edward interrupted, looking embarrassed. "My mom made me."
"...Okay," Mdachi said awkwardly.
"So then we're back to the text and the missed meet-up," he added.
"I still don't know what text you're talking about," Edward said. "And yeah-I didn't check my DMs yesterday or today. So if you sent me a text telling me to meet up, I didn't see it. I guess I was... busy?"
"Give me your phone," Anita demanded, stretching out her hand.
Edward blinked.
"Now," she snapped.
He quickly fished his phone from his pocket and handed it over.
She unlocked it, tapped through a few screens, then turned the phone to him.
Edward stared.
His jaw dropped.
There it was. A message he had apparently sent: strange, disturbing, cryptic. He remembered nothing about it.
The imagery hit him like a vision-red lupine eyes, blood-drenched fangs, the full moon above a haunted forest.
The flashes returned.
Vivid. Chilling.
Suddenly, something cold and slimy plopped onto his head.
"Oops," sneered Brandon. "Slipped from my hand."
Edward stood up, pudding dripping from his hair, and turned to face his tormentor.
Behind Brandon were Felix, Jasper, and Frederick-his usual cronies.
Mdachi and Anita rose to their feet too.
"What's your problem, asshole?!" Edward snapped, loud enough to draw everyone's attention.
The cafeteria hushed.
Brandon's smirk faded. He shoved Edward hard, sending him stumbling into the table.
Then he grabbed Edward by the collar. "If you know what's good for you, punk, you'll apologies."
"Get off me!" Edward barked, shoving him away.
"Ooooh!" the crowd reacted, hungry for drama.
"Finally! Something to make this day less boring," someone shouted.
Brandon swung a punch.
Edward dodged.
He actually dodged.
"YES! Go Edward!" Mdachi cheered.
But then Felix rushed over to Mdachi and punched him in the stomach.
Mdachi collapsed, groaning.
Anita shrieked. "I'm the only one allowed to frustrate him!" she yelled, launching herself at Felix and clawing his face.
Edward, fueled by adrenaline, swung back at Brandon. His punch landed-hard-on Brandon's cheek.
Hell yeah, Edward thought. I've wanted to do that for years.
Jasper and Frederick moved in.
Frederick tore Anita from Felix.
Jasper helped Brandon pin Edward to the table.
A fist rose above Edward's head. He shut his eyes.
But someone tackled Brandon from the side-one of the students from the crowd.
Others joined in in unison.
Chaos erupted.
Trays, food, fists, and screams flew across the cafeteria.
Total pandemonium.
Anita cackled, lunging at Felix again. Fredrick tried pulling her off-until some random student yanked him away too.
---
Hours later...
Edward, Anita, and Mdachi sat outside the principal's office.
Disheveled.
Sore.
Still in shock.
Despite their best efforts to clean up in the restroom, they were still a mess. And so were the other students.
Mdachi and Edward giggled uncontrollably, replaying the insanity that had just gone down.
Anita sat quietly beside them, arms crossed again, eyes fixed on the marble floor.
"Hey, Anita," Edward asked, finally breaking the silence. "Still mad at me?"
"No," she replied softly. "It's not that."
"Then what?" they both asked, in unison.
She turned to them slowly, then fixed her eyes firmly on Edward.
"We need to visit my mom after school," she said.
"...Why?" Edward asked.
"Because she knows a thing or two about memory erasure."